My Wine Education

Waking Up on East Coast Time

2009-07-13T12:53:32-04:00

Well, we arrived back in Cincinnati yesterday, after a long day on various airplanes. In fact, we had to rise at 2 am to catch our 5:30 am flight out of Vancouver.

Today I'm trying to re-acclimate to our own time zone (something which doesn't ever come easy to me), catch up on an obscene amount of email, and try and sort through my 3.5 GB of photos and videos.

I hope to be back to regular blogging tomorrow.

In the meantime, if I could have a virtual round of applause for all of the amazing guest bloggers who filled in for me while I was gone. You guys rocked! And such a diverse selection of topics - thank you again!

Guest Post: When You Wish Upon a Grape: Disney-Related Wines

2009-07-10T08:30:00-04:00

While Kevin & I are in Alaska, we've asked some friends and colleagues to post on their wine loves, wine experiences and more. For this post we welcome Tom Streeter and Carla Gesell-Streeter, who are dear friends and like me, they are fellow Disney addicts. Tom & Carla run the popular blog Hoperatives.com, a Cincinnati based beer blog aimed at Believers in Better Beer (In Cincinnati and Beyond), but they love wine too. Thanks Tom & Carla - and happy anniversary!
___

We love Disney and we love wine (almost as much as beer). For the longest time, we’ve been wanting to have friends over for a themed wine tasting. There are three great Disney-related wines out there. All are from California, appropriately enough, though each is produced in a different part of the state. These wines are frequently featured at restaurants at Walt Disney World, Disneyland and on the Disney Cruise ships and most are also available in the Cincinnati area.

Silverado Vineyards: Stags Leap District of Napa Valley, California

Image Credit: Joe Shiabotnick

Owned by Diane Disney Miller (Walt’s daughter) and her husband Ron Miller (former president and CEO of Walt Disney Productions), Silverado was established in 1981. The Millers purchased existing vineyards and originally intended only to grow grapes, but decided to build their own winery a few years after purchasing the land. The winery was designed by architect Dick Keith and is reminiscent of the old California mission-style structures found in the area. The name comes from a nearby abandoned silver mine.

Current winemaker Jonathan Emmerich produces Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, and some special limited reserve wines. Prices begin at about $20.00 a bottle.

Fess Parker Winery: Los Olivos, California

Image Credit: Spencer Cross

Fess Parker was an actor who is famous for playing the original Disney Davy Crockett. (He also starred in Old Yeller.) Fess Parker is no longer westerns and coonskin caps, however. His name is increasingly associated more with his wines. Much like the Millers of Silverado, Fess Parker and his family originally intended only to have a small vineyard and source grapes to local producers. They quickly added not only a winery, but also an inn. Son Eli Parker started as an assistant winemaker, moved into the position of winemaker in 1995, and now serves as President. Daughter Ashley Parker Snider started running the tastings and now handles the public relations, marketing and sales. Blair Fox is the current head winemaker.

Fess Parker produces produces Reisling, Chardonnay, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Syrah as well as several red table wines. Prices start at about $12.00 a bottle.

MacMurray Ranch: Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California

Photo from winery web site

Besides playing everyone’s favorite dad on My Three Sons, actor Fred MacMurray starred in several Disney live action films including The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, and The Happiest Millionaire. In 1941, the actor purchased land near Healdsburg, which became MacMurray Ranch, from descendants of the tract’s original 1846 homesteader.

Australian Susan Doyle has been the MacMurray Ranch winemaker for more than fifteen harvests. The MacMurray vineyards specialize in Pinot grapes so the wines produced are Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Prices start at about $18.00 a bottle.

Guest Post: An Italian Wine Primer, Part 2

2009-07-09T08:30:00-04:00

While Kevin & I are in Alaska, we've asked some friends and colleagues to post on their wine loves, wine experiences and more. For this post we welcome back Kevin Keith, continuing his post from last week.
__

Welcome back, it’s Kevin Keith, your friendly neighborhood wino from Liquor Direct, back with more Italian primer – this time we take a brisk walk through the Italian wine landscape, starting at the top of the boot, with the tiny region of the Valle d’Aosta.

