In October, the family spent a long weekend in California wine country. Our favorite wine tastings were at Alpha Omega Winery, Amizetta, Aonair, Stringer Cellars and Reeve Wines. All these wineries had beautiful grounds & views, really good wines and very knowledgeable staff. I highly recommend each of them!
The drive to Aonair is up a winding road lined with Live oak trees. Aonair means “one man” in Irish Gaelic. Each bottle includes the family coat of arms. Our wine tasting was with Dan, who was great, and included a drive through the vineyard in a utility vehicle. One of my favorites was their white wine (a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Sauvignon Musque). [Note: click on the images to view full screen.]
Alpha Omega Winery has a large terraced outdoor area overlooking the vineyard and a large pool with fountains. It is located in St. Helena in the heart of Napa Valley. We actually stopped here twice. The first time was to pick up a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon for dinner and Barrett was nice enough to let us sample one of their Chardonnays while we were there. The next day we had a tasting with Carl. I just loved their 2018 Chardonnay Reserve!
The grounds at Amizetta are located on Howell Mountain and are absolutely beautiful. Our tasting was with Roscoe. I could have sat there all-day sipping wine and taking in the views. Our favorite wines were 2018 Complexity Red Blend and the 2018 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon.
Our last tasting of the trip was with Stringer Cellars on Atlas Peak in a gazebo that was one of the only things surviving the 2020 wild fires in the immediate area. Casey Stringer, the owner and winemaker, introduced us to some pretty amazing wines. My favorite was the John Sebastiano Vineyard Chardonnay but every wine we tasted was incredible.