A hot date with my best girlfriend Tallulah at
Hopland Passport, Fall 2011
Mendocino County is fast becoming the “go to” place for fun-filled festivals and often these are not always able to include us. So when I learned that Hopland Passport was coming up (October 22 – 23) and knowing that many of its pet friendly wineries were taking part, I decided this was my chance to join in some festival fun.
Picture of Lula (she's on the right)
With 16 wineries taking part (including a few usually open to the public only by appointment) they were all featuring gourmet food, live entertainment and showcasing many new vintages of their hand crafted wines over these two days. I knew this was a great opportunity to take my French bulldog best girl, Lula, out for a date away from the coast and show the lady what a rock’n good time can be had in Hopland. It was a gloriously clear blue sky morning when, accompanied by my uprights, two dear friends (one who was our DD, designated driver), Lula’s mum and the princess herself, we departed Fort Bragg. Meandering along Highway 1 beautifully showcased the amazing views of an unusually calm turquoise Pacific Ocean which dazzled the eyes as it reflected the abundant sunshine. Next we traveled over Highway 128, through the landscape’s kaleidoscope of changing fall colors and the haunting redwood forests of Anderson Valley, then over the majestic hills on Highway 253 (Boonville/Ukiah Road) connecting to Highway 101, and then south to Hopland. It was hard to nap on this ride as we were all excited and Lula and I had much to catch up on.
New friend at Nelson Winery
We arrived at our first stop, the Nelson Family Winery, just as the wood fired pizzas topped with mouthwatering ingredients like artichoke hearts, chèvre, gold bell peppers and fresh tomato sauce were being put into the oven. Lula and I were able to stretch our legs, greet a few admirers and say a very personal hello to a few of the redwoods that stand sentry in a delightful grove that offered plenty of welcome shade. The uprights went to work immediately sampling the wines and fortunately not straying too far away from the pizza oven, so Lula and I could continue to judge the various crusts. I must say I was very partial to the crust that had traces of homemade pepperoni.
It is easy to get around to all the wineries without having to drive yourself. A fleet of shuttle vans runs regularly between the wineries which makes carrying your souvenir wine tasting glass around so much easier than balancing it on the dashboard as you drive. As we had our very own DD, we hopped back into the car and we were off to our next stop, one of my favorite and regular haunts, Saracina Vineyards. As usual the team at Saracina paired their wines excellently with mouthwatering passed hors d’oeuvres, including delicate morsels of truffle cannellini bean purée with a hint of garlic, garnished with a snip of fresh chive, served on an individual hexagon-shaped pan de mie, a perfect bite sized snack if only I had been allowed one! I did however manage to look mournful enough to get the uprights to share one of the skewers of marinated flank steak served with an olive tapenade dipping sauce; delicious!
At Jeriko Winery
Next stop was Jeriko Estate which I had not been to before. The tasting room is housed in a large hacienda-style building. Your journey into the main tasting room takes you through an intimate corridor surrounded by stacks of oak barrels that set the mood beautifully. Directly out of the barrel and being showcased for the first time was a sampling of 2010 Jeriko Sangiovese—the uprights seemed to enjoy that. The tasting room itself is a huge open space that is broken up with intimate seating areas, a large tasting bar, stand up cocktail tables and, of course, my favorite, back bars full of yummy food with such offerings as aged artisan cheeses, sliced fresh French bread, bowls of pesto pasta salad with vegetables, barbecued sausage, kebabs of grilled veggies, tri-tip and succulent pig that I discovered was all being cooked right outside the open French doors. Had I been made aware of that fact earlier, I might have insisted that we spend more time on the picturesque patio; cooks are always dropping things and it is my duty to assist in the cleanup. While relaxing on our uprights’ laps on a large comfortable sofa, Lula and I greeted many well-wishers who stopped by to give us head rubs. I have to say I got a little jealous as Lula began to flirt unabashedly with a young handsome male upright who couldn’t contain himself from rubbing her belly and fawning all over her. All I can say is she was putty in his hands. I soon got over it when I was offered samples of pig, beef and cheese.