Image Credit

Valle d’Aosta is the smallest of the Italian wine regions, bordering Switzerland to the north, France to the west, and Piedmont to the south and east. An ancient growing region, grapes have been cultivated since the Roman days, with around 22 varieties authorized for growing, including Picotener (the local name for Nebbiolo), Neyret, Vien de Nus, Fumin, Mayolet, Prie Route, Petit Rouge, Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Gamay, Dolcetto and Syrah for the reds, and Moscato Bianco (also called Moscat de Chambave), Pinot Grigio (also known as Malvoisie), Blanc de Morgex, Prie Blanc, Muller-Thurgau, Chardonnay and Petit Arvine. There are no DOCG wines from this area.

Piedmont means “at the foot of the mountains.” This region is by far one of the most recognized regions in Italy. It is the second largest region and has the most DOC wines (over 40) and DOCG wines (7). Most of the production of wine originates in the heart of Piedmont, the Po River Valley. Here you will find Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara and Moscato d’Asti. The first three I mentioned are all made with the Nebbiolo grape, and the last mentioned is from the ancient Muscat grape. Dolcetto and Barbera are also widely planted red varieties, as well as Freisa, Grignolino and Brachetto. The most popular white grape is the Cortese, used for the DOCG wine, Gavi. Arneis (nicknamed the “white Barolo”) and Erbaluce di Caluso are also grown. Another important wine product produced here is Vermouth, made with at least 70% wine, and fortified and flavored with various roots, spices, herbs and wood – this is what is known as an “Aromatic” wine.

Lombardy sits in the semi-circle created by the Alps that enclose Italy to the north. The mountainous north and the flat Po River Valley in the south define the topography of the growing regions, which are divided into three: the Valtellina in the North, the Oltrepo Pavese in the southwest, and the Franciacorta in the east. Nebbiolo, known locally as Chiavennasca, is the primary red grape grown in the Valtellina. The Oltrepo Pavese is known primarily for Pinot Nero. And the greatest sparkling wines from Italy come from the Franciacorta, and is derived from Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco and/or Pinot Nero.

The Trentino-Alto Adige is the northernmost wine region in Italy, bordering Austria and Switerland. It is divided into two parts, the Trentino and the Alto Adige. Vineyards are planted on terraces or light well-drained alluvial soils and clay. Alto Adige is known for Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, Sauvignon Blanc, and the red grape Teroldego. Trentino boasts primarily whites as well, with Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato Giallo, Muller-Thurgau, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling Italica, Riesling Renano, Sylvaner Verde, Chardonnay, Traminer and Veltner, with red grapes such as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Lagrein, Malvasia Nero, Merlot, Pinot Nero, Schiava Gentile, Lambrusco, Marzemino and Teroldego. Friuli-Venezia Giulia borders the Veneto to the west, Slovenia to the east and Austria to the north. This region has been relatively anonymous until the 1960s, when modern winemaking techniques were introduced, despite there being a large volume of wine produced in the area. There is 1 DOCG (Ramandolo) and 9 DOC wines in this area, with primarily grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Nero, Chardonnay, Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc being cultivated. Local varieties such as Refosco, Verduzzo, Tocai and Picolit are also cultivated, and making a resurgence. Veneto is located in NE Italy, along the Alps to the Adriatic Sea, bordering Austria and the Trentino-Alto Adige. Veneto is the third largest wine producing region (behind Apulia and Sicily). The most cultivated grape varieties in this area include white grapes Garganega, Prosecco, Tocai, Verduzzo, Trebbiano di Soave, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco, and reds like Corvina, Rondinella, Molinara, Raboso, Negrara, Merlot, Pinot Nero and Cabernet Sauvignon. The most significant wines are the 3 DOCG wines (Recioto di Soave, Soave Superiore and Bardolino Superiore) and the 22 DOC wines (including Amarone, Valpolicella, Bardolino, Soave, Lugana, and Prosecco di Conegliano). Ripasso is a traditional technique that introduces a secondary fermentation to Valpolicella on Amarone lees, usually drying out the grapes and pouring the Valpolicella juice over the top.

Liguria is often called the Italian Riviera, found just beneath Piedmont along the Mediterranean coast. Many grapes are grown here, including Ciliegiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Sangiovese, Canaiolo, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Rossese, and Alicante, along with white grapes Albarolo, Bianchetta, Bosco, Pigato, Vermentino, Moscato Bianco, Albana, Greco Malvasia and Trebbiano. There are 6 DOC wines, yet no DOCG. Emilia-Romagna borders the Adriatic Sea to the east, the Tuscan Apennines to the South, the Ligurian Apennines to the west and the Po River to the north. It is one of the largest wine producing areas and is divided into the western Emilia and the eastern Romagna, with the city of Bologna right in the middle. The first white DOCG – Albana di Romagna – is found here, made from the Albana grape. Also grown here are Pagadebit (known in Apulia as Bombino Bianco), Sangiovese and Cagnina (related to the Refosco grape of Friuli).

