Comments on: Off the Beaten Path in Northern California Wine Country http://www.nileguide.com/blog/2009/03/30/off-the-beaten-path-in-northern-california-wine-country/ Travel tips, tales and updates from the NileGuide team Sat, 11 Feb 2012 11:33:59 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: sandy http://www.nileguide.com/blog/2009/03/30/off-the-beaten-path-in-northern-california-wine-country/comment-page-1/#comment-3898 sandy Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:08:17 +0000 http://www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/?p=2072#comment-3898 very good information!!!excellent wines can be found in California's Sonoma Valley and Napa Regions.the wines here are generally great quality wines. very good information!!!excellent wines can be found in California’s Sonoma Valley and Napa Regions.the wines here are generally great quality wines.

]]> By: Victoria Gutierrez http://www.nileguide.com/blog/2009/03/30/off-the-beaten-path-in-northern-california-wine-country/comment-page-1/#comment-838 Victoria Gutierrez Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:58:47 +0000 http://www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/?p=2072#comment-838 @Samya, thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely check out Joseph Swan next time I'm up there. @Wink, I've been to Rafanelli as well... what a great little place. Dry Creek Valley was my first exposure to the California wine country and it certainly got me hooked! @Samya, thanks for the suggestion. I will definitely check out Joseph Swan next time I’m up there.

@Wink, I’ve been to Rafanelli as well… what a great little place. Dry Creek Valley was my first exposure to the California wine country and it certainly got me hooked!

]]> By: Wink Lorch http://www.nileguide.com/blog/2009/03/30/off-the-beaten-path-in-northern-california-wine-country/comment-page-1/#comment-837 Wink Lorch Wed, 01 Apr 2009 19:54:13 +0000 http://www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/?p=2072#comment-837 This post brings back some great memories of a visit to Dry Creek Valley in, I think, 1996 when I was teaching about wines of California in the UK. I had two amazingly contrasting visits in this beautiful valley - both fantastic in entirely different ways. One was to the Frei Ranch Vineyard where the Gallo Sonoma winery is located. As a 'special' visitor I was greeted by a couple of the family and taken round the gorgeous, huge vineyard and then into the winery for a tour and tasting. It was at a stage when the Gallo family (notably Gina Gallo) where just realizing that good PR was about being open to questions and it was still a novelty to them welcoming visitors! The other was to the tiny, rustic also Italian family-owned Rafanelli winery, famous for its old vine Zinfandels. I met and tasted with owner Dave Rafanelli and he even gave me a bottle signed in a gold pen to take home with me. I learnt masses about the history of the valley, and in particular of the importance to the valley of the Italian immigrants and of the old original Zinfandel vines. I was lucky to have two extraordinary visits at a time when the term wine tourism hadn't been invented. This post brings back some great memories of a visit to Dry Creek Valley in, I think, 1996 when I was teaching about wines of California in the UK. I had two amazingly contrasting visits in this beautiful valley – both fantastic in entirely different ways.

One was to the Frei Ranch Vineyard where the Gallo Sonoma winery is located. As a ‘special’ visitor I was greeted by a couple of the family and taken round the gorgeous, huge vineyard and then into the winery for a tour and tasting. It was at a stage when the Gallo family (notably Gina Gallo) where just realizing that good PR was about being open to questions and it was still a novelty to them welcoming visitors!

The other was to the tiny, rustic also Italian family-owned Rafanelli winery, famous for its old vine Zinfandels. I met and tasted with owner Dave Rafanelli and he even gave me a bottle signed in a gold pen to take home with me.

I learnt masses about the history of the valley, and in particular of the importance to the valley of the Italian immigrants and of the old original Zinfandel vines. I was lucky to have two extraordinary visits at a time when the term wine tourism hadn’t been invented.

]]> By: Samya http://www.nileguide.com/blog/2009/03/30/off-the-beaten-path-in-northern-california-wine-country/comment-page-1/#comment-810 Samya Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:44:47 +0000 http://www.nileguide.com/destination/blog/?p=2072#comment-810 Joseph Swan Winery, in the Russian River area (near Forestville, I think) is a great no-frills place, with big dogs outside and giant barrels of wine inside. They usually have a wonderful Pinot Noir (depending on the year, I guess). Joseph Swan Winery, in the Russian River area (near Forestville, I think) is a great no-frills place, with big dogs outside and giant barrels of wine inside. They usually have a wonderful Pinot Noir (depending on the year, I guess).

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