We had been in our new home about three weeks before we began to venture out. Less than a half of a mile in front of our home lies the Pacific Ocean. Less than three miles behind our home are the vineyards and they are beautiful. Most of them have a tasting room that for a small fee you are allowed to sample 5 to 10 different wines produced from that specific vineyard.
I was will very uneasy and struggling with panic attaches so when Jeff suggested that we check out a few vineyards on Saturday afternoon I was hesitant but knew that unless I was planning of never leaving my house I would have to force my self to do so.
Saturday afternoon arrived. Jeff had planned out where we were going. It appeared on the map that we had some driving to do. Mountains, foot hills, winding two lanes roads are never very clear on a map. To our delight we were less than 10 minutes from the first tasting room. Edna Valley. The view was breathtaking. Edna Valley’s tasting room is positioned so you are looking out over miles of vineyard surrounded by rolling mountains. Wine does not settle with me very well, so Jeff was on his own when it came to the tasting. We talked to the host and interacted with a few of the other guests. We looked at each other several times and said, “We live here.”
We made our way to the car and headed to the next winery. A short two miles up the road and we were there. The tasting room are staffed with several hosts that walk you through each tasting, give you history of the vineyard and answer any questions you have.
When asked if we were visiting, Jeff informed them that we had just moved from Chicago. Ironically the owner of this winery was also from Chicago and just happened to be walking through. We were introduced and chatted a bit about the Big City.
Jeff tasted the wines on the list. He must have shown a bit more enthusiasm then most because our host kept bringing out bottle of some of their finest wines. Seventy, Eighty dollar varieties for Jeff to try. He enjoyed each one and shared with me their flavor profiles.
As we walked out of the tasting room I held my hand out for the car keys. He may had been only tasting today, but between the two wineries I figured he had consumed a bit too much to be safe. Jeff freely handed me the keys. His expression was priceless, pure contentment. “I’m in heaven.” he said “and we live here.”