This past June I was lucky enough to be in the San Francisco area for a work event. The event was on a Saturday and my boss and I had booked red eye flight home on Sunday. That gave us an entire free day to explore the area before heading home. I have never been to San Francisco and the original plan was to explore the pier, try to book a ferry to Alcatraz, see the famous "painted ladies"... but that was not to be. The San Francisco marathon was taking place day - bringing with it throngs of runner and spectators. Anyone who knows me, know I do not do well in lines or in large crowds, so the thought of elbowing my ways through the over crowded streets was enough to make me a little dizzy. Fortunately, Napa Valley is a quick 2-hour drive away. My boss and I decided a quiet drive through picturesque landscapes was much preferable to the alternative.
On the way to check out of my hotel, I passed a rack of area travel brochures. Sure enough there were vineyard tours a plenty. The one that caught my eye was Castello di Amorosa. It is a medieval replica castle surrounded by acres upon acres of vineyards and gardens galore.
The winery offers standard tours and tasting but for just $10 more, we opted for the tour and upgraded reserve tastings. I mean who wants to taste the table wine, when one can indulge in the good stuff most of wouldn't actually purchase due the sheer bottle cost? Not me.
What a great vineyard - not only is the wine delicious - but the castle is impressive in it's hommage to medieval architecture. I ended up with a membership to it's wine club - you can't buy the wine anywhere else except for the vineyard! So far, I have received (much to the chagrin of Eric) two shipments of gorgeous reds. I have opened a couple of bottles, but I am saving the higher end ones for a special occasion.. like a Friday.
I got distracted by the architecture and beauty of the vineyard (not to mention the tasting), so I only really took a few images while I was visiting, but if you are ever in the area - you should check it out!
