in vino, veritas
Carved into the side of Alexander Mountain, high atop Alexander Valley in Sonoma County, I’m perched above Upper Barn and Black Cougar Ridge vineyard, drinking in the view and the amazing Stonestreet wines. I’m dining on the outdoor patio at ZD winery in Napa Valley, sipping wine with two generations of the deLeuze family eating more homemade paella than I probably should. I’m stradding the Napa/Sonoma county line in Knight’s Valley, atop Tom Eddy’s hilltop home overlooking Mt. St. Helena and nearly all of Napa Valley snacking on cheese and amazing wine. That was my amazing Napa Valley experience.
During my four days, I had hands-on and direct access to the wine experience that went far beyond the typical wine country tasting room experience. I helped load chardonnay grapes into the crusher at ZD. We shot the breeze with Elaine Honig at Honig winery. We ate pinot noir grapes off of the vine in Carneros. And so much more.
On the plane ride over, I sat next to a young woman and her 16-month old boy, Evan. He was so amazing — he knew sign language quite well and was a great test of my ability to read sign language. He was a strong kid, too, as I got to hold him during descent, while his mom was getting airsick. On the flight back, a cute little baby girl around 7 months old cried her little head off during the pressure changes. Before Kai, those experiences would have been excruciating, but I actually empathized with those parents this time around. I wondered how I would I handle the situation when Kai finally travels on a plane with us.
While my trip was amazing, I was definitely excited to see my family again. Kai has graduated to size 2 Pampers (send more!) and is starting to reach for nearby objects. He hasn’t quite got the coordination, but he’s definitely working hard at it.
I return to work tonight to spread the joy of wine to my teammates and guests. I’m looking forward to it.
P.S. Photos from my trip are posted here.
During my four days, I had hands-on and direct access to the wine experience that went far beyond the typical wine country tasting room experience. I helped load chardonnay grapes into the crusher at ZD. We shot the breeze with Elaine Honig at Honig winery. We ate pinot noir grapes off of the vine in Carneros. And so much more.
On the plane ride over, I sat next to a young woman and her 16-month old boy, Evan. He was so amazing — he knew sign language quite well and was a great test of my ability to read sign language. He was a strong kid, too, as I got to hold him during descent, while his mom was getting airsick. On the flight back, a cute little baby girl around 7 months old cried her little head off during the pressure changes. Before Kai, those experiences would have been excruciating, but I actually empathized with those parents this time around. I wondered how I would I handle the situation when Kai finally travels on a plane with us.
While my trip was amazing, I was definitely excited to see my family again. Kai has graduated to size 2 Pampers (send more!) and is starting to reach for nearby objects. He hasn’t quite got the coordination, but he’s definitely working hard at it.
I return to work tonight to spread the joy of wine to my teammates and guests. I’m looking forward to it.
P.S. Photos from my trip are posted here.
posted by wine daddy at
11:26 PM
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