Orchids & Strawberries on the Oxnard Plain

Leaving Santa Barbara, we followed Route 101 back south. Today, the highway was a bit less congested than on our way north on Friday. So, we stopped at several road-side attractions just because we had some extra time.  Our favorite were the orchids at the Gallup & Stribling Orchid Farm in Carpinteria. They offered some […]

Fess Parker, Gainey, and a Late-Night Walk on the Beach

Part 3 of the Series: Wines of Santa Barbara Leaving Curtis Winery, we followed Zaca Station Road back to the east and onto Foxen Canyon Road. There, we located the Fess Parker winery. Obviously founded by none other than Fess Parker of television and movie Daniel Boone fame. More recently, he became the owner of […]

Firestone Vineyards & Curtis Winery

Part 2 of the Series: Wines of Santa Barbara In this article, we’ll get settled into our Santa Barbara hotel on the coast and head out to explore Firestone Vineyards and Curtis Winery in Los Olivos! (This page may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure about affiliate links here.) Santa Barbara at Last After a […]

Santa Barbara Winter Escape

Part 1 of the Series: Wines of Santa Barbara I return to California fairly often, mostly to the northern regions. The trips are even more pleasing when I can escape Illinois and its winter chill. But it has been many years since I have had the pleasure of returning to southern California, a place I […]

Final Dinner in Sonoma, Sausalito, Memories

Sonoma Memories Route 101 and Rohnert Park were not far away, and we both smiled at the memories recently created in Sonoma County. Thanks much to all the wineries we visited, including the special visit to the winery at Sonoma-Cutrer, and to Beth Ghashghai for the tour, tasting and knowledge imparted to us there. Thanks […]

Pruning Vines & Sonoma Cutrer

Part 5 in our Series: Wine Tasting in Sonoma Valley Inspired by some fabulous wine dinners that we attended in the Midwest, this trip was a chance to see (and sip) how wine gets its start! Our final stop for the day was to be at Sonoma-Cutrer, a winery that is unfortunately not open to […]

Micro-Climates and the Korbel Winery

Part 4 in our Series: Wine Tasting in Sonoma Valley Inspired by some fabulous wine dinners that we attended in the Midwest, this trip was a joy to take!  Our stops at several wineries in Sonoma had thus far been nothing short of exceptional, and we were anticipating that our scheduled stop at Korbel, and […]

A Visit to Chalk Hill Winery

Part 3 in our Series: Wine Tasting in Sonoma Valley Inspired by some fabulous wine dinners that we attended in the Midwest, this trip was a joy to take!   Join us as we travel to the vineyards, taste the wines first-hand, and learn more about winemaking! In this leg of our journey, we’re visiting […]

Tastings at St Francis Winery & Santa Rosa

Part 2 in our Series: Wine Tasting in Sonoma Valley Inspired by some fabulous wine dinners that we attended in the Midwest, we traveled north of San Francisco to Sonoma.  Join us as we visit vineyards and taste the wines first-hand, learning more about the process of winemaking! In this leg of our journey, we’re […]

Gloria Ferrer Sparkling Wines in Sonoma County

Part 1 in our Series: Wine Tasting in Sonoma Valley Inspired by some fabulous wine dinners that we attended in the Midwest, we traveled north of San Francisco to Sonoma.  Join us as we visit vineyards and taste the wines first-hand, learning more about the process of winemaking! (This page may contain affiliate links. See […]