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.