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Visit Sonoma Dry Creek Valley

Sonoma's Dry Creek Valley is one of the jewels of the wine region of San Francisco. Only the distance prevents City flooded with visitors. A minimum of one and half hour from the Golden Gate bridge to travel north to Dry Creek Road Exit 101, just after the center of Healdsburg. Turn left and soon the valley will unfold before you, a very pretty, with a big flat, covered with vineyards, surrounded by green hills that protect the valley from the cold and humid, as can be achieved in both directions.

To the east, the Russian River provides fresh mountain moisture through Alexander Valley, famous for its Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. However, the river runs through Healdsburg and just south of the valley, then turns the result of the Russian River Valley to the sea west, Pacific Ocean cool mist flows into the Russian River as water is poured into a funnel, the ski area and produce wonderful conditions for his famous Black and Pinot Chardonnay.

Consequently, Dry Creek Valley, located behind the hills, has a constant heat is great for grapes and people. During the winter, cool and wet North Bay, on the outskirts of the mountains in the snow to the north, Dry Creek Harbor is a warm and dry. During the spring, its location, that protects the winds that separates them from the bay and ocean. The conditions are ideal for most varieties of California Zinfandel.

Among the three valleys, Alexander, Russian River and Dry Creek is by far the smallest, closest in meaning. Many things can damage the grapes, the maximum temperatures that become raisins unnecessary, untimely rains that wash the pollen flowers, delicate skin breakdown or to promote the flavor of the disturbance of mussels and strong winds that can stop the ripening and, of course, there's always gel. While many varieties of grapes grown in ten thousand acres of vineyards in the valley, tight packages, Zinfandel thin skin especially appreciate the protection and produce some of the best examples are found.

The valley is strewn here and there twisted old Zinfandel vines, grapes and other leftovers from the prohibition if the demands of home growers around the country boosted prices tripled and production wine grapes in Sonoma. There are many other vineyards most popular varieties in the valley to the winemakers have a range of wines to offer. Even if you can buy grapes from throughout Sonoma, Mendocino and Sonoma Valley provides the bulk of what they need.

Most vineyards in Dry Creek are small wine lists because they are small wineries. People come to you may own or wine and their house is often close. It employs local people who know the area, wine and stories. Dry Creek is calmer than southern Napa and Sonoma to have more time to talk with visitors and add a different flavor. There are few places where the vineyards are very suitable for other more or less constant charming and friendly.

For more easily visit Dry Creek, plan to stay in Healdsburg. From Sonoma downtown Napa and the North, it is also desirable. San Francisco, a day trip, but worth the trip. Just start early and be Designated Driver or rent a car and driver. Plan a picnic because there are no restaurants in the valley, only the Dry Creek Store, where you can get delicious sandwiches to eat out on their picnic tables or take to a nearby farmer. As we continue to Dry Creek Road in the valley, you'll see the store at the first intersection real.

From the stairs Dry Creek Store will be the intersection of Lambert Bridge Road, and on this road you will see two wineries, face to face, Dry Creek Vineyard & Winery Passalacqua. Both areas have nice picnic. Dry Creek Vineyard is one of the first modern wineries opened in the valley in the 1970s and have plaques and awards to prove it. It is a relaxed and friendly place to enjoy a good wine. Passalacqua family has been making wine in this region for generations, even if this winery is relatively new. They have won awards for its excellent location and experience of the wineries and the wines are each unique, sophisticated and complex.

Four miles north of Dry Creek Road is the jewel Dry Creek Valley, Ferrari-Carano, and larger institutions Valley Wine. With its beautiful gardens and magnificent buildings, there is reason enough to visit, but the quality and variety of their wine labels of the cause. Make sure you get off the main road and visit the garden behind the wall covering, water, beautifully designed and created the sample that was orchestrated by the Carano family. Its upstairs tasting room overlooks the gardens and the valley beyond and makes you wish that is authorized picnic. On the ground floor, with its famous caves, also Enoteca where you can taste the very small production wines available only at the winery.

Two and a half miles south of Ferrari-Carano is a collection of caves in farm wood Crest. They include Family Wineries Dry Creek (class), Papapietro, Amphora, Kokomo, Peterson and premium Dry Creek Olive Oil Company. Unlike Ferrari-Carano European style is Dry Town Creek, where homeowners for you and the tanks and wine barrels next year behind the tasting bar. This a great place to do some tasting and purchasing.

The only time the valley is flooded with visitors weekend of barrel tasting, then on weekends the passport to buy a drink and visit various vineyards that can fit in it a traveling festival BBQ, music and fine wines. The valley is filled with limousines and vans transporting people to travel around from producer to producer with friends and family, and has no to worry about driving or parking a pleasure in itself.

About the Author

Ralph & Lahni DeAmicis are the authors of the book ‘Your Day in Wine Country, Touring the Wineries of Napa and Sonoma’. They are also the owners of a custom tour service, Amicis Tours, based in downtown Sonoma and can often be found driving clients around Wine Country and introducing them to a wide variety of wineries in both Sonoma and Napa. Discover a wealth of Wine Country information or contact them to schedule a tour via their web site at http://www.YourDayInWineCountry.com

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