Tuesday we lazed in the sunshine. In the afternoon our friends Marc and Candace stopped on their way to Petaluma. These are the parents of the bride, Emily, for whose wedding we are in California. Everyone is getting more excited as the day approaches. Watch this weekend for wedding pictures.
Wednesday we visited Bartholomew Park Winery where we are members. It was a rare chance for us to pick up our quarterly wine in person. Bart Park is a small winery that only sells direct. Their production of each variety is measured in hundreds of cases rather than the thousands produced by other wineries. We love their wines. This quarter we got two bottles of 2007 Zinfandel and 2 bottles of 2010 Zin. Of course as members we got free tasting and came away with two extra bottles of a wonderful Saugignon Blanc.
Then we drove north to visit Castello di Amorosa Winery in northern Napa county. This Italian castle was built by European artisans largely without mortar in the old style. It is owned by the Sattui family that has a winery of their name. Castello was built to make Italian wines. The castle sits on a hillside surrounded by vineyards, some small midieval buildings, and yards of sheep, chickens, cows, etc. to make the scene complete. Unfortunately, they have changed their admission policy an no longer allow you to roam the castle without paying for tasting. We passed on the $18 dollar admission because we didn’t want to taste and they don’t offer a non-drinking admission. Boo to them. We roamed the grounds outside the castle like serfs hoping for some recognition from the royalty inside. It is a beautiful setting and the animals are quite fun.
Paul
Travels With Picasso 