Lady of the Land
Blog: A Lady in London - 7 November 2009
Every year on my birthday my aunt and uncle send me a card. This year they sent one with a black and white photograph of rolling hills dotted with giant oak trees. Without having to read the description, I knew that the picture was of California. It made me homesick.
Being back in California this week made me want to see some of that beautiful land outside of San Francisco. Yesterday my boyfriend and I drove across the Golden Gate bridge and headed up to wine country to take in the scenery and taste some of our state's famous Pinot Noirs.
While I had been to Napa and Sonoma plenty of times, I had never made it up to the Russian River Valley. Known for its great Pinot Noirs, beautiful landscape and quiet atmosphere, the area is surprisingly free of tourists. We started out at the tasting room of Dutton-Goldfield Winery and were pleased to find ourselves almost alone at the counter. Compared to the five-deep throngs at most Napa wineries, this was a welcome change.
After tasting Pinots, Chards, Zins, and Cabs, we headed north again to Rochioli Winery. On the way we drove by beautiful vineyards, sun-kissed hills full of grazing cows and lazy horses, and the slowly drifting river for which the area is named. My heart gave a little squeeze of homesickness as we made our way up the road to the winery.
We sipped more Pinots and chatted for awhile with our friendly host at Rochioli, then drove a few minutes down the way to Arista Winery. There we tasted more wines and took a nice stroll through their Japanese garden. We drove south from Arista for a quick stop at Martinelli Winery, then ended the day with a tasting at DeLoach before heading back to San Francisco.
Looking out the window on the way home, I decided that I am from one of the most beautiful places in the world. While the English countryside and spring flowers never cease to awe me in London, I will always be biased towards the land where I grew up.
Does this mean that I'm ready to move home?
Not yet.
Being back in California this week made me want to see some of that beautiful land outside of San Francisco. Yesterday my boyfriend and I drove across the Golden Gate bridge and headed up to wine country to take in the scenery and taste some of our state's famous Pinot Noirs.
While I had been to Napa and Sonoma plenty of times, I had never made it up to the Russian River Valley. Known for its great Pinot Noirs, beautiful landscape and quiet atmosphere, the area is surprisingly free of tourists. We started out at the tasting room of Dutton-Goldfield Winery and were pleased to find ourselves almost alone at the counter. Compared to the five-deep throngs at most Napa wineries, this was a welcome change.
After tasting Pinots, Chards, Zins, and Cabs, we headed north again to Rochioli Winery. On the way we drove by beautiful vineyards, sun-kissed hills full of grazing cows and lazy horses, and the slowly drifting river for which the area is named. My heart gave a little squeeze of homesickness as we made our way up the road to the winery.
We sipped more Pinots and chatted for awhile with our friendly host at Rochioli, then drove a few minutes down the way to Arista Winery. There we tasted more wines and took a nice stroll through their Japanese garden. We drove south from Arista for a quick stop at Martinelli Winery, then ended the day with a tasting at DeLoach before heading back to San Francisco.
Looking out the window on the way home, I decided that I am from one of the most beautiful places in the world. While the English countryside and spring flowers never cease to awe me in London, I will always be biased towards the land where I grew up.
Does this mean that I'm ready to move home?
Not yet.
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