Sunday, August 16, 2009

California Drinkin'

I had a little idea that just didn't pan out...I was going to do a little diddy, you know, a parody if you will, of "California Dreamin'", but I got hung up. The first line was going to be "All the grass is brown, & the sky is blue...", or something like that, but then ~poof~ it was gone. Regardless of my poetic failure, I think my next few posts are going to be great. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, ok?

Yesterday, we came home from an incredible week of wine tasting in California. It was our very first trip ever to California, & we decided to step out of the ordinary & expected. We didn't go to Napa Valley.

Why not? They make excellent wine in Napa, don't they? Sure, some of the best in the world. Aren't the wineries supposed to be incredible? From what I've heard, yes, they are. Certainly the restaurants are every bit as good as everyone says... I know quite a few people who have gone & adored the place. So, if not Napa, where in the hell did we go?

Central Coast!

map_ca

Paso Robles, Monterey, & Santa Cruz, to be exact, but it's all considered to be Central Coast. We chose this area because we absolutely love its wine & they have a reputation for being less expensive & friendlier when compared to...well, the other area. Oh, & let's not forget that our good friends, the Luces, went to Paso Robles & had a great experience. We don't really know anyone else who has been on a wine-focused vacation to Monterey or Santa Cruz, so we were very curious. With all of that, we pretty much had to go!

So, we're back. I'm faced with a mountain of laundry, clingy dogs, a bunch of pictures to upload (but we need to find the freakin' cords!), I'm unfortunately 2 hours behind my normal schedule (damn, I knew better, I really did), & I have to go back to work tomorrow. Joy. Obviously, I've got a ton more to say, & I'll get to that...

7 comments:

Rhonda said...

You're home! We missed you! When can I come over and drink? :)

I love the central part of CA too-- it's just so gorgeous there.

Thom said...

You went to a great area. But Napa is well worth it... next CA trip?

Claire Uncorked said...

Rho...yep, back. Yay. And soooon..

Yes, Thom, it is a great area, & one that I can't wait to go back to...Paso Robles, mainly. Napa isn't on our priority list, although there will probably come a time that we'll at least spend a day or 2 there. However, it probably won't be at the typical places...but that's a long way off. There are so many other places --Santa Barbara, Edna Valley, Lodi, Sonoma, Anderson Valley... Not to mention Washington & Oregon.

Becky and the Beanstock said...

Gee, thanks, 'cause now I've really got that song just lodged in my head. Sigh... Your trip sounds fantastic -- we've been to the west coast a couple of times, and done wine tours each visit, but never CA, and it's definitely on the to do list. For now I'll just have to live vicariously through your travels though. Welcome back!

lulub61 said...

It was so nice meeting you and Doug in Tobin James! That was my favorite of all the wineries we visited, there wasn't enough time to get it all in! I hope you and Doug enjoyed yourselves...I can't wait to go back to Paso, the people were friendly, it was very laid back (my kind of wine tasting). We did also hit a few wineries in Southern California (Temecula) on our way back home (remember we drove to California from Texas) and although we really liked a few there, the atmosphere in Paso was more to our liking. I also want to mention Temecula wineries charged a fee (Wilson was 12.00 each and they followed a ticket transfer for each tasting (6), I did not like that AT ALL) at every winery their wine tasting, unlike Paso where you could walk in and taste for free! I hope your adjusting to life back in Missouri. Can't wait to see what you post about Paso!
Peace~ Lori (the women talking to ya at the wine tasting bar...hope you remember me or this will be a weird posting).

Lara said...

Can't wait to read more!! So glad you enjoyed your trip, and made it home safely. PS: The fire's almost out!!
Cheers, Lara
(the pourer at Bonny Doon Vineyards)

Danny said...

Don't you just love California wine country?