Napa Valley adventures: di Rosa Gatehouse Gallery

On our last full day of spring break vacation, we drove back to San Fransisco via the Sonoma Highway.  Our guidebook gave the di Rosa art gallery/preserve rave reviews.  We thought the description sounded interesting and decided to take the tour.

We had a nice time.  Our tour guide was a hoot. She easily had to be 90 years old and was fully decked out with a well  coiffed hairdo, perfect make up and stylish clothes.  She gathered us for the tour and then took us behind the main building to load into the trolley for a trip to the main house.  The trolley was a converted cattle trailer with benches, pulled by an old pick up.  This little wisp of a woman jumped behind the wheel and expertly carted us to the next stop.

She was also a task master.  She would brief us on a portion of the exhibit, set a meeting spot and then give us time updates.  She would push us along and tell us there was more to see before we moved on to the next stop.  She also told my husband that he was "out of bounds" for walking an extra 10 yards down a path.  The meadow was not "on today's tour."

I had a lot of fun with the "out of bounds" phrase for the rest of the trip.  Anytime it was even remotely appropriate, I told my husband that he was "out of bounds."  I may have to resurrect that joke.

One of my favorite things was the peacocks on the grounds.  Our guide called them "pea fowl."  What amazing birds!  Check out the display - what a show.  Worth the price of admission.

Napa Valley adventures: The Farmstead

 I am slowly catching up and remembering great details about our trip to California over spring break in March.  While I was running on the treadmill last night, I ran through our photos and decided to share more about one of our restaurant finds.

The Farmstead restaurant at Long Meadow Ranch in St. Helena was easily one of the best meals of the trip.  The food was delicious and the atmosphere was casual and fun.

One of the first things we spotted when we pulled into the drive was this beautiful green Ford.  We felt at home already.

We also loved that there was so much to do at one stop - a great restaurant with delicious food, olive oil and wine tastings, and educational activities, a farmers market and more that were not happening that afternoon, but were part of the offerings.

 The beautiful white farmhouse had the olive oil and wine tasting room, along with a little retails space.

 I really loved the use of the galvanized water tanks for planters near the restaurant entrance.

 It was cool and rainy, so we couldn't dine in the outdoor area.  I loved the overhead lights and the great fireplace!  The bar stools are also some of my favorite style.

 The interior had some vintage farm equipment and those great teal green metal chairs.  I would take a whole set of those chairs in a heartbeat.  I also loved the cow head hung high on the wall.

Near the front of house area, the open kitchen sits as a backdrop.  It was a very, very cool place.  And, the food...wonderful!  There point of view is a true farm to table experience.  They also don't have a large corkage fee, instead charging a very modest $2 per bottle which they donate to a local non-profit.  We noticed that the corkage fee when we were visiting went to the local FFA chapter.

Napa Valley adventures: Castello di Amorosa

 If you have been following my blog, you know that we traveled to San Fransisco and Napa Valley over spring break.

One of our favorite stops was the Castello di Amorosa. This winery is in Napa Valley near Calistoga.  We knew with our travel schedule that we would have the chance to do one wine tour and my husband did some research in advance to see which might be the best option.

We left a little to chance.  We didn't call ahead for our reservation, but we thought since it was the off season that we would be safe.

After a wonderful breakfast, we took off for the castle in the rain.  On the way, my husband called for a reservation and we were lucky that we could catch the next tour.  While we knew that the castle was reported to be really cool, we were not prepared for the dramatic facade.

 The castle was amazing!  It was hard to believe that it was built in the last 20 years.

 The proprietor had almost all of the materials shipped to the site from Europe, using stone and other items from demolished castles.  He hired artisans who used traditional methods to do the metal and stone work, and murals.

 At the center of the castle is the courtyard.  It is a beautiful gathering space, even in a steady rain.  I loved this space and could imagine having great parties here.

 The vineyard was really beautiful.  The vines had yet to leaf out, but seeing them in lines across the acres was really spectacular.

 As part of the tour, we had the chance to see the production floor.  The ag nerd in me longed for more time talking about how the whole cycle from planting to glass worked.

 Even the equipment barn was beautiful construction.

 Around the castle, we had the chance to see a collection of wine production equipment.  It was fun to contrast the vintage items with the high tech equipment.

 We had the chance to walk in the storage areas and learn about this portion of production.  This part of the castle was part spooky and part awesome!  We learned that the castle has Halloween parties in the lower floors of the castle - fitting.

 We had a mini tasting in the wine storage area.

 At the end of our tour, we had the full wine tasting and enjoyed several different samples of the wines offered.

 We loved this chicken house in the tree!

The whole place was really beautiful and dramatic.

 This might be my favorite picture of the trip.