Road Trip – The Trappes are trippin’.

I just forgot to post about it.) 

Todd and I went to Napa! It was such a fun day.  Really and truly I thought it was a beautiful area.  We decided only to tour one vineyard/winery.  I read and read the tour guide book describing the vineyards and tried to choose one location that was sort of on our way.  I wanted a tour.  I wanted a tasting.  I wanted to learn about the process of wine making.  Sure, there were free “tastings” at vineyards, but you could not tour the grounds or see informational videos.  My impression of these locations was that I would be able to walk into the gift shop only (not my style these days) and taste some wines, feeling guilty the whole time that I was not going to buy any.  

Finally, I settled on the Sterling Vineyards.  

A. I had heard of Sterling.

B. For $20 per person, there was a scenic tram ride, self-guided tour, and a tasting of 5 wines.

You see I am not a wine snob.  I do not drink a lot of wine.  I like wine and will usually accept some if it is offered to me with dinner, but I do not pretend to know about it or to be a connoisseur.  I have discovered that my palette is not very discriminative.  People pride themselves on their selective taste buds with coffee, chocolate, wine, etc.  Not me, I generally enjoy it all.  Don’t get me wrong there are things I do not like, and clearly, I have preferences and opinions.  But for the most part, I have always been overly excitable about most things.  Some people believe my joy to be fake.  Just not true.  I really do get pumped up about the things I like, and there happen to be many many things I like.  I have always been grateful for small pleasures and eager to learn more.  So, when the man in line in front of us at the Sterling Vineyard turned around and handed us half-price ticket passes, I WAS ELATED!  We both got in for what we had planned to pay for one of us.  Naturally, I thought the tram ride up to the facilities was splendid.  Naturally, I liked every single wine offered to me during the tour.  Naturally, I liked looking at the Greek architecture.  And naturally, I read every sign and watched as much of each video as possible.  

I have always been slow.  Todd has to wait on me nearly every day.  I am not one with which quick-paced travelers would enjoy going to a museum.  I like to really read and understand the little placards at each station on a tour.  Usually, with a group touring a place, I am the last one to exit, still feeling rushed and like I did not have enough time.  Sterling allowed me to travel at my own pace.  Right-O.

on the balcony overlooking the vineyard