Sonoma County wine tasting

Benjamin was visiting us from Texas and we had to take him wine tasting. It's required when you live so close to Sonoma and Napa counties. We had done a weekend in Napa before, a bigger, and dare I say, more exclusive area of wineries. This time we went to Sonoma, closer and more laid back. We elected to stop at the two oldest wineries, established 1857 and 1858. We started with the oldest *family* run winery, affectionately known as GunBun. Gundlach Bundschu Winery, established in 1858, is the oldest continuously family-owned winery in California and the second oldest winery overall in Sonoma County, after Buena Vista (which was our second stop). GunBun makes a great traditional white wine, Gewürztraminer, started from grapes brought over by Jacob Gundlach. Jacob had wanted to make his fortune during the Gold Rush, but by the time he arrived, he had missed the gold boat. So he turned to grapes. The estate has 320 acres. After a 5 wine tasting "flight" and the purchase of a bottle of the Gewurztraminer, we went down the road to the actual oldest winery, Buena Vista, established 1857.

Buena Vista is what a winery should look like. Stone cellars, wood beams, etc.

Our wine tasting took place in a replica 1920s speakeasy with mannequins dressed in furs and flapper dresses. I kinda liked it. I also appreciate the A/C. Here we were served our tasting "flight" by an earnest young man who listened closely as Benjamin talked about sports cars. Good wine here too. Many of these wines you can only purchase at the winery. This is not a scam to charge tourists more. It is simply cheaper for a winery to do it this way, and also bring in the tasters.

We ended our day with a highly recommended dinner at The Girl and the Fig in downtown Sonoma, which boasts turn of the century buildings and an old-fashioned town square.