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UNCORKED WINE TRAVELS

Musings Along The Wine Trails

Get Your Sips Off Route 116… Sonoma Co’s Crown Jewel Wine Road

March 9, 2018 by Deborah Mines Leave a Comment

Known as the Gravenstein Highway to the locals, California State Route 116 gently meanders along the Russian River from the shores of Jenner through Guerneville, past Forestville and Graton, ending in North Sebastopol.  Once a mecca for Gravenstein apples in the 1930’s, less than a square mile of orchards remain, outpaced and out priced by the value of the almighty grape crop.  For a mini wine tasting tour down the infamous Gravenstein Highway, read on…

In sleepy Forestville, Joseph Jewell Wines is sure to please the most discriminating Pinot Noir or Chardonnay palate.  Winemakers Micah Joseph Wirth and Adrian Jewell Manspeaker have it dialed in with their artisan Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sourced from six designated single vineyards.  Specialized tours are offered, including a helicopter tour over the vineyards.

Take a slight right turn off Gravenstein Highway to Ross Road to find Ektimo Vineyards.  Not much tasting room ambience, but tasting room manager, Julius Orth and their variety of wines are sure to entertain ~  Dry Creek Valley Sauvignon Blanc, Russian River Chardonnay, Russian River Pinot, Zinfandel and a Cabernet plus a few other surprises, like a barrel tasting.  Ektimo Vineyards operates a custom crush pad and winemaking facility as well, so there’s plenty going on here.  [Read more…]

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Filed Under: California Wine Trail Tagged With: barrel tasting, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Russian River, Sauvignon Blanc, Wine Tasting, Winter Wineland, Zinfandel

Sunce Winery Exudes True Old World Charm

March 14, 2014 by Deborah Mines Leave a Comment

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Winter Wineland 2014 was the perfect venue to visit over 36 wineries in the Russian River Valley in January, plus another 100 or so wineries in Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, Healdsburg, Geyserville and Santa Rosa.  My wine trek started along Olivet Road, my favorite stretch of vineyards  in the heart of the Russian River Valley, which led me to Sunce Winery.

IMG_6017Third generation Croatian-born winemaker, Frane Franicevic, has certainly perfected his love of winemaking over the years.  Frane released his first wines in 1990, created in a barn off Piner Road, later moving his winemaking operation to the current Sunce Winery site in the late 1990s.

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Sunce is a Serb-Croatian word for “sunshine”.  And, plenty of sun shines in the Russian River Valley in the peak growing season.  Sunce Winery is named after one of Frane’s daughters, Sunce, with another vineyard and a varietal wine blend named after his other two daughters, Zora and Zemlja. [Read more…]

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Filed Under: California Wine Trail Tagged With: barrel tasting, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir clones, Reisling, Rhone, Russian River Valley, Sangiovese, sustainable farming, Syrah, Wine Road, Wine Tasting

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A Little About Me

To many, I’m simply known as a wanderlust ~ a free-spirited adventuress with a passion for travel and a lover of great wines!Read more...

Vintage Posts

  • Discover the Hidden Wine Caves in Sonoma Wine Country December 17, 2018
  • Vin Santo Reigns In Chianti’s Medieval Hamlet of Castello di Volpaia November 16, 2018
  • Hidden Gem Alert ~ Dry Creek’s Unti Vineyards Is A “10” October 31, 2018
  • Windsor’s Notre Vue Estate’s Unabashed Views Are Worth The Drive October 20, 2018
  • Cheers To Russian River Valley’s “Uneventful” 2018 Harvest! September 21, 2018
  • Add Healdsburg’s Raford Inn To Your Wine Bucket List August 9, 2018
  • A Walk Between The Vines At Emeritus Vineyards… June 29, 2018
  • Follow the Olivet Road… Top 3 Artisan Winery Picks! June 8, 2018
  • Thomas George Estates’ Wine Cave Is Truly A Hidden Treasure! May 24, 2018
  • Get Your Sips Off Route 116… Sonoma Co’s Crown Jewel Wine Road March 9, 2018
  • A Rainy Day In Napa Suits Me Wine… December 20, 2017
  • Whimsical & Historical Sites Dot North Sonoma County’s Wine Trail November 21, 2017
  • MacRostie Winery & Vineyards’ Elevated Tasting Takes Center Stage October 25, 2017
  • Kistler Vineyards Is A Wondrous Showcase For Chardonnay Lovers! September 27, 2017
  • 2017 Russian River Valley Grape Harvest Is One For The Record Books September 13, 2017
  • Top Paso Robles Wine Trail Picks August 22, 2017
  • Especial Wine Stops in Historic Alexander Valley ~ Sonoma Wine Country August 2, 2017
  • Top Picks To Wine Down In Dry Creek Valley July 19, 2017
  • Russian River Valley’s Martinelli Winery Dates Back To 1890’s July 4, 2017
  • BOOK REVIEW: A Glass Full of Miracles June 17, 2017

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