We’ve done our fair share of wine tasting worldwide, including in Sonoma and Napa Valleys. That said, we have never had a chance to sample some of the Dry Creek Valley wineries until recently. Take a look at four stops we made; we only wish we had more time at each winery and another few days for the many we missed. Let’s start with sparkling wine.
Breathless Sparking Wines
Our Breathless sparkling wine experience was in a tasting room. They offer 15 extra brut sparkling wines, and we sampled a few of those. What does extra brut mean? It translates to less than half the amount of sugar of a regular brut and the extra brut wines boast a lower calorie count as well. Woot woot.
They only make 2,000 to 2,500 cases a year. We loved discovering that this smaller label was started by three sisters who obviously have a passion for making great wines. We also tried their Blanc de Blanc and their regular brut, which is a combination of Pinot Meunière, Pinor Noir and Chardonnay. n offer are Blanc de Noirs, late disgorged Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Sparling Pinot Blanc, Brut, Brut Rose, and Pinot Meunier.
The outside area is absolutely charming, perfect for a women’s day outing.
They’ve received quite a few awards as well, which they proudly display inside. A highly acclaimed award-winning winemaker who has worked with Rebecca Faust at Rack & Riddle since 2007, Penny Gadd-Coster who uses the time-honored French method. They employ this méthode champenoise—the traditional second fermentation in the bottle—and use the finest select Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay grapes.
It’s a fun spot to start your tour, especially if you love all things bubbly.
For more information, be sure to visit their website.
Capo Creek Winery
We headed to Capo Creek Winery for a wine tasting and food pairing, which turned out to be so much better than any of us anticipated. The history of Capo Creek is one of synchronicities and synergies. Owners Mary Roy and her husband Bob Covert, who are parents of six children and five grandchildren, were physicians in Illinois when this opportunity presented itself. This also led to Mary becoming a Level 2 Sommelier and a self taught chef. They purchased this Dry Creek vineyard in 2013 and Mary has been committing her life to food and wine ever since.
Meet Mary who guided us through a couple hour experience outside as we faced the beautiful vineyards and outdoor clay oven.
She’s a great storyteller and her story is part of the food and wine pairing experience, starting with their Rose of Zin and Grenache.
We all loved their Playlist: Estate White Wine Blend, which is made of Clairette Blanc (26%), Grenache Blanc (24%), Roussane (21%), Picpoul (11%), Petit Manseng (10%) and Voignier (8%). What a combination right? And a mouthful . . . truth be told, I had never heard of Picpoul and Petit Manseng.
Their reds are equally scrumptious. We tried their Cabernet Franc and the Grenache Noir Reserve, which has of orange in the flavor or aroma.
You sit outside on a well appointed dressed up picnic table while the small dishes come out, paired with each tasting.
The Rose we started with was paired with Sesame Tuna Wonton, which included a spicy pomegranate, mango, currants, nectarine, strawberries, chili glaze and sesame seed oil. OMG, it was divine.
Both the Sesame Tuna Wonton and the Poblano Soup that followed it (paired with the Playlist white blend — 2023) had a kick. Spicy but the crisp Playlist white balanced it perfectly.
we then moved to the Raviolini, which combined sweet and salty, one of my favorites. This delicious dish was made with shallots, hazelnuts, pumpkin (t’is the fall season after all) topped wiht some quince drizzle and cheese. Mary paired this with their 2021 Grenache Noir Reserve, which sells at the winery for $85.
The last pairing dish was a delicious cast iron strip steak with whipped potatoes, and topped with a horseradish cream. This memorable treat was paired with their Cabernet Franc (2021), a beautiful blending.
Inside, the winery has fine touches as well. There are lovely seating areas and accessories, t-shirts and hats you can purchase in addition to the wine.
Alas, we had a chance to take a peak into the Capo Creek kitchen as well (shown below).
Two thumbs up. For those interested in a more unique wine tasting experience, Capo Creek in Dry Creek Valley is the way to go. It’s great for a women’s afternoon out or a romantic date. Mary is a wealth of knowledge and the whole experience is not only entertaining with a riveting history, but the food and wine are top notch. For more information, be sure to visit their website.
DaVero Farms & Winery
Not far away lies DaVero Farms & Winery, which we definitely needed more time to explore. They’re all about sustainability and their farm demonstrates that commitment. Through biodynamic farming and mindful, traditional winemaking, they produce Italian varietal wines and olive oil in balance with their climate and the ethos of regenerative agriculture. They act as a hub for an educational and immersive experience, starting with a tour of the farm itself. There were so many varietals of plants, fruit, herbs and flowers that it would take days to explore them all in depth.
Behind the property are tech visionary Ridgely Evers and Bay Area chef Colleen McGlynn, which initially served as a weekend retreat destination. They then began to expand, first by importing olive trees from Tuscany (yes, really — apparently the first since the 1800s!) Their 1997 oil became the first American extra virgin olive oil to win a blind tasting in a blind lineup amongst Tuscan olive oils, earning widespread acclaim. Then they planted the grapes with Sangiovese and the rare, but wonderful Sagrantino. Over time, more and more was planted and it morphed into the living farm you see today. Here, you can find olive trees, vineyards, fruit trees, gardens, citrus, lavender, produce, pigs, and a host of wildlife—hawks, songbirds, rabbits, butterflies, turkeys, deer, foxes, and more. It boasts living organism with pollinator gardens, edible gardens, olive groves, fruit orchards, and vineyards. And, it’s beautiful to walk around.
We tasted a few of their wines but due to lack of time, we were not able to have their pairing experience with local cheeses and DaVero orchard jams, so we hope to return. We started with their reasonably priced 2020 Trovato Cannonau-Carignano. Like so many vineyards in the area, they offer a membership. If only we lived closer. They’re located only a mile off Route 101 right in Dry Creek Valley for those in northern California. Be sure to visit their website for more information about their offerings.
Amista Vineyards
Amista Vineyards was our last stop of the day, so we also didn’t have an opportunity for a full-blown experience. That said, we did have a chance to try a few of their wines, starting with their Estate Sparkling Blanc de Blanc (extra brut). Remember that we learned a bit about extra brut at the start of this article with Breathless Sparkling Wines.
They brought chips, caviar and cream to the table to pair with the wines — the Blanc de Blanc was a perfect partner.
We also sampled their 2023 Estate Cristalina Chardonnay (my favorite white of the day), their 2020 Estate Mourvedre and their Rockpile Cabernet Sauvignon from Terraza Vineyards.
As of June 2024, Amista is organic certified – woot woot. They have twenty acres of grapes and produce around 3,800 cases a year. Roughly half of their production is bubbly wine, which made Janet happy as it’s her favorite way to start and end an experience.
It’s also beautiful to walk around the vineyards as well, so be sure to allocate time for lounging on your wine tasting tour. We didn’t make it to Dry Creek Vineyard since it was closed by the time we finished our four stops; however, I’d suggest adding it to your Dry Creek Valley itinerary since they are located right next to Amista. Founded in 1972, they are known for our consistent award-winning, terroir-driven portfolio of wines—from their flagship Fumé Blanc and Dry Chenin Blanc, to Zinfandels and Bordeaux-inspired blends. In the summer months, you can also enjoy their picnic grounds, bocce courts and farm tours.
Our favorite is the Wallace Ranch Zinfandel which is an iconic old vine Zinfandel. Think fruit-forward tones of black cherry, blackberry and raspberry with subtle notes of coriander, white pepper, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg and mocha. It’s oh so so delish!
Credit: Dry Creek Vineyards
Be sure to check out their website for their hours, tour times and to get an idea of their wine offerings.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
