This trip is one of those trips where someone asked me to go and I immediately say yeeeeees! See the thing about me is I love to travel, see new places, experience new things, people, and culture. So chances are if you ask me to go on a trip I'm most likely going to say yes. This is the case when Jenn and Rich invited me to go to Napa Valley for wine tastings, and the thing is I'm not even a wine drinker, but hell yeah I'm going. This was an interesting trip because we were all over the place from San Joes, to Napa Valley, then to San Francisco. This trip lasted from Wednesday to Saturday. Let's get into it shall we?
I took an early morning flight from Austin to San Jose California and arrived around 7:45 AM, and I took about an hour Lyft ride to Menlo Park to meet up with Jenn and Rich. The first stop we made was to Mademoiselle at Menlo Park to get some pastries for the drive to Napa Valley. I'm a sucker for dessert so this was perfect for me. I ordered a croissant salmon benedict and lemon cake and everything was delicious. After taking our food to go we all packed into the SUV to head to our first wine tasting spot at Amuse Bouche in Napa. It was about an hour and a half drive to get there so I used this time to nap, as I had worked the night before and went straight to the airport after.
Arriving at Amuse Bouche mad me think that this was really my first time at a wine tasting, but I instantly fell in love with the decorations of the place. I love art, and this place was filled with different pieces all over the place and even featured artwork on every bottle of wine. I had no idea how intricate wine drinking was until this day. Pick a wine, pick a glass, pour a sample, smell it, move it around, smell it, take a sip, swish it around your mouth, and move it around, smell, taste again. Not the official list of steps, but it gets deep no doubt. Down to the temperature specifics depending on the kind of wine, merlot, red, white, or rose, the kind of glass you use, the kind of food you eat it with, made me feel like I needed a college degree to even touch the surface. All in all my first time wine tasting was an experience, our sommelier was phenomenal and well versed, and helped me out quit a bit along with Jenn and Rich.
After we finished up at Amuse Bouche, it was time for a quick snack. We decided to grab some sandwiches and make our way to the next wine tasting at Quintessa. I thought I was amazed at Amuse Bouche, but Quintessa, this place is just awe inspiringly beautiful. The sommelier took us around the inside where all the magic happens. We were able to view the cellar, the huge tanks where the ingredients are stored and the vast land this place is built on. They drove us out to the hills to a private pavilion, and we were served a endless amount of charcuterie to accompany the five courses of wine. The view from the pavilion is so amazing, where you are able to look out upon the lake and vast sections of vineyards. The host was awesome, and we shared many laughs and life stories. I'm glad this was my last experience because it was so legit. From the facility to the staff and the offerings, everything was 1000 percent spectacular. We ended our night by having dinner with Rich's family who I was just meeting for the first time. What better way to end a first time wine tasting day than to be surrounded by good company and new family.
Our last day was spent in San Francisco, which did not include any wine tastings. We spent most of the day checking out a few sights including the Golden Gate Bridge (which we only drove across), Pier 39, and Lombard Street. Stopped to get some dessert at Ghirardelli Square Chocolate Factory, and had dim sum for lunch at Dumpling Time. My favorite part of this day is just enjoying the sites at Pier 39, there are tons of cool little shops for souvenirs, art, restaurants to eat at, and street performers gathering crowds for exciting shows. For dinner we chose to head over to Angler in San Francisco. Angler is a seafood restaurant, with neat decor, and a view of the bay. The inside was spacious, with a long bar, and open kitchen where you can see your food being prepared, wood top tables, and hanging taxidermy sea life and animals. I definitely recommend the food here, and you should check it out if you are in the area. After getting a one way ticket to itis city, we decided to head back to the hotel to rest up for our flight in the morning. This was a great experience for a first time wine tasting, and I highly recommend you check out Quintessa for sure and book the private tour to get the best value and views.
* Have you ever been to Napa Valley or San Francisco? Have you ever wanted to visit? Let me know some of your favorite spots, or some places you would like to go in the comment section below.
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Useful links for Las Vegas and Los Angeles travel:
+ Pier 39
+ Angler
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