Musings Along The Wine Trails
When it comes to Fess Parker Winery & Vineyard, nothing is understated! The grounds are perfectly manicured and stretch endlessly in all directions. Weddings are commonplace here and dogs are welcome!
Baby boomers will recall that Fess Parker was an American film icon in the 1950’s and 1960’s, playing the roles of frontiersmen Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett.
Driving down the bucolic country back roads of Edna Valley several years ago, I was lucky to discover the hidden jewel, Kynsi Winery. And, wow, what a treasure! Totally charming and renovated, Kynsi Winery was once a working dairy farm in the 1940’s. Today, it’s a forerunner in superb Pinot Noirs with a laid-back atmosphere with a fun, friendly and knowledgeable staff.
The signature barn owl logo for Kynsi Winery is actually a named after a Finnish word for “talon”.
You’ll almost miss the gravel road that leads to Alma Rosa if you’re looking the other way! Five miles down the twisty Santa Rosa Road, near Buellton, lies Alma Rosa. Tucked in the oaks, down a dusty gravel road lies a real treasure. It doesn’t have the flashy curb appeal of the larger production wineries in Foxen Canyon because there are NO curbs!
Alma Rosa is the lovechild of the 1970’s wine pioneers Richard and Thekla Sanford ~ artfully recreated in the Sideways movie, it remains, unchanged. Much to my dismay, this time around, Chris, the bearded Willie Nelson look-a-like, was not working there. I was told he was “taking a break”. Chris, does however, continue to write the lofty wine descriptions which are as fun as the wines are good! [Read more…]