Russian River Wine Tasting

February 27, 2016February 27, 20168 Comments

Another post about my jaunts in wine country…

Today was absolutely lovely! We only tasted at 2 spots – but they both were wonderful!

$9 for a bottle of delicious Champagne! I bought the Brut Rose. YUM!

FREE Champagne tasting! Everything I had was delicious, and the place is beautiful. They also have a little market to buy snacks from to picnic. Bottles of Champagne average around $14! Can’t beat it. Also, for my fellow military folks, they generously offer 25% off purchased.

Alex sampling the port

The dry side… my favs!

So many options!

Stop #2: Lunch at Russian River Pub

As seen on Diners, Drive ins & Dives. Feeling a little perked from Korbel, we wanted something hearty and delicious. We had reservations elsewhere, but decided to give this one a go, and we’re super glad we did!

And the best spot yet…..♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Stop #3: Russian River Vineyards

Don’t take this lightly… you MUST go here. This place, and the staff, has left me with feelings of packing up life and moving to Forestville. It’s tranquil, quaint, delicious, darling… it’s everything you want. The grounds are gorgeous, the wine is decadent and they have a delicious looking menu (we were too full to eat!). They too are generous to us military folks by offering complimentary tasting and 10% off purchases. A must go.

’twas a beautiful day and a beautiful drive. So blessed to live this close to paradise! God is good friends, God is good.

A Day in the North Bay

January 3, 20161 Comment

After an extremely lazy day 1 of 2016 (I mean LAZY!) I had to be out an about the next day. I can only sit on my painfully comfortable couch for so long…

Since we were long overdue with our wine pickup, we decided to make a day of it – and it twas lovely!

Breakfast in Petaluma
Tea Room Cafe (A MUST!!) 316 Western Ave, Petaluma, CA 94952
You may have to wait in line, but it’s worth it! We showed up around 11:00am on a Saturday and had no trouble finding a table. We had the croissant breakfast sandwich and the chorizo scramble, with a chai latte and coffee. Everything was delicious. Don’t forgot to stop at the darling little shop next door (got this cute red beanie there)!

Because who doesn’t love a drink in a bowl

Wine tasting and relaxing
Paradise Ridge Winery 4545 Thomas Lake Harris Dr, Santa Rosa, CA 95403
We became members here… so you know it’s good! Love love love this place. The grounds are gorgeous – they have TONS of artwork/sculptures all throughout. The tasting room is super cozy and the view is lovely. This was the first place that I loved all the wines – red and white! Definitely check this out.

Yes, the fire is burning with “love”

Cruise down HWY 12 and enjoy the scenery between spots!!

Sipping tea and strolling
Sonoma Plaza 453 1st St E, Sonoma, CA 95476
There are so many great shops here! From wine shops, to estate jewelry, from consignment boutiques to “general stores”. A must stop if you’re in the area. The plaza encompasses a beautiful park, and has plenty of delicious restaurants to choose from!

Basque Boulangerie 460 First Street East, Sonoma, CA 95476
We stopped here for a mocha, hot tea and chocolate covered macaroon. YUM!

A truly lovely way to start out the new year!

A Fall Day in Apple Hill

November 26, 2015November 26, 2015Leave a comment

First off, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope everyone is having a wonderful with loved ones and good food! Thought I would share a fun fall post!

I’ve been wanting to go to Apple Hill for years, and this year, we went! On our way home from a Tahoe getaway – we made a little pit stop. Apple Hill is literally right off HWY 50 between Pollock Pines and Placerville – with lots of great stops within seconds of each other.

Not having a clue where to go, I did a quick yelp review – and was very pleased with my stops:

Bodhaine Ranch
YOU MUST STOP FOR PIE! We got a slice of raspberry sour cream pie and it was insane… if you listen to anything I say, stop here for a slice o pie! It was also a great stop to take some fall family photos.

Bill’s Apples and Felicia’s Dolls
To be honest, we just made a quick stop here to walk the grounds. The flowers were glorious, and they handed out FREE spiral sliced apples. I didn’t go into the Doll shop because, well, I don’t like dolls, but it was a cute brief stop.

Rainbow Orchards
GET AN APPLE CIDER DONUT! Trust me… yes, again. They are so delicious! There’s also free samples of the apple cider, overflowing pumpkins and plenty of picnic tables. Another photo shoot opportunity too 🙂