Four Divine Days

Before we were even married, we dreamed of vacations we wanted to take together, places we wanted to explore. Top of the list was a romantic getaway to California wine country; Sonoma and Napa valleys, to be exact. I had dreams of having the wind in our hair as we twisted through miles of vineyards, tasting delicious wines and being that ridiculously cute and in-love couple. So a year after we were married, and we were living that dream. And the wind in the hair thing? Yep, rented a convertible for a front-row seat to wine country. 

Throw Caution to the Wind (Well, Partly)

We began planning in January for our late April/early May excursion. We found the reviews written by other travelers at tripadvisor.com to be most helpful when choosing lodging. My husband, Dave, accuses me of over-planning, so I tried to hold back the urge to have us on a hot-air balloon ride at
6 a.m., wine-tasting and tours at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., massages at 5 p.m., dinner reservations... you get the picture. Instead, we threw caution to the wind and had a wonderful trip, with the perfect mix of plans and flying by the seat of our pants. 

Day 1

We flew from St. Louis to Oakland for $99 each way on Southwest (bargain) and hopped in our rented Sebring (splurge). Yes, it was a little cold, a little rainy and overcast, but that did not stop us from lowering the top and blasting the heat to stay warm-an underrated benefit to most convertibles. As we left the Bay Area behind, the clouds broke, revealing beautiful blue skies. We stopped at the first winery we came to, Viansa Winery and Italian Marketplace. We were a little disappointed with the commercial atmosphere, but we were thirsty for our first wine-tasting experience. With an assortment of sausage and cheeses from the marketplace and a glass of wine in hand, we took in the view and toasted the beginning of a new adventure.

As we drove into Sonoma, we made a detour to Gundlach Bundschu at the base of the Mayacamas mountain range. We immediately loved the friendliness, charm and laid-back vibe of the staff. Especially when they told us they sometimes loose track of how many tastings they pour. We were especially impressed with the 2003 Zinfandel, MacLeod Vineyard. It had so many ripe aromas of spicy pink peppercorn, that the staff offered us pink peppercorn chocolate to melt in our mouth before we tasted. Heaven! We bought a bottle.

Finally we made our way to our bed and breakfast, The Beltane Ranch in Glen Ellen, just north of the town of Sonoma. This 1892 yellow farmhouse sits on 1,600 acres of beautiful countryside and vineyards. As we approached the house, we passed Clydesdales in the pasture and marveled at the gardens that were well-maintained and natural all at once. Our room opened to a wraparound porch with a hammock and porch swing, perfect for drinking coffee in the early morning fog while watching the mountains slowly come into view. We couldn't have been more enchanted.

Day 2

We headed north to Healdsburg for a day of wine-tasting along the Russian River Valley Wine Road. We made stops at places we had never heard of, including Lambert Bridge (where Dave fell in love with the Maple Vineyard Zin) and Armeda (famous for its PoiZin). We wove our way to the Korbel Champagne Cellars, just miles from the Pacific Ocean, where we enjoyed a delicious late lunch and engaged in conversation with a fellow 417-lander. Small world! This day being our actual anniversary, we were anxious to make it back to our B&B, where we scoped out a private table to share our bottle of Korbel and watch the sun set over the mountains. That evening we drove to quaint Sonoma Square and had a romantic dinner at The Girl and The Fig. On the way back to the Beltane Ranch, I reclined my seat so I could take in the beautiful starry skies above us. Love that convertible.

Day 3

Before heading to Napa, our innkeeper told us we had to visit the Benziger Family Winery in Glen Ellen. Locals always know best. Benziger ended up becoming our favorite winery of the whole trip. Established in 1980, this winery is still family-owned and operated and is a leader in biodynamic and sustainable wine-growing. From our tram tour through the vineyards, wine cellar and crush pad, we were fascinated to learn about this organic approach to wine-making.
From Sonoma we took a scenic route through the mountains into Calistoga, at the north end of the Napa Valley. (Note: No matter how many maps you have, none of them show the same thing. Navigating through wine country can test the limits of even the best relationships.) Our home for the next two days was The Pink Mansion. Yes, it really is pink. Built in 1875, it sits on the highway but is surrounded by lush gardens to shelter you from the the road. We stayed in the Winemaker's Suite on the lower level and had our own separate entrance opening to a garden terrace with a koi pond and a waterfall.

Day 4

We set out for a day of exploring Napa. We planned to get off the beaten path by exploring the wineries along Spring Mountain Road just outside of St. Helena. We wound our way up the mountain, turning off at the Robert Keenan Winery and following a one-lane, twisty gravel road for two miles. A cute black lab greeted us in the tasting room before the bookkeeper/wine pourer/distribution manager realized we were there. While we were given wonderful attention, we were informed that wineries along Spring Mountain Road are generally run by a small staff and do tastings by appointment only. 

After that, we headed to the Silverado Trail. It runs parallel to Highway 29 (the main road through Napa Valley) with wineries that are less commercialized and less visited. At Robert Sinskey Vineyards ("Fine Wines From Organic Vines") we liked the wines almost as much as the huge kitchen in the tasting room. Robert's wife is a well-known chef who holds wine-pairing cooking classes on a regular basis. At Mumm Napa, we enjoyed sparkling wine flights on the patio.

The final stop of the day was the Golden Haven Hot Springs Spa & Motel in Calistoga. Calistoga is known for its naturally heated mineral water and is chock-full of campy motels touting relaxing spa treatments. We were intrigued by the hot mud baths. At Golden Haven we were led to a humid, tiled room with two huge tiled bathtubs filled to the brim with thick, dark mud. We were told to completely cover ourselves up to our necks in the mud bath, but to not touch the bottom of the tub as it would burn our feet. Let me just tell you how sexy it is to be disrobed, hovering above a 104-degree mud bath using only your arms to lower yourself into scalding hot mud! Finally after lots of laughter and complaining, we were in. The mud bath only lasts 15 minutes, and when our time was up, we showered and moved into a warm mineral-water Jacuzzi to cool down. Finally they wrapped us in wool blankets, and we went right to sleep for the best 20-minute nap I've ever had. We left Golden Haven feeling very relaxed and retired to The Pink Mansion for our last evening in wine country.

In the morning we reluctantly packed our bags and made our way back to the Bay Area for our trip home. When people ask us about our trip, the only word we can think of is "di-vine!" We're ready for more.