Knowledge is Everything

Hi Ho Everyone!

I wanted to tell you about my visit to Benziger Family Winery that included a private tour and dinner in their wine cave for our group of 25 and to make it interesting – I don’t drink wine.  First off, Benziger’s is located in beautiful Glen Ellen up on a hill yet in a little valley of their own. In the late afternoon on a Saturday the sun couldn’t have been warmer as we climbed into the little tram pulled by a tractor to experience the vineyard tour. The highlight, of course, was the explanation of how Benziger practises bio-dynamic farming on the soil. Visit their site, www.benziger.comto see a short vid and read more about this popular practise. The tour was short, about 15 – 20 minutes, and then we headed to their cozy patio where we all had wine and apps. Like I said I don’t drink wine but the white that was served suited my beginner’s palate. It wasn’t long before the dinner bell rang and we all walked into the cool, lit wine cave and sat down for a delicious three course dinner.

What I enjoyed about this event was the winery location. I beautiful place tucked up on a hill yet when you take the tour you can see they are situated in a lovely little valley with hills that  are terraced with vineyards all the way around. Each section of vineyard grows a different grape and gets different sun. And to learn about biodynamics – it’s the way farming practises are leaning now so that crops don’t deplete the minerals in the soil – it’s a way of giving back to the earth, was very interesting even for someone who’s not a wine drinker.

One more thing before I sign off, take a look at this wine blog, www.simplehedonisms.com. It’s written by a man who has lived and enjoyed wine in Sonoma County for 20 years, William Allen. He not only recommends wineries he has visited in Sonoma County but he’ll tell you about some great places outside our area also. Plus, he has a very comprehensive Event Calendar for winery to dos if you’re looking for something special to do on a weekend.