Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
10
The Wine
Country
Raise a glass, not the budget
P
EOPLE HAVE BEEN GROWING GRAPES IN THE MOUNTAINS NORTH OF
San Francisco for about as long as the city to its south has been habited. But it
went through some rough times: Plant plagues and Prohibition both knocked
back the area's progress for a century until finally, a generation ago, a handful of
mavericks figured out a way to turn wines from Napa and Sonoma counties into
internationally respected brands. Now, the region is booming. It has mostly left
behind its grubby farming personality and borrowed no small measure of
European prestige and style in the journey.
The rolling green hills and pocket ponds of this region are so beautiful they
could be considered draw enough, but of course, the main reason you come here
is because you love food and drink. The foodie-ism is contagious. Within 2 or 3
days of arriving, even someone who knows zip about wine will start to talk about
what he's drinking as if they were born experts. It's fun to watch the people you
love transform themselves into gourmets before your eyes, even if they're only
mouthing the words in excitement.
Get ready to hear a lot of stories from the wineries you visit about what
brought the owners to the Wine Country. They usually go like this: He was a
lawyer and decided to chuck it all to make wine the way his grandfather did in
the Old Country. Words like
legendary
and
greatness
are bandied about with aban-
don. (I don't understand why people think hearing about the winemaker's good
fortune should make the product taste better.) Whatever the area's faults, though,
there's no denying that there's a lot of good stuff to taste. Even in winter, as you
drive past vineyard-covered mountains carpeted with bright yellow mustard-plant
blooms, it will be hard not to feel lucky for being able to spend time here. In sum-
mer, when breezes are warmer and everything sings with green, you could believe,
after enough wine, that you've rediscovered Eden.
Yes, the Wine Country is all about the good life, and you may find yourself
developing a desire to drop everything and move there to stomp grapes.
But you'd better bring your wallet, because affluent visitors are the focus mar-
ket—a budget hotel room here costs just as much as it does in the big city of San
Francisco, and meals at most restaurants cost even more than they do an hour
south. This is a region committed, in essence, to making and selling luxury prod-
ucts. Honeymooners come here to live like royalty for a few days amongst the
greenery and gardens. The expectations foster a spendy experience, but there are
some ways to taste and experience the Wine Country's Good Life without paying
for it for the rest of yours.
