I had the good fortune of spending last weekend up in Sonoma County with the folks at Kendall Jackson and a handful of other bloggers for an event called, “Sip, Bite and Blog.” We drank wine, we toured vineyards, we drank more wine, we ate gourmet food, we drank even more wine and we learned about food and wine pairings. It was heaven. I’ll share the food and wine details on my food blog, but here are some photos of the scenery in and around the vineyards- most were taken with my iPhone, and some were enhanced with some of the cool iPhone apps (camera +, instagram, Snapseed, Night Camera, Pixlromatic, and Hipstamatic).
Here’s a view from Stonestreet Winery, which is one of the wineries we toured.
We happened to be visiting right at the beginning of their fall harvest.
Many, many workers are hired during the fall harvest. These guys work HARD. Since they are paid by the ton, teams work together to get the grapes off the vines as quickly as they can. Then they hoist up these big tubs of grapes on top of their heads and run up the mountain to the collection bin. Then they run back to do it again. Crazy hard work.
A view from the very top of the mountain, overlooking vineyards tucked into the hills all over the place.
These are Syrah grapes that are ready for harvest. This photo has been enhanced by the Camera+ iPhone app to make the grapes look more vibrant, but they look pretty cool, don’t they?
On the grounds of the Kendall-Jackson Wine Center.
Hmmm, I’ve been wondering what I should do with my bags and bags of wine corks. Big cork ball, maybe?
Flowers on the grounds of the Arrowood Winery…
Lavender fields on the grounds of the Matanzas Creek Winery.
Wine tasting/pairing education class overlooking Jackson Park Vineyards.
Trees on the property… looking up.
And lots and lots of great wine… all weekend long. Have you ever been to Sonoma/Napa Valley? This was my first time ever… but I’ll be going back next month. I’m open to recommendations for not-to-miss experiences!
Thanks, Kendall Jackson, for a great weekend!
Beautiful!
You definitely captured Sonoma County in a beautiful way. Your trip looks so fun. I always wish I could take a week off and just explore my own backyard! 🙂
Love, love, LOVE your photos! Sounds like an awesome trip.
Gorgeous photos, Lori. I wish I had been there with you…it looks like so much fun!
We live in Marin County and are fortunate enough to get up the Napa/Sonoma quite frequently – absolutely gorgeous. The revived area on the Napa River is lovely.
Ahhh!! Your pictures are so pretty and they make me want to be back so badly! We had such a good time; let’s hope we do it again next year! xo
After my son was married in Monterey (in May), I went with a friend to Sonoma! We loved it. We stopped at several different wineries, Kendall Jackson being one of them. Your trip sounds like it was heaven!
Gorgeous photos! What an awesome trip. That photo of the grapes…enhancements or not, is breathtaking!
I was born and raised in Napa. Lived there until I was 38 years old, except for college. Went to the Catholic high school in Napa (Justin-Siena) so I went to school with lots of winery owners kids. Sonoma kids went there, too, since they don’t have a Catholic high school in Sonoma. So many recommendations, I really don’t know where to start. One small upvalley winery (between St. Helena and Calistoga) I highly recommend is Benessere Vineyards. The winemaker there is a very good friend of ours. Let me know if you want me to set something up. He’s fantastic, and it’s absolutely gorgeous there, with phenomonal wine.
I lived in Napa for 6 months. You made me very nostalgic!
I have been to wine country a couple of times. My husband and I are going to Napa in November. Mum winery is beautiful!
Ooooohhhh, my dream trip! Someday…in the meantime, thanks for taking me along with you on yours!
Looks like u had a nice time ,,,:)