napa.

napa.we were off in our rental    car-it's official name...a fo rd flex. you've never heard of this car before? yah, neither have we, nor has half of america- that's why wherever we go the stares from other's are endless- in fact we almost hit a biker today, not because we made an illegal u-turn, but because he was so infatuated with the looks of the 'hearse' that he almost hit us. an hour north, we arrived to the first winery- Del Dotto. it was a great little spot, in fact they had caves where the wine was kept and they would fill up your wine glasses and give you the tour. and after about the 5th tasting, all the wines started becoming more and more similar-i'm going to go with the last wine- the $275 bottle was my favorite. i figured out in my mind that they save the most expensive bottle till the end because no matter what they tell you, after drinking that much everything tastes amazing. it was noon, and all of us were starting to feel the affects of the wineries, so next on the list of things to do. eat lunch.

 we used a recommendation from a client of mine who frequents napa every few months, and it was by far a perfect little spot. brinx. if you are ever there on a gorgeous day, ask to sit outside- it's breathtaking over-looking their vineyards. and the food is fabulous, even says my dad who wasn't all hopped up on the wine like his girls were. we made way after wards into the vineyards. the grapes, not so sweet. in fact sour to the touch, until the after effect of sweetness comes tingling through to your tounge. we made it to our final winery- franks family. it was our special day since today was the first day in history of franks' winery that they were charging for the tastings. by the time we finished up with the champagne,merlots, cabs, and sparkling desert wines, i was regretting mixing the different colors. my head was spinning, my mom was to the point that the wine guru himself was concerned enough to question how she was getting home. no she was not driving. although some may argue she thought she was- in her own little world....i became navigator at that point. we got stuck in about 2 hours of traffic, which by the way seemed like we were driving through the heart of door county during peak tourist season on a one lane highway. at around sunset we made it to golden gate bridge, it was such a picture-esq moment, and was great to share with the fam. by the time we arrived home i wasn't sure if i was coming down with the h1n1 virus, had a really terrible wine hangover, or  worse...the realization that it was only 8pm.tomorrow is the reason why we are all here. so sweet dreams to tom, for after 10am, he'll be deacon tom. xoxo, Simon