Sonoma Wine Country Weekend 2011

It has been two weeks since we returned from our vacation in Sonoma County. We have gone through our pictures, pamphlets, and all of that Visa Signature crap we accumulated during our trip. Visa is a great sponsor of Taste of Sonoma and Sonoma Wine Country Weekend but here’s a hint – we only need the wine glass lanyard! Of course we came away with wonderful memories of wine, Sonoma and many, many new friends.

I will be writing more specific posts about various aspects of our Sonoma Wine Country Weekend experience; however, I am going to touch on a few things that stood out for us.

• The hospitality displayed by everyone we came in contact with was the ultimate highlight. We were so thrilled to feel welcome and appreciated everywhere we went. This was veryrefreshing.
• There is always room at the Inn. Brian Shapiro (@VinoVotary) of Stryker Sonoma gets the Champion for the wine country lifestyle award! I’ll share the relevance of my “always room at the Inn” statement in my upcoming Cabernet Day post but in short, Brian encompasses everything I love about the wine country lifestyle in Sonoma. By the way, we can thank @Twitter for our chance encounter!
• Two things have drawn me to Sonoma. Wine, of course and social media. The combination of the two have taken on a life of its own and it is only because of social media that I have been so fortunate to meet so many of you. It provides a conduit for a guy in Lititz, PA to engage with and learn from people in the heart of California wine country.
• Taste of Sonoma is bonkers. Too bad they asked us those people to leave. I mean, really? As if 5 hours of wine tasting were not enough.
• We love the Russian River Valley. No offense to the rest of Sonoma County. The River, the wineries, the little cabin we rented, the vineyards, the proximity to MacMurray Ranch and the Pinot Noir is off the hook.
• Korbel is a must for any visitor to RRV. I did not want to go, my wife did – I wanted wine, not bubbly. I am here to say it was a fascinating experience and a welcome change of pace from wine. My wife will not let me live this one down.
• Finally having the chance to meet so many Twitter peeps was an absolute joy. I think I met people who introduced themselves with their real name and was like, ok what’s your Twitter handle? Aaahhhhh, now I know who you are! Some I knew by name though and it was great to meet @SLHousman, @mrhousman, @alawine, @vinovotary, @moxie_lady and many more.

Stryker Sonoma in Alexander Valley