Sheldon Winery
Sheldon Winery, on Santa Rosa’s Vintners’ Square, sharing space with Krutz Family Cellars, is a true, romantic micro-winery adventure. Tobe, “Fearless Leader & Resident Wino”, and Dylan Sheldon, “Chief Alchemist & Barrel Monkey”, epitomize romance- and have made their winery dreams come true, producing very small lots, under 1000 cases produced annually. Tobe Sheldon, also the Founder of The Sippy Room, (aka, sometimes, the Sippy Lounge) expresses it better nor I: Unfiltered and un-fined because sterile wines have no soul. It’s just me, Dylan and the dingos. We are a micro-winery. Hand harvested, foot stomped, basket pressed, hand bottled and hand labeled. Quality control experienced nightly! Cheers,...
Read MoreJust Bein’ A Concierge: Adventures Along the Wine Road
I am the Wine Road Member & Guest Concierge- I administer to our Wine Road Winery and Lodging Members- and in so doing, learn all about them, blog them- and then help guests effectively travel the Wine Road, pointing them in directions that their interests and preferences indicate will make their personalized best visit ever in terms of lodging, wineries, restaurants, touring, recreation- well, All Things Wine Road. A Hotel Concierge: In hotels, a concierge assists guests with various tasks like making restaurant reservations, arranging for spa services, recommending night life hot spots, booking transportation (limousines, airplanes, boats, etc.), procurement of tickets to special events and assisting with various travel arrangements and tours of...
Read MoreKrutz Family Cellars
Krutz Family Cellars, ensconced in the Urban Wine District of Cleveland Avenue, in downtown Santa Rosa, brings a lovely vibe of Southern Hospitality Philosphy mixed with down-home family involvement mixed with delicious wine production. Heck- KFC are the initials for KRUTZ FAMILY CELLARS – and also Kentucky Fried Chicken…though the Krutz family is from Mississippi; truly, the Southern drawl apparent in Patrick and Cole is amazingly welcoming; you know what suckers Californians are for accents! Their TR and production facility are both under one roof, and they offer up that you can just holler to contact them. They are ready to welcome you, providing a concierge level of service to make sure that your visit is all you want it to be. The Magnolia...
Read MoreD’Argenzio Winery
Santa Rosa, home to Snoopy and Charlie Brown, is convenient to Highway 101- especially on your trip up 101 from SF or back down 101 to your Bay Area home. Right off Highway 101 is a step back to an Italian village. D’Argenzio Winery is the founder of this cool, new, innovative, urban, wine destination, part of the Santa Rosa Wine Trail, sharing Vintners’ Square with The Wineyard, Sheldon Wines & Krutz Family Cellars. Ray D’Argenzio, whose surname translates: “People of Silver” and his daughter, Breanna, now also making wine, greet me. Their delight and pride in their family winery and endeavors are evident. They share a wine and food pairing with me, highlighting the different varietals they produce, especially from the...
Read MoreJerry “Nunn On the Run” & WineTimeTR: Wine Road Adventurers
Chicago journalist extraordinaire, Jerry Nunn, and I have the chance to head out for some non-Barrel Tasting adventures along Wine Road. Jerry flies into SFO- for his very first trip to San Francisco, and northern Sonoma County, a.k.a: Wine Road. I meet him at his member lodging, Bella Villa Messina, just finishing his sumptuous breakfast prepared by innkeepers, Jerry and Harold. Jerry and I head first to nearby neighbor, Manzanita Creek Winery- Great Wines, No Scenery, Never Boring- just a hop-skip-jump south on Grove Street, in the Garagiste Section of Healdsburg. Home to an array of varietals, and the Yes You Can Plan Wine Club, with The Salerno Brothers at the helm, Manzanita Creek educates us on farming techniques, ecological concerns, water wars in...
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