Tuscany is the most prestigious and recognizable region in Italy, with the region serving as the epicenter for a great many changes in Italian wine law, including the inclusion of non-traditional grapes such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay in blends traditionally thought of as native Italian grapes only. The primary grape variety is the Sangiovese, with its clones comprising the most noteworthy wines of the region – Brunello di Montalcino (the Brunello clone), Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (Prugnolo), and clonal types in Morellino di Scansano, Carmignano, Chianti and Chianti Classico. There are at least 650 different clones of Sangiovese in Montalcino alone, and these same grapes planted in Chianti produce completely different wines. Some other varietals cultivated in Tuscany are Canaiolo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Merlot, Vernaccia, Mammolo, Malvasia Bianca, Trebbiano, Pulcinculo (Grechetto Bianco), Vernaccia, and Malvasia del Chianti.

Marches resides along the Adriatic coast, and is one-third covered with rolling hills, with the rest being covered by mountains. There are 12 DOC wines here and 1 DOCG. The primary grapes are Montepulciano (this grape should not be confused with the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano of Tuscany, which is made from the Sangiovese clone of Prugnolo), Verdicchio, Sangiovese, Vernaccia, Pinot Bianco, Ciliegiolo and Trebbiano. Umbria is the only region which is completely landlocked. It is home to the DOC wine Orvieto, made from Trebbiano and Malvasia, and two DOCG wines – the Sagrantino di Montefalco, made primarily from the indigenous Sagrantino grape, and Torigano Rosso Riserva, a blend of Sangiovese and Canaiolo Nero primarily. Latium is a very historic region, residing around the capital of Rome. The most renowned wines of this area are Frascati, and Est! Est! Est!, both white wines made from Trebbiano and Malvasia, as well as reds made of Montepulciano. Abruzzo has undergone a wine revival of sorts, elevating it to the sixth largest wine producing region in Italy despite it specializing in just two DOC wines – white Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (made from Trebbiano) and the red, made from Montepulciano. Grape varieties planted recently included Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio, Riesling Italica, Riesling Renano, Sylvaner Verde, Traminer Aromatico, Tocai, Vetliner, Pinot Nero, Merlot, Dolcetto and Malbec. Molise is small by even Italian standards, and borders Abruzzo to the north, Latium and Campania to the west, Apulia to the south and the Adriatic to the east. Only two DOCs come from this region, Biferno and Pentro di Isernia, both producing red, white and rose wines.

Apulia is reputed to have produced wine since 2000 B.C. It is one of Italy’s largest wine producing regions and is undergoing a winemaking revival of its own. Over 80% of the wines from Apulia (also called Puglia) are red, including the Primitivo, Negroamaro, Uva di Troia, Bombino Nero, Sangiovese, barbera, Aleatico and Malvasia Nero grapes. White grapes include Verdeca, Bianco d’Alessano, Bombino Bianco, Malvasia Bianco and Trebbiano. The major DOC wines are Salice Salentino, Castel del Monte, Copertino, and Primitivo di Manduria.

Campania boasts the historic cities of Naples, Avellino and Salerno, as well as the ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum, and of course Mount Vesuvius. The rich and fertile volcanic soil makes this warm-weather macroclimate ideal for grape growing. The principal grapes found here are Aglianico, Aleatico, Barbera, Piedirosso and Sciascinoso for the reds, and Biancolella, Coda di Volpe, Falanghina, Fiano, Greco, Malvasia, Verdeca, and Trebbiano for the whites. Taurasi DOCG is the most famous of the reds, and is often referred to as the “Barolo of the South.” Basilicata is one of Italy’s most mountainous wine regions, and is formed by the southern extension of the Apennines. The only DOC is the Aglianico del Vulture, made from Aglianico grapes grown on the slopes of Monte Vulture, an ancient volcano. Other grapes grown in Basilicata are Sangiovese, Uva di Troia, Montepulciano, Barbera, Malvasia Bianco, Moscato, Fiano, Santa Sofia and Bombino Bianco. Calabria is almost entirely mountainous or hilly, with the mesoclimates within the region varied from subzone to subzone. There are 8 DOC wines, mostly producing red or rose wines. Some of the grapes produced here are Gaglioppo, Greco Nero, Nerello Cappuccio, Nerello Mascalese, Guarnaccia, Greco Bianco and Moscato. The most noted DOC wine, Ciro, comes from the Gaglioppo grape, and has been produced there for several thousand years.

