California Wine Country

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This was a three day trip that took us along the coast north of San Francisco. We stopped for lunch in Bodega Bay (remember the movie "The Birds" by Alfred Hitchcock?) and from there continued up to the Russian River. Then we headed inland to check in at the Vintner's Inn, a nice hotel set amongst rows and rows of chardonnay grape vines.


 

 

 

We had an upstairs room with a balcony overlooking the central courtyard with the sounds of a large fountain; a good place to relax with a glass of cool sauvignon blanc.

 

   

 

The following morning we took a drive back up to the Russian River and took a nice hike amongst the redwood trees of Armstrong Park. (Click here for details). Then we toured the wine country and stopped at a couple wineries for a taste and stock up on some of our favorites. One of those is a cabernet sauvignon made by B.R.Cohn (North Coast Silver Label).


 


The Hop Kiln is more than a century old and was used to roast hops for the beer brewers of the west. Now it is an historic monument converted into a winery. It is located along a narrow side road, west of the Russian River; a bit hard to find but in an area with beautiful vineyards scattered in the rolling hills.



Many folks who like wines are familiar with several varieties. Some can tell the difference in taste, color and aroma. I wonder how many can tell the difference in the grapes that were used to make those wines. Here is a tough test. Match the grape picture with the variety listed below. Note that the pictures are in the same order but the labels are not:

1. Cabernet sauvignon                    2. Pinot noir

3. Merlot                                               4. Petite sirah

5. Zinfandel                                         6. Chardonnay

7. Gewurtztraminer                           8. Johannisberg riesling

 

 

 

 

Finally here is one more for the real expert. What is it?


To see the answers click here.

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