They ran out of wine in Napa...NOT!!

Every year for my birthday I set a few goals for myself to achieve for the next year.   Last year I said I was going to learn Spanish and go to Asia.  I sort of made it Asia (if you count Turkey since half the country is in Asia). Unfortunately, I still can barely speak Spanish.  Sounds like a failure huh? Well this year I made a few new, more reachable goals.  Since we were spending my Birthday in Napa Valley, I decided I would try 37 different wines (in four days)for my 37^th year on this planet!

  The plan was to suck the wine right out of Napa Valley. Empty all the barrels dry.  Yep…stay tuned to see how I did!

We began Napa with one of my favorite hotels: the Andaz !  If you have never stayed at one of these, you are missing out on a wonderful, luxurious experience.  

Only the Best Hotel ever

The rustic lobby

Once we got settled in, we wasted no time heading to the vineyards.  The first stop was Peju Winery, followed by Alpha Omega, and Hall.  So by the end of day number one I believe I had tasted 17different wines!  Off to a good tipsy start!!

Eric and Ryan with coordinating shirts outside Peju

Umm... ladies first??

Karen and Eric and some random guy in background

getting thirsty

Day two we started at 1030 am at the famous Opus One Vineyard.  They make one blended wine per year and that’s it!  There are no tastings here, just glasses of wine for sale for $40 or $50 a pop!! Wowza!  Let me tell you…it is worth the dough.  They have a rooftop area where you take your wine and enjoy the breathtaking views.  Ahhhh- I could get used to this.

The most relaxing place to taste wine: Opus One



Blending in at Opus One



Perhaps the best vineyard of the trip was Inglenook.  Now this winery has a huge complex history consisting of various owners and different visions.  Francis Ford Coppola has since purchased part of the property and vineyard and the Inglenook name is being restored.  

For all my Finnish relatives...No wonder I liked this wine so much!

This was my favorite winery/ vineyard/tasting of the entire trip!  I'm not going to give bore you with the details of the vineyard, but I will say that wine tasting here is an experience unlike any other. 

Private tables with a server for an awesome wine tasting !

Is that a beer? 

Decisions, decisions

Halfway through day two, we decided we were done with Napa and headed towards San Francisco.  I believe I had "tasted" about 23 wines at this point, so I was right on track to reach my goal.  Hurray!

standing outside Opus One

The first stop in San Fran was the Duck Tour.  Yep…another tour bus that turns into a boat while the passengers “quack” at the people on the street.  Unfortunately, we had a small situation on our duck tour and got into a small fender bender!  Who gets into a car accident on a tour bus? 

Another dang duck tour!

Quacking on the bus

Uh- oh!!

Once we were safely off the Duck, we were able to check out some the tourist hot spots. San Francisco proved to be one of my favorite cities in the U.S. so far.  With our limited time frame (two days), we barely scratched the surface of things to do and sights to see. However, we did manage to check out the crooked Lombard Street, the bay bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman’s Wharf, and the sea lions at Pier 39.  We tasted some wonderful chowder in a sour dough bowl, fresh seafood at the waterfront, and yummy pasta in Little Italy. 



Entrance to Fisherman's Wharf



The stinky sea lions at the pier

The Golden Gate Bridge

The most famous crooked street. 

China town

Alcatraz

Okay so my bday weekend was officially over and it was time to see how I did with my birthday goals!  If my calculations were correct, I believe I tasted a total of 31 wines in four days!!  This means I didn’t reach my goal of 37-  L  boo hoo!  Nonetheless, It was sure fun trying!

Here is what I learned along the way:

1. I love wine

2. I love California

3. I love wine in California... and dont worry, there is plenty to go around

(BURP)

Next stop is New Orleans...

Jill