The island of Sicily lies to the southeast of Calabria, and is one of Italy’s largest wine producing regions. The DOCs include the Cerasuolo di Vittoria, Enta, Malvasia delle Lipari and Moscato di Pantelleria, as well as Marsala, a fortified wine that resembles a Port, and is done both sweet and dry. Grapes include Nero d’Avola, Nerello Mascalese, Cataratto Bianco, Verdello, Inzolia, as well as Chardonnay, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The island of Sardinia is home to 18 DOC wines and 1 DOCG, the Vermentino di Gallura. Other grapes such as Cannonau (Grenache), Monica, Carignan, Vernaccia, Vermentino, Moscato, Nuragus and Malvasia are grown here. Viticulture was believed to have been introduced either by the Spaniards in the 14^th Century, or perhaps much earlier, by the Phoenicians sailing from Lebanon 5000 years ago.

From this extremely brief overview, you can suddenly understand that there is a heckuva lot more going on in Italy than just Chianti and Pinot Grigio. Much more than this small “primer” (information derived from the Society of Wine Educators Study Guide) can provide. For more about Italian wine, visit Italian Made or our good friends at the Italian wine blogs Montalcino Report, On The Wine Trail in Italy and Mondosapore.

Hope this has been a bit of help for anyone wanting to learn more about Italian wine, and thank you Michelle and Kevin for letting me hijack their Thursday blog posts for a spell. Come visit me at http://underthegrapetree.blogspot.com as well.

Cheers,

Kevin Keith (aka K2)

Guest Post: A Culinary Tour of St. Louis (or, where the locals eat)

2009-07-08T08:30:00-04:00

While Kevin & I are in Alaska, we've asked some friends and colleagues to post on their wine loves, wine experiences and more. For this post we welcome Kara Christopher, who has been a close friend for countless years. Like me, Kara started blogging around the turn of the century. It's been a while! Kara lives in St. Louis and is, without a doubt, a foodie. She's also a foodie on a mission to get healthy, although you wouldn't know it from the culinary tour on which she's about to take you. St. Louis is a fun weekend trip - I've done it - and I highly recommend eating where the locals eat. Thanks Kara!
___

While Shel is away in the wilds of Alaska, allow me to take you on a brief culinary tour of St. Louis. These are some of my favorite places, not necessarily the ones you'd be told to visit if you were in town for a weekend. Until now, at least.

I should probably tell you who I am, though. I'm Kara & I've been blogging about life, knitting, and everything else for a little over 5 years at StarMonkeybrass.com. The name is a play on the Beastie Boys Brass Monkey & came about because I like monkeys. I am a knitter, music geek, graduate student in biostatistics, and I like to eat. When I travel, I don't want to eat at chains, at least not ones that I can also eat at in St. Louis.

So let's say you find yourself in St. Louis for a weekend and you'd like a little guidance on where to eat. If you happen to be driving up from the south, I'd recommend a stop at Dexter BBQ for lunch. There are several locations, but the one in Cape Girardeau is about a mile off the highway and probably the easiest to find. I heartily recommend the sammich with slaw on it. *Drool*

Once you get into town and settle in on Friday night, you're gonna be hungry. I'm sending you to the Highway 61 Roadhouse & Kitchen in Webster Groves. Let's be completely honest: you're here for the fries. The Roadhouse Fries. They are a masterpiece in the world of potato products: waffle fries covered in pulled pork, a creamy cheese sauce, applewood smoked bacon, and scallions. And this is just the appetizer. I can recommend the burgers & pulled pork as entrees if you're feeling traditional. I love a good burger & the folks in the kitchen definitely know how to make one. I'd also recommend going with a side other than the fries since you just gorged on the ones in the appetizer. For a side, I'm a fan of the sweet potato pie. As tempting as it is to order the banana pudding for dessert, don't do it. You'll get dessert in about 20 minutes.

Once you've recovered from the pork-tastic goodness at Roadhouse, head back to Southwest City and stop off at Ted Drewes. There are two locations, but the original is on Chippewa. It's legendary around here and a Friday night is going to be busy. But it's so worth it - I swear they have the best banana split in St. Louis, although the concretes are what most people go for. My favorites are the Hawaiian & the All Shook Up (peanut butter cups & bananas).

