My love for wine officially started on my honeymoon. Yeah, I had had sips of sparkling wine with wedding toasts and other special occasions. Never really more than a glass however. We were in Nassau, Bahamas for our honeymoon having dinner at a nice steakhouse. My husband selected a bottle of sparkling wine for us to celebrate! After that bottle, (and maybe a second bottle) I fell in love with sparkling and Champagnes. I will never forget that moment or that bottle. It was Schramsberg's Blanc de Blancs, I couldn't wait to get home and stock up on this new found love.
As I started to try new Champagnes and sparkling wines the more I came to enjoy it. It is way more than just a celebratory drink, it is a bubbly master piece in your mouth. I wanted to learn and explore more about this master piece, so we planned a trip to Napa, CA. At this point in my relationship with wine I only had a love for sparkling wines. So this trip the only places we hit were just that sparkling wine vineyards. Our first stop was Schramsberg's, we did a tour and tasting. The grounds are beautiful, their wine caves are so amazing and the staff were so friendly! Here is where I started to acquire a taste for red wines. Schramsberg's also produces still wines under Davies vineyards so they included a Cabernet Sauvignon in their tasting. Our next stop was Mumm, they had a great little patio and some nice reserves we tried. Third stop was Chandon, they had a nice selection. Our last stop was Domain Carneros, the chateau as you walk up the steps is breath taking. There selections of flights were so good, we also had an amazing cheese plate to share. Overall it was an amazing trip and we found some amazing selections!!
Over the next couple years my taste for red wines grew and I had the urge to do another trip to Napa. This time exploring wineries with red wines. Our first stop was Hall Rutherford with a small intimate group for our tour and tasting. They start you off right way with a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc while you wait to start your tour. The tour included a walk around the property, views of the vineyards and hearing about their organic and green energy policies they use. Then they took us down to where the wine was made, they opened up two big wooden doors to the most beautiful hallway lined floor to ceiling with wine barrels. As they gave us a barrel tasting they told us the story of the how the wine cave was made. Next was the best part, the Chandelier Room which is adorned with 1,500 Swarovski crystals. The tasting was complete with great wines and meat and cheese pairings! We went to a couple of other wineries for tasting and with each one my palate and love for red wine grew.
I continue to explore new varietal of red and sparkling wines. I myself am apart of a couple of different wine clubs. It is fun receiving the shipments in the mail and trying new things you might not have picked on your own. I also have my favorites that I still love to drink. I am excited for you to join my club and I hope you find new flavors you love, as well as maybe a favorite you always want on hand.