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February 24, 2008

Hello from San Francisco:
An Eco-Friendly Excursion to Muir Woods and a Sonoma Valley Wine-Tasting Tour

After a late night of exotic entertainment at Asia SF, our day got started very early. Although it was raining I decided to capture a few photos of the area surrounding our hotel, The Handlery Union Square Hotel, which is located on downtown Geary Street. I walked just a few steps east to Union Square, the heart of San Francisco's shopping, hotel and theatre district. Big shopping venues such as Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus surround this historic square. Luxury stores such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Dior, Chanel, Prada, Armani and Hermes are also represented.


Union Square: a shopping mecca

Just west from The Handlery are two historic theatres: the Geary and Curran Theatres. The Moscone Convention Centre and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art are close by as well. Before our excursion to Muir Woods I embarked on an hour long walk to check out some of the streets surrounding Union Square and had a delicious waffle breakfast in a little 24 hour eatery called Pinecrest Diner. I enjoyed looking out the windows, seeing the city awake.


Downtown San Francisco

Punctually at 8:30 am we got picked up by a biodiesel-powered van from Incredible Adventures, chauffered by our charming driver and local expert Michelle. Incredible Adventures is a local adventure travel company that offers various day tours from San Francisco, including the Muir Woods & Wine Country Tours, Muir Woods & Brewery Tours, Yosemite National Park Tours as well as Whitewater Rafting & Wine Tours. In addition they offer tours out of Las Vegas and Baja California. Their vans are powered by biodiesel which is a renewable, biodegradable and cleaner-burning fuel, and the company is committed to minimum impact tourism.


Union Square in the rain

Rather than renting a car to explore the areas north of San Francisco we had decided in favour of the convenience of a guided tour and were picked up right in front of our hotel. Particularly for a wine-tasting excursion, a chauffeured excursion seemed to be a much better idea. Michelle helped us with our luggage, and off we went on our adventure. Three other guests were already in the van: a grandmother, mother and granddaughter team from Texas who were here for a quick girls' weekend getaway.


The historic Curran Theatre

As we started driving Michelle explained the various parts of San Francisco and Marin County that we were driving through. We drove past the affluent neighbourhoods of Russian Hill and Pacific Heights and had a glimpse at the classic Greek-inspired 1915 Palace of Fine Arts. The Presidio, a former military facility dating back all the way to 1776, is now part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. In the rain we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge, and Michelle filled us in about the history of this historic landmark. On the other side of the bridge are the two affluent communities of Sausalito and Tiburon.


Great architecture in downtown San Francisco

We entered Marin County, the region located across from San Francisco, north of the Golden Gate Bridge. According to the 2000 Census, Marin County had the highest per capita income, and homes costing several million dollars are no rarity. Notable current and former residents of this area include Andre Agassi, Jennifer Aniston, Janis Joplin, John Lennon, Huey Lewis, George Lucas, Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Bonnie Raitt, Carlos Santana, Robin Williams and many more. We exited off the main highway and started to drive on side roads through mountainous terrain with the rain blocking out much of our view.


Entrance to the Muir Woods National Monument


After about an hour’s drive we arrived at the Muir Woods National Monument, a protected forest of Coastal Redwood trees and part of the National Park Service. Before logging started in California there were an estimated 2 million acres (or 8000 square kilometers) of redwood forests. By the early part of the last century, most of these trees had vanished, cut down for construction and industrial purposes. In the early 1900s, a local Congressman by the name of William Kent was acutely aware of the need to preserve some of the last remainders of these forests, and he purchased 611 acres (2.47 square kilometers) of land from the Tamalpais Land and Water Company to protect these unique redwood trees. In 1908 President Theodore Roosevelt declared the land a national monument, the first such area to be created from land that was donated by a private individual. The forest was named after naturalist John Muir, who helped to create the national park system with his environmental campaigns.


Giant Sequoia trees

Today Muir Woods features Giant Sequoia trees that can grow up to 380 feet or 115 metres. The tallest tree in the Muir Woods actually measures 285 feet or 79 metres. On average the trees are between 500 and 800 years old, and the oldest is about 1,200 years old. Michelle explained that Coastal Redwood trees contain a special ingredient that repels pests which allows them to become that old. Other species in the forest include California Bay Laurel, Bigleaf Maple Trees and Tanoak. More than 50 species of birds make Muir Woods their home.


Interesting views in the rain

We had about an hour to walk around these majestic trees, and ironically the rain provided the perfect mood for this mysterious environment. Paved walking trails and unpaved hiking paths run through the entire forest, and the two areas closest to the entrance are called Bohemian and Cathedral Grove. Other trees in the forest include Bigleaf Maple trees, the Tanoak and the California Bay Laurel. A plaque designates the location of a ceremony that was held in May of 1945 to commemorate the passing of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.


