The Allure of Wine Country

 

Maybe it was growing up in Northern Minnesota, but grape vines have always meant warm and sunny weather to me. There's something very soothing about seeing the rows of vines in the otherwise barren landscape. 

Here, in Sonoma County California, USA, I can ride my bike for miles along roads bordered on both sides with acres of vines. It's like a huge well attended garden. Peaceful.

As a wine tourist, I get to enjoy the tranquil vineyards purely as an observer. I am not a part of the myriad chores that are required to maintain a healthy vineyard. This puts me in a Romantic mood of shady afternoons sipping wine and conversation on some deck overlooking the vineyard.

The best part of being a wine tourist is that I get to sample the fruits of all that labor at the very location of the vine that produced the wine.  In a very real sense, I get to taste the earth of those vineyards. Keep in mind that wine is all about place. And if you know the source of the grapes, you can build a profile of the "goodies" that the vine has brought up from deep inside the soil.  Every vine produces its own flavors. 

Now when I am tasting that wine, my mind makes the connection between the place and the end result in my mouth. In essence, the wine literally connects me with the earth. There's nothing better for the wine tourist to be able to visually follow the story of the wine they're enjoying at the vineyard.

This is the experience I wish to share with my wine tourist clients on my wine tours.  We will get out in the vines and get our boots on the ground.  The wine will make a lasting impression on your wine journey. Then when, back home, you open a bottle from one of the wineries we will visit, your mind and heart can take you right back there!! Close your eyes, take a sip, and you're in France!!