Saturday morning will come eventually, and you'll probably want to grab a little something before you head out to do whatever you have planned for the day. Breakfast in St. Louis is not my strong suit, but I know a couple decent places for pancakes (like Chris' Pancake & Dining), but usually I'm not moving early enough to do more than grab a Odwalla bar or bowl of cereal.

If I am moving around early enough to grab breakfast, though, I love a good old school doughnut. I'm not talking about Krispy Kremes or the ones out of a case at the grocery store. I'm talking the ones where they start making them when it is still yesterday & you can find just about any doughnut you're heart desires. These places do still exist, and one of them exists in Southwest City not far from Ted Drewes - it's the Donut Drive-In & they have a mean sugar doughnut as well as a great cake doughnut (my favorite is the one topped with caramel icing & nuts. YUM.) It's a small place - there's sometimes barely enough room for people to stand and wait their turn - but it's great to grab a few (dozen) and head off to see the sights.

One of those sights you may be interested in seeing is the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. They offer tours with free beer at the end. If you find yourself a little peckish after that, you can drive over a bridge to Gus' Pretzel's - it's just on the other side of the highway. Like Ted Drewes, Gus' is an institution. But be sure you have cash - they don't take credit or checks. Not that you'd need them, a twist will run you 50¢ unless you want something a little fancier - cinnamon sugar or garlic butter will run you $1/pretzel.

Still hungry? How about visiting Schlafly's Tap Room for lunch. Schlafly is a local brewery with a lot of different flavors of beer to choose from. You can even get a sampler and try several out. I'm personally fond of the burger, fries, sticky toffee pudding, and pretty much ANYTHING else on the menu. I don't think I've had anything there I didn't like. If you get there at the right time, you might even get to see some beer being brewed. Their sister location - Bottleworks - has a completely different menu that is also quite good. I know they also offer tours of their brewery at Bottleworks as well.

You may want something a little lighter for dinner since I've stuffed you with doughnuts, pretzels, and fries all day. Talk about your carb-tastic overload! Pho Grand is just the thing. It's Vietnamese cuisine and yet another place where I've loved everything I've tried on the menu. Do not be frightened by the menu items that use the words "assortment of meat" in their description. They are delicious. The soups are fantastic and usually chock full of veggies, which your body may be craving by dinner.

If you're ready for a little after-dinner drink, walk across the street to Absolutli Goosed, which is my favorite drinking establishment in the city (ed. note: Kara has taken me here. I love the place!). If you have a high tolerance or a few extra days, you can try to work your way through a section of the menu. I'm still trying to work my way through all the coffee-related martinis, which isn't helped by not being able to remember which ones I've had. I also always start with the Coffee & Donuts martini - it's delicious and my favorite drink on the menu. If coffee isn't you're thing, they have a great Bloody Mary menu as well as several tasty Cosmopolitans (I like the Razzmopolitan myself).

With your weekend almost over, it's time to head home. But before you do, how about brunch? There are many places in St. Louis to get a decent brunch on a Sunday morning/early afternoon, but my pick is Bristol's. It's a little out of the city in Creve Couer, but last time I was there they had a chocolate fountain. Those who know me know that I love the chocolate fountain. In fact, I always threaten to stick my head directly into the fountain and eliminate the middleman - who needs fruit stuck on a toothpick? Besides the chocolatey goodness, they have a huge buffet-style brunch with just about everything you can think of - it's so big that the omelette station is in a different room. You will come out of there so full that you won't need to eat again until Monday, or at least not until you get home.

If you do happen to find yourself in St. Louis for a weekend, you'll be able to find good food. I didn't even get into the number of Mexican restaurants or the Bosnian eateries. The places I mentioned are some of my personal favorites, so your mileage may vary.

Guest Post: Wine & Your Health

2009-07-07T08:30:00-04:00

While Kevin & I are in Alaska, we've asked some friends and colleagues to post on their wine loves, wine experiences and more. Last week, David Lazarus offered a post and today, we get healthy with his wife, Jan Lazarus. Jan is a registered dietitian with a specialization in diabetes. This is timely, considering all the comments we get on our Slender wine posts. Thanks Jan!
__

Image Credit

Being a dietitian and diabetes educator I receive many questions on the use of alcohol. Since this is a wine blog I will focus on my attention to the consumption of wine and its benefits and detriments.