Muir Woods

After our walk we headed back to the Incredible Adventures van where we started to warm up again and listened to Michelle’s informative narration as we drove north. The Sonoma Valley is where the California wine industry was born. Some of the earliest wineries located here in the 1800s and even survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s which was caused by aphid-like insects that destroyed most of the vineyards in Europe and also spread throughout North America.


Bob Flynn from the Roche Winery

Before lunch we stopped at two wineries, where we got to taste a whole variety of red and white wines and even some local olives and olive oils. At Roche Winery we learned that they produce 10,000 cases a year that are primarily sold through wine clubs. The winery even offers a futures program where cases of wine are bought before they are even grown. Special events highlight the season at this winery, and in August there are several big parties to celebrate winemaking and cuisine.


Great oversize posters at Roche Winery

The wine club offers various members-only benefits such as special discounts on wine and merchandise purchases as well as reduced prices during the special events. Roche Winery features medal-winning varieties including white and red Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, Zinfandels, Merlots as well as dessert wines, such as a late harvest Merlot and a Muscat.


Wine education at Homewood Winery

Our second stop was Homewood Winery, a small winery that bills itself as “close to a one-man winery” run by owner David Homewood. This small winery limits its production to 3000 cases annually, and originally grew out of David Homewood’s home-based wine-making efforts. One of David’s mottos is “the redder the better” – he has a deep appreciation for red wines. He works closely with several other small family-owned grape-growing operations which allows him to take over their entire production. David likes wine-blending, and his “Flying Wizzbanger” creation is the result of these efforts. The name of this blend incidentally alludes to David’s former basketball team.


Some complimentary taste treats at Homewood Winery

Dave Bixner, the wine tasting associate at Homewood Winery, invited us to sample some of the olives and olive oils that had been put out for the benefit of the tasting audience. The wine list includes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet, as well as my favourite: a dessert wine called the 2006 Sonoma County Merlot Port. We also received a lesson in wine education: Dave taught us how to properly roll a glass during the tasting, how to identify our predominant nostril for absorbing the aroma of the wine, and he showed us the “legs” of different types of wine: the different types of streaks that run down the side of the glass after swirling the wine which provide information about the body of the wine.


The wine tasting students are eager to learn

After this educational outing we continued on into the town of Sonoma which had its origin in 1823 with the founding of the Mission San Francisco Solano, the farthest north of the 21 California Missions that formed the Camino Real or “Royal Road”. By this time Sonoma was part of Mexico, which had won independence from Spain in 1821. By 1846, California had become part of the United States, and Sonoma was indeed the birthplace of American California. The Bear Flag Revolt was launched by thirty-three men on the Sonoma town plaza when they raised a flag featuring a bear and a star, symbolizing the new California Republic. They staged a revolt and seized the small Mexican garrison in Sonoma as part of the Mexican-American War. As a result of this war, Mexico lost more than 500,000 square miles (about 1.3 million square kilometers) of territory including Texas, California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.


Lunch at the Basque Boulangerie Café

We admired the architectural heritage on the main square which is the largest plaza in California and has the traditional layout of a Mexican town square. The plaza is a designated National Historic Landmark and hosts many special events and festivals throughout the year. We strolled around the square and found a nice eatery called the Basque Boulangerie Café on the east side of the square. This casual yet trendy place offers a full assortment of baked goods, an espresso bar, a wide variety of sandwiches and salads and box lunches to go. The outdoor features a nice patio, but unfortunately we had to stay inside as the rain kept coming and going. I enjoyed a great baguette with French Brie while my travel partner Leslie savoured her quiche and fresh fruit salad.


Special of the day

After lunch we headed into the Castle Winery just off Sonoma's main square. This winery has been voted Best Boutique Winery in 2006 and 2007 and today has a production of 5600 cases of wine annually. Castle considers itself a minimalist winery, and winemaker Vic McWilliams says “Treat the wine as you have the vines, tend them by hand, make them in small lots with care and attention and use only the most minimal intervention. The signature variety here is Pinot Noir, but this winery also offers Vigognier, Cinsault, Grenach, Syrah, Merlot, Zinfandel, Late Harvest Viognier and Port (made from Syrah grapes).


Stephanie Friedmann shows off a chocolate dipped bottled of port

We chatted with Stephanie Friedmann, the tasting room manager, who provided us with a sampling of some of Castle Wineries products. As always, I got hooked on the dessert wine which includes a 2006 Viognier Late Harvest and a 2005 Syrah Port. In addition to the wines we also sampled a heavenly delicious port chocolate sauce, a unique product that can be poured over ice cream and other desserts. Other unique gifts ideas include chocolate dipped bottles of port, and the tasting room features a variety of merchandise including t-shirts and various souvenir items.


