Sunday, August 15, 2010

CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY and DUTCH HENRY


I have so many great posts on the awesome wine experiences that we have enjoyed while being out in Napa, Sonoma, Healdsburg, and Paso Robles.

The weather out here is amazing. Foggy and cool in the morning and then clear skies and warmer weather in the afternoon. We couldn't have asked for better weather. It is a great change from the Florida heat.

First off -- I received my blog business cards in the mail a few days before coming out here. I love them. They are from Moo.com. (if you are interested) They are smaller than most business cards and I was able to put pictures from our trip to France on them.

Our first stop in wine country was at DUTCH HENRY. I just love the vibe and grounds at this place. Dutch Henry is located along the Silverado Trail, on the way to Calistoga. When we arrived we passed a crossing sign for airedale dogs. I thought it was a joke, but immediately after this a dog jumped in front of the car. She proceeded to greet us by jumping and licking the arm that was hanging outside the car window. I later found out that the two airedales are named Sadie and Minnie.


We were greeted inside by Gary Koehler and Floyd (a.k.a. the friendliest left shoulder loving black cat). I think Floyd jumped on my shoulder twice while I was there.

Gary was super nice and gave us a tour of the caves plus some tastes from the barrels. The caves at Dutch Henry were a feat to build. We got to see how thick and dense the rock is and that explosives were eventually used to help construct the caves. Three times a year Gary puts on "Cave Ins" where he collaborates with other artists to put on a concert in the Dutch Henry caves. The room where these concerts are held is awesome, and I want to someday make it out for one of these events.




I am glad we decided to make this our first stop in Napa. This is a friendly winery with great people working there. Make sure to stop here for some wine tasting and even for some bocce ball.

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