The one myth that I really would like to debunk is the number of carbohydrates in a glass of wine. On average a 5-ounce glass of dry wine contains 110 calories, 5 grams of carbohydrates and 13 grams of alcohol which accounts for 91 of the 110 calories. It is extremely frustrating to attend a function and overhear someone talking about falling off the low-carb diet wagon while having a glass of wine. This is a perception created by a good marketing firm.

Wine or any alcohol is metabolized in the body as a fat not a sugar; that is why excess drinking can add extra pounds of fat even when you are consuming a low-fat diet. Wine is fermented and does contain some residual sugar, but a very small amount.

There are positive attributes to wine especially red wine. This wine contains components that can increase your good cholesterol “HDL” and it also acts as an anti-coagulant preventing platelets to stick together and decreasing the chance of blood clots. On the flip side, over-consumption can lead to high blood pressure and increased triglycerides, not a good fat.

For those with diabetes, alcohol actually lowers the blood sugar for up to 10 hours. This can result in a hypoglycemic state especially if they haven't eaten or are on certain medications. But this is not the recommended method for controlling blood sugar, I have had clients who have tried with unfortunate outcomes.

Now how much is a drink? Women should only have 5 ounces of wine per day and men no more than 10 ounce per day. (No, you cannot save them up and have them all in one day. I get that question a lot.) Moderate drinking can be very beneficial to your health, but when you go over the daily recommendations then the detrimental effects may occur. The key to remember is, too much of a good thing is never good.

Guest Post: Visiting the Suisun Valley Wine Country

2009-07-06T08:30:00-04:00

While Kevin & I are in Alaska, we've asked some friends and colleagues to post on their wine loves, wine experiences and more. For this post we welcome Jen Rizzo. Jen is a freelance motion graphics designer, part-time writer and Cincinnati transplant based out of San Francisco. She is a self-professed beer nerd living in the heart of wine country and spends her free time getting to know the area around her from the saddle of a thirty year old bicycle - she's also a good friend and I miss her. Thanks Jen!
___

I moved to San Francisco from Cincinnati on Labor Day of 2008 and have made it a point to stay in the area for all the major holidays so I can learn how the city responds to them. I got to see the city empty out for Thanksgiving and Christmas, making it easier than ever to get a dinner reservation or sit at my favorite bar and not have to elbow people out of the way to get a drink. Of course, it didn't occur to me until two days before Memorial Day weekend that I lived in a major tourist destination. It was time to get out of the city.

This poses quite the challenge for me, you see, because I live in the Bay Area without a car. We're surrounded by all of this incredible terrain, and I see it all from behind the handlebars of a bicycle. This is great for being in the city, and it's very easy to ride over the Golden Gate Bridge to get into Sausalito and toward the mountains, but anything beyond about fifty miles is certainly a breaking point for me. So, I consulted the power of the internet, specifically twitter, to decide my destination for me.

I'm not hugely connected in social media, and my twittering is sporadic at best, but I do have a number of wine connections as well as cyclists and San Francisco residents. My needs were simple: I had never been to wine country in the nine months I lived here, I needed to be able to do it without a car, and I wanted somewhere that was going to give me a good day of bike riding. Oh, and I didn't want to spend hundreds of dollars to do it.

Napa was out. The tastings were too high and the hotels were either booked on the night I wanted to be there or astronomically expensive. Plus, my point was to avoid all the Memorial Day nonsense, and a tourist destination was not the place to do that. Our very own favorite wine blogger Michelle suggested Sonoma, but the bus from the city is really the only way to get there with bicycles, and it was going to take upwards of three hours one way.

Then a friend suggested a winery in Suisun Valley, a place I had never heard of. The hotels would be cheaper, he said, and the winery was only an eight mile ride from the Amtrak station. Upon digging around, I learned that there were in fact four wineries in Suisun Valley, and to visit all of them would be a perfect 25 mile loop from the train station, ending up at a hotel that was less than half the cost of a stay in Napa. Oh, and I could take two trains there in an hour and a half, and it would cost me less than $20 to get there, and bicycles were allowed the whole way. Sold!

We loaded up two messenger bags, two bicycles, and headed out for our trip. Two trains and an hour and a half later, we arrived at the Suisun/Fairfield Amtrak station.

