Taking Time Off!

Dear Friends,

I'm taking a while off from blogging due to my mother passing away Sunday, November 6, 2016. I will be back as soon as I can be home at my own computer. Right now I am spending time with my family in Orange, Texas.

Love you all!

Sailing in San Francisco Bay...

Friday morning we ate breakfast at the greatest little place in Sausalito! Don had eaten there with Meredith on one of their daddy/daughter trips and highly recommended it. We found out just how fabulous it was.

We drove to a local market, picked up some things for our sailing excursion and headed to Treasure Island to meet Dave and Priscilla, our captain and wife (also our winemakers) from Sebastopol, CA.

Here are some photos from our sailing that day. It was blustery and cold at times.

Natalie, one of my two beautiful daughters!

Me

Don sailing the boat

Dave and Priscilla

Dave talking with Mike and Natalie

The beautiful city beyond the bridge.

After sailing all day, we drove to Healdsburg where we would be for the rest of the weekend. More wine tasting to come!

Christopher Cross singing Sailing!

Sausalito, California July 2016 #MadrigalWinery

July took us to California one more time for a Lobster boil at Sbragia Family Vineryards. But one stop in Sausalito by the bay to enjoy great food and friends was a must. Natalie and Mike, my daughter and son-in-law, were with us to enjoy three days of NoCal, wine, sailing and food!

We began our adventure with a toast to the four of us at Poggio's Restaurant, dining outside on the sidewalk across from sailboats moored at a yacht club.

Carpenè Malvotlti Brut Rosé from Veneto, Italy ($20)

We checked into our quaint hotel next door to the restaurant and then began our tasting of Madrigal wines.

Madrigal Family Winery tasting salon and gallery is a block away from where we were staying. So it was really easy just to walk to, which is something we never experience in CA.

Our first wine to taste was a 2014 Gewürztraminer from Mendocino. It was actually good, considering I don't like that varietal of grapes.

The following bottles are the ones we tasted. The host was so gracious to let us try every wine they had open and we ended up buying some because it was all delicious and very reasonably priced.

2013 Tempranillo, Calistoga, Napa Valley, CA ($45)

2013 Nuestras Sangre Red Wine from Napa Valley

This beautiful bottle of 2013 Sonnet #63 Red Wine, the Wine of Lovers ($75)

2013 Las Viñas del Señor Cabernet Sauvignon from Calistoga, Napa Valley, CA

2013 Cabernet Franc from Calistoga, Napa Valley, CA

2013 Petite Sarah from Calistoga, Napa Valley, CA ($70)

And finally, a 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon, Atlas Peak from Napa Valley, CA ($86)

It was a wonderful tasting. Thank you Madrigal Family Winery!

Sbragia Family Vineyards #sbragiafamily Lobster and Chardonnay Dinner on the Patio!

Near the end of July, we headed to Geyserville, CA to enjoy some lobster and Sbragia Chardonnay with the Sbragia's at their Dry Creek Valley tasting room! We found out about this event for wine club members in April on our river cruise in France. Not living in California or near the tasting room has made it almost impossible to attend events they have throughout the year. So needless to say, we made plans for this event and were really excited about going. And we had invited Mike and Natalie to go with us.

This low country lobster boil was eaten right off the table outside the tasting room on the terrace with plenty of Chardonnay to drink. With music, laughter, plenty of hungry people, Sbragia Chardonnay and the Sbragias, this was the perfect party!

There's Mike, Don, Rebecca and Scott Scherr dining with us!

Adam and Kathy invited us to see their offices and wine storage barrels below the tasting room. All six of us were delighted to get an inside look at what makes Sbragia Family Vineyards so desirable. I believe it's their commitment to making the best wines possible not only because they enjoy wine, but because they want others to enjoy it also. It's got to be very hard work, but it's very appreciated by everyone who drinks their wines. 

 Adam gave each couple a bottle of 2013 Neal Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain and a bottle of 2013 Siena Dale Dessert Wine. Neither of these wines have been released yet. So we were pretty blessed to receive these from Adam and Kathy. Thank you again so much!

We went back to the offices where Adam opened a bottle of the Neal Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and it was absolutely divine!

After the bottle was finished which didn't take long, we went back up to the tasting room, checked out other areas of the room and then settled on the porch outside to visit with Adam and Kathy. We closed down the tasting room, the Sbragia's left to pick up their children and we said our goodbyes to the Scherrs. What a fun night!

Vickie and daughter, Natalie