More goodies at Castle Winery

In the late afternoon we made our last stop on this excursion at the Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards which produce world-class award-winning sparkling wines as well as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Ferrer family's involvement with sparkling wine goes back several centuries in Catalonia, Spain, and their most famous product is Freixenet, a world famous sparkling wine made according to the méthode champenoise.


Priz-winning sparkling wines at Gloria Ferrer Caves and Vineyards

Local expert Matthew Coyne gave us some background about the méthode champenoise and indicated that man-made caves are used for storing wine. The difference between wine and champagne is that wine undergoes a second fermentation in a barrel while champaign’s second fermentation happens inside the bottle. Carbon dioxide gets trapped in the bottle and creates the renowned bubbles of sparkling wine. The Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineywards offer six different varieties of sparkling wine as well as eight different varieties of still wine, which include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Noir Rosé, Merlot and Syrah.


Ready to taste some cava

In addition to their extensive vineyard estates in Spain, west of Barcelona, the Ferrer family today also owns wine growing operations in France, Mexico, Argentina and California. Gloria Ferrer’s first vintage was produced in 1984, and today they produce 155,000 cases of sparkling wine a year. Gloria Ferrer herself still lives in Catalonia and comes to visit about two to three times a year. Despite her blue-blooded entrepreneurial pedigree, Matthew described her as a very down-to-earth individual.


Great view over the Sonoma Valley from the Gloria Ferrer property

Various festivals and wine-tasting events are held at the Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards. In addition, the estate is a popular destination for weddings. The view from the Vista Terrace across the broad Sonoma Valley is impressive and makes for a beautiful backdrop to the many special events that are held here.

Properly educated about wine and definitely in a much lighter mood after all these tastings, we started heading back to the city. The atmosphere in the van was now downright giggly, and everybody was in a great mood. As we approached San Francisco, Michelle stopped at a lookout point high above the northern terminus of the Golden Gate Bridge which provided us with an excellent view of the city, despite the cold winds and the grey and rainy skies.


A rainy view over the Golden Gate Bridge

At the end of our excursion with Incredible Adventures, we got conveniently dropped off on the doorsteps of our hotel, the Queen Anne Hotel, to take a bit of a rest before we would head out for dinner. Despite the intermittent rain we had a great excursion into the countryside north of San Francisco. Now we understood even better what makes this place such a popular getaway from the city.

 


Related Links:

Hello from San Francisco: Arrival in San Francisco & the Queen Anne Hotel
Hello from San Francisco: Fisherman's Wharf & Dinner at Neptune's Palace
Hello from San Francisco: A Culinary Tour through North Beach
Hello from San Francisco: The Coit Tower Murals, a Bike Ride across the Golden Gate Bridge & Dinner at McCormick & Kuletos
Hello from San Francisco: A Victorian Homes Tour & the City's History Explained
Hello from San Francisco: The Handlery Hotel & Exotic Entertainment at Asia SF
Hello from San Francisco: An Excursion to Muir Woods and a Sonoma Valley Wine Tasting
Hello from San Francisco: Good Karma & Great Food at Tangerine SF
Hello from San Francisco: A Ride on a Cable Car & Explorations of Alcatraz
Hello from San Francisco: Our Final Bike Ride to Golden Gate Park & Dinner at Colibri's
Only in San Francisco (Part I): An Interview with the San Francisco Visitors & Convention Bureau
Only in San Francisco (Part II): An Interview with the San Francisco Visitors & Convention Bureau


Useful Links:

Travel planning with the San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau


Useful Books:

     

Video Clips:

A morning stroll in rainy San Francisco - Theatre District

Rainy and windy Union Square in the early morning, view of cable car

 

Images of Downtown and Union Square

 

Driving across Golden Gate Bridge in the rain, explanations of the bridge

 

Entering the Muir Woods National Monument

 

Images of Muir Woods

 Images of Muir Woods

 

A look at the giant redwood trees

 

Plaque honouring the memory of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

 

Giant redwoods forming a "family circle"

 

Wine education at Homewood Winery: explaining the concept of "legs"

Wine education at Homewood Winery: adding inert gas to the wine

 

Wine education: "the redder the better"; vertical & horizontal tasting

 

Images of our winery tour: Four wineries and lunch in Sonoma

 

 

Castle Winery: presenting the chocolate-dipped bottle of port & port chocolate sauce

 

Gloria Ferrer Winery: prize-winning wines, gift shop & tasting room

 

Gloria Ferrer Winery: outside patio and great view over Sonoma Valley

 

Images of our wine tasting tour: Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards

 

Sonoma landscape & great atmosphere in the van (the wine tasting worked...)

 

A great lookout point overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge & San Francisco

 

 

 


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