Wine Country: Check

While I am no expert connoisseur, I do enjoy a good glass of wine. Up until this past weekend, I had been wine tasting three times. The first was in college for my 22nd birthday when a bunch of my college friends rented a limo for the day and went wine tasting in Paso Rablos. Here is a picture from my first wine tasting experience.


My next wine tasting adventure was in October of 2008 in good 'ol Lodi (yes!) Every Fall they have what they call School Street Stroll, where all the local wineries set up booths in the stores in downtown Lodi. It's such a blast and a fun, different way to wine taste.

Trav, me, Steph, Jeff

And lastly, I went wine tasting for my 25th birthday last February. I had originally wanted to go to Napa for my 25th birthday, but opted for the local wineries of Livermore since it is closer and would be easier for more of my friends to come. It was such a fun (and beautiful) day, and I definitely want to do it again!

At White Crane, my favorite (thus far) in Livermore

However, I have always wanted to wine taste in Napa (or wine country), so when my friend Kristina planned this for her 26th birthday, I was so excited. A group of 13 of us went to three different wineries. Our first stop was Matanzas Creek. The grounds are beautiful, as it is tucked back in the hills. I want to go back in June when their lavender fields are in full bloom - we saw pictures and it is breathtaking! One of Kristina's friends has an uncle who works here, so he gave us a tour and then set up a lunch for us in this darling barn at the winery. So fun. Favorite wine pick: 2006 Cabernet. Here are some pics from Matanzas Creek.

The group for the day

Everyone needs a goofy picture

Homemade soups, bread, and brie for us in the barn

The second winery we went to was J. Keverson. The ambiance here was great, and it definitely had more of a rustic feel. They were so friendly here and even had a mural on the wall where you could paint your own picture. Stinee definitely took them up on this offer (see pictures below). I usually prefer reds, but their 2007 and 2008 Chardonnay were awesome - if you like Rombaur's Chardonnay, they picked their grapes from the same place for the 2008 Chardonnay. Below are pictures from J. Keverson.

Me and the birthday girl

Friends since middle school (some of us longer)

Stinee's finished product

Our last stop was Trione. Trione has only been open for a year, and it is really nice. I mean, really nice. We didn't get to spend too much time here because we were running behind schedule, but they definitely treated us like royalty during our short stay with them. They set us all up at this huge dining table, and it was totally an 'intimate' wine tasting experience. Again, I would love to come back here in the summer when the weather is nice and sit out on their nice back deck. My favorite pick was their 2006 Cabernet (which probably explains why it is a $75 dollar bottle of wine - Tim learned that the hard way). Below are some pictures from Trione.

The entrance

The table they set us up at - it was awesome!

All in all, it was a great day with old friends. I'm so thankful for these friendships. And, we're currently in the process of planning our trip to Austin this June - that'll be another one to check off the list!