Cheers!

On our last full day together, Dave gave us the enormous treat of a big-girls-only outing.  We took the day and explored Napa, another California destination Anna has never experienced!  This was a day full of learning about wine, but mostly laughter and fun!  First stop was at our favorite classy roadside sandwich shop where fancy fries and milkshakes are the specialties.  Then we headed over to our reserved tour and tasting at Rutherford Hill Winery. 

Rutherford Hill looks like a big rustic barn.  In a valley known mostly for its Cabernet, Rutherford is famous for its Merlot.
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We took the cave tour which led us through the candlelit caverns inside the hills where the cedar barrels of wine are aged.  As soon as we stepped inside, the smell of fermenting grapes was so thick!  Our tour guide was fantastic and told us all sorts of interesting things about how the grapes are treated, how the wine is aged, what parts of your mouth you taste the different wines in and how lovely the Napa Valley community is.

She also taught us how to use all five senses to experience the wine.  First we looked at the color and swirled it in our glass, then we sniffed and sipped it and finally we listened to our glasses clink together.  The tasting occurred in stages with the tour.  As we toured and learned different things, we were poured 6 different reds.  The tour was a great experience and we even raved to the manager how much we enjoyed it.  For pointing out a small error we had found on their website, he gave us a free bottle of Merlot to take home!

The overcast and drizzly day hindered our view of the valley's breathtaking vineyards somewhat, but we know how important this season's rain is to the crop.  We liked taking an under-umbrella stroll through the olive groves.

 After Rutherford, we checked out a little wine-making museum and a giant cheese shop at the V. Sattui Winery.  The cheese counter stretched on for a mile and the shelves were jammed with high-end and locally-made food products.  Though crowded, the samples were awesome!

A few other stops, one at an olive oil company and another at Robert Mondavi Winery, completed the day.  Napa may be one of my favorite places in our state.  It's unbelievably beautiful and I learn something new about wine tasting and wine making each time I visit.   Now I can say I've seen it in each of the four seasons and shared it with two of my favorite gals!