Leigha Ali - Wine Country

Let me just start by saying that wine country is amazing. You can see beautifully manicured vineyards from wherever you are. Although we made it to 4 vineyards between Napa and Sonoma, there were so many more I saw along the way that I would have liked to visit. We took a semi-private wine tour with Extranomical Tours, which was perfect because there were only 8 people total, and everyone got a say in where they wanted to go throughout the day. Here are the wineries we made it to:

Artesa Vineyards & Winery (Napa, CA) – This is such a beautiful spot. The entrance is built right into one of those legendary Napa hills. From the elevation of the entrance, you can see for miles. The views are just stunning. On top of that each and every wine I tried, I loved, which isn’t always the case. I even had a bottle of the sparkling rosé as well as a bottle of the Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon shipped home.
Homewood Winery (Sonoma, CA) – The smallest and quaintest of them all, this winery is essentially a one-man operation with the intention of maintaining a true hand-crafted practice. We even got to meet Dave Homewood, the man behind it all and such an inspiration for following your dreams. He gave up a career in insurance to follow his passions, and – woah – is his passion present in the product.
Imagery Winery (Glen Ellen, CA) – The perfect lunch spot for us as we stopped for sandwiches at a local deli along the way and spread out on a picnic table on the property. We got a bottle of the Wow Oui to share, and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a very light, very crisp summer white. One of the coolest things about the Imagery wines were the labels – each wine for each year has a different label chosen from the work of a local artist. Hidden somewhere within each piece of art is the Imagery logo (three columns). It became a game for us to find the logo on each wine we sampled.
Mayo Family Winery (Glen Ellen, CA) – Our final stop before heading back into the city. By this time, I had definitely had my fill, and had already learned (much earlier in the day) to take advantage of the dump bucket. At first, I was afraid to dump my remaining sample out, but everyone understands that you have to – or you might not make it through the end of the trip. Since I had already learned so much throughout the day, I was able to use my newly acquired knowledge to truly appreciate all the wines at Mayo – that is to say each one was unique!