Winery Rounds

I'll admit it. I don't know diddly about wines. Sure, I know how you are supposed to hold the glass and what gives the wine its flavor, but other than that...just call me a blank slate. I either like it when I taste it or I don't. Over seven years ago, I was dining at Napa Rose and tried a Cabernet by Silver Oak Winery. It was love at first sip. I can't recall another wine that tasted so good to me...so smooth...each and every time (just had a glass last night as a matter of fact!).

On my recent trip to the Russian River Valley, it was great to be able to visit the Winery. We immediately headed towards the tasting room, located in a huge (but fairly unimaginative) building.



I did my best to make this place look interesting, but it had all the charm of a tract home.



The fountain sounded good on this particularly scorching day, but didn't do much to cool me off.



The interior was nice enough, but had the bland appearance of something done on an HGTV decorating show.



But let's be real; I wasn't there for the architecture or the design; it was about tasting (and buying) the wine, and in that arena, Silver Oak didn't disappoint. Still, after a few tastes, I decided to branch away from the group and shoot a few photos in the vineyards. My camera was needing some attention!

This statue was near the entrance:



It was nothing really remarkable to me, until I wandered around to the side. I sure did love the expressive eyes on the rabbit!



If you've ever seen a bottle of Silver Oak wine, you'll recognize the structure in the background of this photo:



A shot of the grapes themselves:



By this time, the heat had gotten to me. I was sweating all over my camera. I knew exactly how Lucy felt.



See more Wine Country photos on my Sonoma web page.