Back in Elementary school, field trip days were the best. You got to skip school, hang out with your friends, and visit cool places. What could be better? I’ll tell you: Field trips with WINE. Yes…being a grown up has its perks. And so, who would we be to not take advantage of them? Fools, that’s who. And just like Mr. T taught us back in the day, “I pity the fool”…. So, pity party averted, we packed ourselves up and hustled off to the grand ‘ole land of wine country. Tunes pumped up, social media blazing and our thirsty little selves couldn’t be more excited to take W2W on the road and try ourselves some amazing wine and even enjoy a little dinner at the end.
First stop: Swanson Winery
Here’s a great
place to go when you want to feel like…a BIG deal. Appointment needed, so make
sure you do that prior to heading up, but oh is it worth it. Pull up and type
in your code in the key pad to get in. (Already feeling like a celebrity). We
pull in to park and as we walk up to the winery, our host greets us with a glass
of wine. Um, yes please. Why doesn’t this happen everywhere I go? This is doing
nothing to diminish the delusions of grandeur I’m still relishing from our
slick entry. As we walk into the tasting salon, we see the table is fully set
for us with numerous wine glasses and a beautiful plate of cheese, crackers, and
chocolates. The room is happy and bright, with a large chandelier centering the
room, hanging over a large table set for six, next to a warm fire setting a
glow about the festive, pink room. I feel like I’m dreaming. And that I live
here…or at least I’d like to. One more glass of wine and I just might move in. We
settle in to our tasting with an incredibly sweet couple from Boston who join
us. Our host begins by telling us about Swanson winery while pouring us a glass
of Sauvignon Blanc and passing us each a crisp chip with crème fraiche topped
with caviar. Never before having caviar, I couldn’t think of a better time to
try this delicacy – and with a perfectly matched wine, it was a no brainer.
Yes, delicious; yes, I’m officially moving in. We tasted another five wines in
this fashion while trading stories with the other couple and overall had a
fabulous time.
Overall – our
thoughts are:
-
Ambiance: 5
-
Amenities: 4.6 (If you are looking for something
intimate, this is perfect for small groups. However, groups over 8 or
high-energy birthday/bachelorette parties.. NOT the place)
-
Wine Quality: 4.3
-
Staff Knowledge: 4.3
-
Service and Friendliness: 5
-
Value: 3
Total
Score: 4.3
To “Somm” It Up: (hey, we may not be wine sommeliers but
after this trip, we damn sure know our wineries. In a sentence, here’s our quick
take on the winery)
Lindsey: A place where strangers quickly
become friends. An intimate and lovely experience that is completed with
delicious wine.
Gabrielle: A warm, cozy setting where you can
sip on delicious wine and feel a million bucks.
Elizabeth: The
minute I walked into Swanson, I was transplanted into a mystical Alice in
Wonderland type environment. The tasting room was bright and vibrant and the
community table-esque tasting made the wine and cheese that much more enjoyable
getting to know fellow wine tasters.
We hated to
leave but…duty calls: 2 more wineries to hit
Next Stop: Odette Winery
A newcomer on
the block, Odette looks as if it was transported here right from the Hamptons.
Sleek and modern with an open-air design, this winery is very inviting –
offering seating both inside and out.
The inside of the winery is small, with the tasting bar right in the
middle and merchandise for sale on either side. Though it was a bit chilly out,
we opted to sit outside to enjoy the space and relax. The winery guides were
great – coming out to pour each new wine for us but giving us room to chat. We
were there for quite a while and they never once rushed us through, allowing us
to truly enjoy our time there together. As a Plumpjack winery, Odette was
pouring a few of its own wines along with a few bottles under the Cade brand. I will say, however, I wasn’t blown away by the wines
as much as I enjoyed the atmosphere. Overall:
-
Ambiance: 4
-
Amenities: 3.3
-
Wine Quality: 3
-
Staff Knowledge: 2.3 (NOTE: - we
didn't ask much nor did they offer a ton about the wine)
-
Service and Friendliness: 4
-
Value: 3.6
Total Score: 3.3
To “Somm” it up:
Lindsey: A new modern style designed winery,
nicely tucked away. The perfect patio to relax with good friends and family…all
day!
Gabrielle: Grab a glass, a chair, and sit and talk for hours. Just bring a
jacket for those chilly November nights.
Elizabeth: Beautiful
natural light beams in through the garage type door in the front. It's a very
inviting yet quaint tasting room, with a simple patio adorned with a few tables
and chairs to enjoy your tasting on a warm summer night.
Last stop…James Cole Winery
We arrived here close to closing time.
Too close, and were turned away with ten minutes to close. Ouch. Do these guys
not know who we are? Someone, get Swanson on the phone. We’re…kind of a big
deal. You know us, we weren’t going to give up that easily. Before you knew it, our new friends at JamesCole pulled through and the fun began.
We probably had the most fun together
at this winery - tasting just about every wine they offered, chatting about
everything under the sun and…even ending with a dance party. The hosts were
awesome and completely let us have a ball in there. Unfortunately...having a
ball does not include selling me the coolest, largest wine decanter I have
seen. Sure, there was no price on it and perhaps it wasn’t for sale, but hey, money
is money. And my twenty dollars seemed like a pretty sufficient offer. At the
time….
Overall:
-
Ambiance: 4
-
Amenities: 4
-
Wine Quality: 3.6
-
Staff Knowledge: 4.3
-
Service and Friendliness: 5
-
Value: 3.3
Total Score: 4
To “Somm” It Up:
Lindsey: Friendly
staff that will allow you to have a dance party after hours, but will not allow
you to take home the fancy wine decanter.
Gabrielle: Fun and
friendly winery. Bonus: Best place to have an impromptu dance party.
Elizabeth: Super friendly staff as they let us in for "one last
tasting" after we begged (well...asked repeatedly amongst 4 girls) for a
little tasting. They closed the door, turned up the music and let us have our
own little party in the tasting room. I would like to go back to actually
see the grounds, they looked beautiful as we were driving up, but never got to
it :)
Dinner Spot: Farm at Carneros
I’m going to be honest…by this point,
I was in no shape to be taking notes on dinner. I’ll just say this: it was
phenomenally good, the ambiance was warm and inviting and the chef, who was a
personal friend of our very own Jocelyn, was amazing and even stopped by our
table to chat with us. Overall – great time here, a must do! And with that, I
will leave you with photos from our dinner to do all the talking you need –
enjoy!
