Harvest Time Is The Best Time!
And the experience continues. Although we have been visiting wine country for many years, we have never spent time during the harvest. What a great and festive time to come here.
We had a wonderful tasting at Plumpjack winery and really enjoyed the ambiance on the patio overlooking the cabernet vines. They were in the middle of harvesting the chardonnay grapes when we were there the grapes were being delivered to the processing area for sorting.

The next day our friends, J & J arrived for a short stay. As it happened, they had a business trip to the area and are staying with us and attending some tastings and foodie experiences. I guess that timing is everything. How lucky are we that they are here at the same time as we are?
Our first stop was at Clif Family tasting room, our favorite local spot (right down the street). We were so happy that Amy was there and was hosting the tastings on the patio. It was a beautiful afternoon and of course, the wine was enjoyed by all. We brought back a couple of bottles of their Bici wine and served that with the hubs famous ribs on our patio at Chez Allison (that is our home away from home).
AND, as mentioned in a previous post, friends of ours from Parkland were in the area and we met them at Bistro Don Giovanni. Then, some of J & J’s friends from Illinois who were staying in Napa joined in the fun. It’s like a party every day!
J & J’s friends invited all of us to join them at the Petroni Harvest Party in the winery cave in Sonoma. After a long and winding road, we arrived at this spectacular destination. We were greeted with a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc before entering the cave.
http://www.petronivineyards.com

We approach the cave entrance and see a long table that can seat 100 guests. The tablescape was incredible! Pumpkins, fall leaves, gourds, miniature haystacks and more. The lighting was perfect and there was live music. There were various wine stations throughout the cave with some delicious cheese selections to enjoy with the incredible wines. What a nice treat to enjoy the wine inside the cave, and the chefs really pulled out all of the stops!
We went back to Model Bakery the next morning for breakfast, unfortunately, due to some potential fires in the area, the location where the famous English muffins are made was closed down. We opted for the avocado toast, which was enormous and so yummy!
https://www.themodelbakery.com
Then on to Cliff Lede winery in Yountville (pronounced lady). This is an all-time favorite of ours and we always enjoy the rock and roll themed blocks in the vineyards. If you are in the area, you should definitely visit.

We joined several wine clubs throughout the area since we arrived. What we like is that we can go back whenever we want for another tasting. And, we can bring friends! Alpha Omega was on the schedule and J & J loved their wines and the gorgeous patio with water feature and fountains.
The adventures continue and we will take you along for every experience.