California Wine Country

After receiving several requests for recommendations for California wine country already in the first two weeks of January, I decided that I needed to write a blog post about it. That way, I can just direct my friends and family here and they will know my favorite itineraries and places to eat and stay, and, of course, wineries to visit. In reality, I am going to have to write a series of posts because you cannot summarize all of California’s beautiful wine country in one shot. So, I will be writing a series of potential wine country posts to cover itineraries in the different regions of California Wine Country, namely, Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast and Russian River, Central Coast and, also, Southern California, which is where I live now. Ironically, I am choosing to write this series when I am alcohol free for 2019. But, I have a lot knowledge to share, and you can certainly visit California wine country without drinking wine. I spent a lot of time at wineries when I was pregnant, and have definitely enjoyed the beauty and serenity of this wonderful aspect of California living. I moved to California in 2009, and have spent half my time living in Northern California in San Francisco, and half of it in Southern California in Los Angeles. My best friend’s husband is a winemaker and has a tasting room in Sonoma Square, so that will be on my list, but the only winery that I am personally affiliated with. All of the restaurants and locations will be places I have visited and loved over the years. I hope you enjoy the list.

Leo in the parking lot of the tasting room at Ty Caton Vineyards in Kenwood, Sonoma Valley.

Cheeseboard: Mimolette

There is an interesting story about aged Mimolette (also known as Boule de Lille). This particular variety was introduced to me ten years ago by my friend Todd. It's a beautiful aged cheese, bright orange in color with a salty and nutty flavor, and wonderful addition to a cheeseboard. In late 2013, there was a controversy surrounding the fact that cheese mites (or what the French call tiny affineurs for their role in the aging process), the microscopic little bugs that live on the surface of the aged cheese and eat the microscopic molds that grow there, were found to be, according to the Food and Drug Administration, not proper for human consumption. The FDA banned the cheese saying the mites used on the rind are an allergen. And cheese mites are not specific to Mimolette - they play a role on many aging cheeses. In France and the US, there was a major uproar to the ban on the cheese. Banned in the USA for over a year, it appears that Mimolette has just recently been allowed back into cheese shops and online markets. 

Some Mimolette I found still stocked in a cheese shop in San Francisco, CA.

Mimolette Vieille from Isigny (photo from igourmet.com)

Country of origin: France

Region: Nord
Town: Lille

Type: Semi-hard, characteristics of butter and nuts, caramel, salty, inspired by Dutch Edam

Made from: Cow's milk
Manufacturer: Isigny Sainte Mère (one of the largest)
Texture: firm, smooth, fudgy finish, thick brown-grey dusty rind
Maturity: 18 to 24 months

Calories: 344/100g 
Fat: 24g
Protein: 29g

Wine pairing: Riesling, aged red wine (especially merlot-based or Chateauneuf-du-Pape like blends), some people swear by a tawny port  

Cheeseboard: Piave Vecchio

Anyone who knows me, knows I absolutely love cheese. The perfect cheeseboard is going to include a selection of different textures of cheese, made from a variety of different sources of milk, either locally-made, or imported from all over the world. 

One of my favorites to include on a cheeseboard is Piave Vecchio.

Picture by Lattebusche SCA

Country of origin: Italy 

Region: Belluno province of Veneto
Town: Dolomites 

Type: Semi-hard, characteristics of butter and nuts, hint of caramel, savory

Made from: Cow's milk
Manufacturer: Lattebusche SCA
Texture: firm, flaky, grainy, dense, no holes
Maturity: aged over 180 days

Calories: 422
Fat: 35g
Protein: 26g
Calcium:  850mg

Wine pairing: Sancerre, Malbec, Beaujelais, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel  

Catalina Island

Avalon is a great destination just about an hour off the coast of Los Angeles.

We went to Catalina Island over the long weekend in January.

Picture of Catalina from inside the ferry lounge (hence the glare from the window).

This was our itinerary leaving on a Saturday afternoon around 2 p.m. and returning on a Monday afternoon around 4 p.m.:

• Catalina Express Ferry from Long Beach to Avalon, California on Catalina Island. Be sure to book the Commodore lounge, upon recommendation by my friend Cory - it's worth the extra charge and you get a free drink. We also learned that you get to board the ferry first, sort of like priority boarding, which with a toddler is invaluable information. Plus, it ensured we got a table in the lounge by the window so Leo could set up all his toys for the trip. We saw about a dozen dolphins swimming near the boat about halfway through the approximately 1-hour ferry ride.

• Pavilion Hotel, which is steps from the Ferry port. We booked off Hotels.com. Lovely accommodations offering a satisfying continental breakfast, and a full service wine & cheese tasting each afternoon. Both breakfast and the tasting were well attended. The tasting consisted of three wines from the same vineyard, a white, rose and a red, and a medium selection of cheeses (about 6 mainstream varieties). There is a substantial-sized courtyard with pairs of lounge chairs and a garden. They have fire pits and tables and you can watch the marina boats while eating your breakfast.

• Zip Lining Eco Tour, which my sister did while Leo and I walked along the Island. She loved it. The excursion consists of 5 separate zip lines dropping from 600 feet above sea level with one run that is 1,100 lineal feet.

• The Descanso Beach Club, access to which we got as part of our stay at the Pavilion, is about a 15-minute walk from the hotel along the ocean-side path on the other side of the casino. It has a great private beach with private cabanas and chaise lounges with bottle service and food from the restaurant. The menu is somewhat limited but there is a full bar with cocktails and drinks. You can book many activities from the beach club (other than zip lining and sunbathing on the chaise lounges) - such as kayaking and snorkeling. There is even a huge climbing wall if you want to try your hand at that.

On the way to the beach club, which you can spot at the end of the path.

• The Underwater Sea Adventure - Leo loved to watch the amazing reef and fish and sea lions in a "submarine" as he called it. It's a semi-submersible boat. This was definitely worth it. We also got a 10% discount by booking through the Pavilion hotel. So, if you stay there, book through them.

Leo in the "submarine."

For such a small town, there are actually quite a few restaurants and bars available. 

Here's a few we tried and liked: 

• CC Gallagher, eclectic sushi

• Maggie's Blue Rose, great mexican

Other recommendations:

• My friend Cory also recommended Mr. Ning's for chinese food. It was closed when we went.