I found this place called Platypus tours on the internet before we left. They take 4 -5 couples on tours to some off the beaten path wineries. We rode in the bus called Elvis which Tim just loved. It was kind of like a limo's seating in a small bus. It was really nice. There were two very young couples, and older couple, and a couple from Japan whom I don't think spoke much English at all. The older couple was from California, the younger couples were from Boston and Florida. It was a great mix of people. We really enjoyed the company.
Our first winery was a wonderful place called Bennett Lane. The owner has a Nascar team. It was a neat winery and it had a wonderful Chardonnay. In fact it was my favorite wine of the whole trip. Tim bought a couple of bottles here. The day was overcast and a little misty but it wasn't bad.
Next we headed off to a place called Graeser winery. It was up a hill and a beautiful setting. This guy was older and hilarious. He was quite a character. We really liked one of his port wines. We had lunch here. Our tour guide fixed up a nice sandwich lunch with a great salad. We enjoyed getting to know the other couples here. This place was neat because they had a couple of dogs. A really old black lab and an adorable Great Dane.
Next we headed to a place called LavaVine. This guy was younger but still quite a character. They had only been open since December. I wasn't crazy about his wine but I think Tim bought some here too.
The last stop was a really nice place called Summer Vineyards. It is up on a road by the Geyser. A retired couple were the tasting people here and boy were they funny. I liked it here because they gave you samples of foods that went with the wine. We had a cherry tomato, some chocolate chips, and some white chocolate chips. There wines were pretty good also.
One thing Tim learned today was to ask to revisit a wine. That means you get another 1 ounce pour of a wine you would like to try again. Basically you go into the winery and try the wines. You usually get to try 4 to 5 different wines. The cost is anywhere from $5 to $15 with most being $10 per person. You are allowed to share however since we had a driver today we chose to each have our own glass. They usually took the tasting charge off if you bought a bottle of their wine. So that is what Tim did at almost all of the wineries we visited for the week. After this first day we usually shared the tastings.
After this stop we headed back to the hotel. It was great not having to drive and our guide was very knowledgeable. It was really a great experience. We rested for a while and then decided we'd go back to the little pizza place up the road. It really hit the spot.
1 comment:
Glad you enjoyed the guided tour (with a driver!); that's a great way to start your visit! With so many great places to visit, it helps to have some one show you around. We'll definitely do that when we go back.
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