Take a Wine Tour of California

For those seeking a new experience, taking a tour in the wine country of California is a fascinating choice. Not only to do you get to taste a variety of wines but you also get to explore the beautiful wine counties of California.

Napa Valley

The scenic and verdant Napa Valley comes alive under the sunshine and surrounding hills of this photographic area. There is much to do in Napa County as it caters to tourism with over 400 wineries. In this picturesque area, tourists can visit the landmark Tuscan-inspired Castello Di Amorosa where there are many red wines to sample. Reminiscent of California mission-style structures, this castle (that has a draw-bridge) provides a delightful and deliciously romantic experience as it offers intensely flavored red, white and sweet wines. Another place to visit is St. Helena. Centrally located in Napa County about 60 miles from San Francisco, this quaint city with Victorian-style homes offers a great taste of the area’s wines, along with delicious food.

Sonoma County

If a person wants an area that is not as busy with tourists as the Napa Valley, neighboring Sonoma County offers excellent wine in a charmingly simple and serene setting. Tourists can obtain wine-tasting passports permitting them to visit several wineries. Among these wineries is Alexander Valley Vineyards where visitors can enjoy the coolness of a cave setting. Owned by the Wetzel family, who has a tasting room in which they showcase Sin Zin and Cyrus, there is a vast tunnel which takes tourists to the nearby hillside under which caves hold barrels of wine. Other cave tours include Kunde’s guided tours. These provide a rare look at a chapel-like setting of unusual rock structure that hides under the winery’s hillside vineyards.

Other tours and rides for adventure-loving visitors

Among the many tours offered in Sonoma Valley, there is one at the Benziger Winery, a resplendent location on Sonoma mountain. With long-haired Scottish Highland cattle grazing on the hillsides, this area is picturesque. Tourists can see more of these cattle as they ride into Alexander Valley for dinner.

Another enjoyable destination is the winery named Gundlach-Bundschu (Gun-Bund). This winery has both cave tours and open-air rides for daring visitors who ride in the Pinzgauer, a strange Austrian military vehicle. Gun-Bund is the oldest continuously family-owned winery and the second oldest winery in the United States.

Originally published at robertsiekert.net on July 7, 2019.