For a brief moment, it was easy to forget we were in Northern California. It was cold and foggy when we got on our first train in the city, but by the time we arrived in Fairfield it was sunny and about twenty degrees warmer. The longest part of our journey was the first: an eight mile ride to Wooden Valley Winery.

Wooden Valley is a great place to start your journey. Their wines weren't my favorite (though quite enjoyable), and the experience was much less personal than some of the others we would enjoy that day, but their tasting room and visitor's center is huge. The walls list the story of the Suisun Valley: the brothers that founded the first winery post-prohibition, the families that moved in and made it what it is today. We were invited to taste five of their wines for free - something you'll be much harder pressed to find in the more well-known wine regions of Northern California. I had a full bag on my shoulders and no ability to carry more, so I wasn't able to walk away with any bottles to take home. Lucky for me, it turns out you can order direct from their website, and at a price point of $10-16, they make great value wines. I particularly enjoyed the 2006 Cabernet and their 2007 Riesling.

From Wooden Valley, we traveled a little north to Blue Victorian, the winery that made me fall in love with the whole area.

In a sharp contrast to the large visitor's center at Wooden Valley, Blue Victorian is a tiny... well... blue victorian. Their winemaking facility is located behind the house, and their vineyard surrounds the property. We were the only ones there, so we had an opportunity to sit and enjoy some fabulous wine with the gentleman that made it. Blue Victorian is one of the newest in the region, and is owned by Vezer Family Vineyards, which would be our next stop.

When we walked up, we met the winery cat, Simon, who is quite possibly the sweetest animal that has ever existed. (A condition of this guest post was that I would get to feature Simon. It wasn't too hard to sell Michelle on the idea.) Simon, the winery cat, came with the house. They simply couldn't bear to move him.

So, accompanied by Simon, we sat at their bar and split a tasting ($10), which was quite enough for the two of us with their generous pours. They gave us a map of the region and invited us to walk around and tour at our leisure. They have a bocce court on the side of the house, and I've heard during the more popular times of day, the owner occasionally gives bocce lessons! We also took a peek in at their barrel room.

After a few more scratches on Simon's head, we rode over to Vezer Family Vineyard. Vezer was much more crowded than the other two we had visited, but they also have a cafe on site. We were very quickly acknowledged and invited to grab a couple of stools at the end of the bar, where we sat for at least 45 minutes just chatting with the employees and enjoying taste after taste of delicious wine.

They focus pretty heavily on their reds and have won a number of awards for them. Their price point is much higher - ranging up to $85 for their 2006 La Salette, which of course had to be one of my favorites. I'm a Zinfandel girl, and theirs certainly didn't disappoint. The experience was very friendly and casual - the wine just kept coming while we happily snacked on cheese and salami. Despite being heavier into their reds, they produce a couple of fantastic whites as well - I particularly enjoyed the Verdelho that we were poured when we first sat down. I believe it was their 2006, though the 2005 was their Double Gold Medal winner.

Our final stop was Ledgewood Creek Winery. They were having a special event that day, so the whole area was packed. They have a large visitor's center with a tasting area in the center. We were able to find two stools pretty easily, and they were having a barbecue so there was lots of free food to be had. I made friends with the son of the original owners, James Frisbie, who gave me his card and wanted me to keep in touch with him on whether or not his distributors in San Francisco were doing a good job.

I really enjoyed our experience here - we also spoke to their winemaker, Larry, who was an absolute delight to learn from. This is a man who knows his wines and has gotten experience all through Napa, Sonoma and Suisun. I don't think we tried a single wine we didn't like. They're at a lower price point than Vezer - around $10-20. While it isn't normally my thing, I fell in love with their sparkling raspberry. They were selling full glasses outside on the patio for $4 after the tasting. It might have been the day of riding in the hot sun, but splitting a glass of their fruity, light bubbly and a bar of my favorite chocolate was a perfect end to our afternoon.

It's a very different experience than I hear Napa or even Sonoma will give you, but it was exactly what we needed for the weekend. An hour and a half by train away from San Francisco, and we were able to casually spend time with people who love their area and love their wine. They seemed legitimately grateful that we had made the trek, and we were quite a hit with the bicycles. We were warmly welcomed everywhere that we went, and for the two of us, we spent less than $200 on the whole weekend including our hotel stay, meals and transit. If you ever make it out this way and want an intimate, completely unintimidating experience with wine country, I sincerely hope you'll consider looking in to what Suisun Valley has to offer.