Napa & Sonoma Valley Wine

Started the day at an absolute gem of a café. I simply Googled breakfast nearby and somehow stumbled upon one of the most popular and best places we’ve eaten at on this trip: Wooden Spoon.

Perfect French toast with a granola crunch, a splendid (and very strong!) espresso martini 🍸, and genuinely friendly staff. We’re still not quite sure how, but out of the MANY people waiting for a table, the staff somehow picked us. We accepted our good fortune without asking too many questions!

I began the day slightly sceptical about our Sonoma and Napa wine tour. But as we “straddled” the Golden Gate Bridge and “caressed” our way into the valley of endless vines, it became clear we were in for a great day.

The first winery greeted us with a delightful Chardonnay and some stunning scenery.

Next stop: Madonna Wines.

Naturally, after recently missing Madonna herself in both WeHo and Times Square, we half expected the actual Madonna to appear for a promotional visit. Sadly (or thankfully, depending on your camp!) she did not.

No problem though. The wines were effervescent and delicious. Yum! 😋

We also picked up some fascinating tidbits. Unlike many wine regions, they don’t need to irrigate the vines thanks to the local mist, rainfall and underground water sources that the roots can reach. We also learned that one barrel produces around 300 bottles of wine.

Britin (which is an excellent name) was our host and exactly the type of person you want presenting a wine tasting. Light, fluffy, fun and full of interesting facts. Among her revelations: Australia has absolutely mastered the screw-top wine bottle. You’re welcome, world.

Even better, Madonna Wines sell exclusively through their cellar door. My favourite kind of winery. It feels special, personal and not at all corporate. As a tour guide myself, I was very impressed with that choice.

One loudmouth on the tour confidently suggested that the roses planted at the ends of the vine rows were there to give rosé wine its flavour. That gave Mark and me a good chuckle.

Standing at the back of the group, we also found ourselves quietly amused by some of our fellow travellers. One lady, affectionately dubbed “Ma Kettle” by Mark, had brought a packed lunch and was happily eating sandwiches with her wine while the rest of us were getting completely cooked. It was one of those wonderful little travel moments that you couldn’t script if you tried.

As always, we did spot one particularly attractive gentleman on the tour. You’ll find photographic evidence attached. 😉😉

We also met some fellow Aussies who had just completed a road trip across America, staying on ranches and in tiny country towns. It sounded absolutely incredible and left me feeling very inspired. That’s definitely a trip I’d love to do one day.

Then at the second stop we met LC and Letifa.

And that’s when the PARTY 🎉 started.

Stories. Music. Dancing. Photos. Pure unrehearsed fun.

THIS is what travel is about.

By the time we crossed back over the Golden Gate Bridge towards San Francisco, the bus driver had turned up the music and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” was blasting through the speakers.

At that point, Mark and I knew exactly what was waiting for us.

Saturday night in the Castro was calling.Read more