Next stop on our Passport journey was another favorite haunt of mine, Campovida. This spectacular property is being lovingly brought back to life by Anna, Gary, Ken and their team. Campovida is an oasis of relaxation, peace and tranquility. It’s an amazing experience, encompassing a winery, tasting room, organic gardens, meeting space, guest cottages, bocce ball courts and a swimming pool. Campovida is a wonderful place for picnics, events, meetings and gatherings. This weekend Mexico ruled, traditional music was playing and the live music being performed was World Folk, delicious authentic morsels were offered, carnitas, tacos of seasoned chicken and pork, rice, beans, salsas for all degrees of palates, mild, medium, hot and, paired wonderfully with samples of an extensive range of quality wines. A stand out for the uprights was the Talmage 2006 Charbono. During my visit I unfortunately did have a few words with a fellow canine that was not on a leash and came bounding over and was not very friendly. This illustrates perfectly why I cannot stress enough; uprights, PLEASE remember, only bring us to places if we are in a good mood and always keep us on a leash for our safety and the safety of others. Despite this little altercation, Lula, the uprights and I had a fabulous time with all our friends at Campovida as usual.
Yummmm! Steak sandwiches at Rack & Riddle
Next stop was Rack & Riddle, this ‘only by appointment’ wine processing and distribution center also crafts its own line of wines and is particularly adept at making great, affordable and extremely drinkable sparkling wines. Here Lula and I got to wrestle on hay bales, partake of roast beef sliders, had our picture taken and had lots of attention paid to us. At Rack & Riddle, there was a true representation of the diverse people that come out in multitudes to celebrate all things Hopland. From the roar of the Harleys and their leather clad riders, to the high fashionistas from the City, retirees taking a rest from driving their RVs and locals out and about catching up with friends and sharing the adventure—who wouldn’t be having fun with a mix of visitors this colorful and friendly.
Our next stop was to visit my friends at Terra Sávia and the wonderful owner and operator, Yvonne. It’s a funky, fun-filled fantastic organic winery and olive oil producing delight. Usually open only by appointment, this charming warehouse style tasting room cumart gallery, really encompasses the spirit of the wine, olive growing and local farming communities of Mendocino County. On your visit be sure to take a stroll around the grounds, which are adorned with hand crafted structures of ingenuity and history. The Italian cuisine that was showcased paired very effectively with their wines. Some of the smorgasbord of delectable delights were, olives and olive oil tastings, bruschetta, walnut pesto blanco polenta squares, cannellini beans with pumpkin and sage and the most amazing (according to the uprights) figs poached in Petit Verdot with honey and lavender. The noises of appreciation coming from the uprights were audible throughout the building. The figs paired amazingly well with the Rosé Sparking wine, which is made from Merlot grapes that add a wonderful depth of flavor. In keeping with the fun and funky atmosphere of Terra Sávia, the band was rocking and way cool, serving up a mixture of great covers that had people tapping their feet and swinging their hips. This is also the place where one of my uprights dropped his wine glass and there was one of those awful moments of complete silence that engulfed the building. Oh, but it did not last as the band struck up another familiar tune and the party continued on.
The grounds at Terra Sávia
Our last stop was downtown Hopland itself, where a concentration of six wineries have tasting rooms along with SIP!, which features 18 vineyards from Mendocino County in its pet friendly tasting room. In downtown Hopland we visited Brutocao Cellars where rock‘n’roll was the music de jour and people were dancing up a storm, playing bocce ball, strolling the grounds and obviously having a great time. Lula and I managed to successfully navigate the tasting room of McNab Ridge and the outdoor sample tables with their Halloween costumed pouring staff offering such tasty morsels as jumbo shrimp, tri-tip crostini, chipotle meatballs and handmade truffles. Next up, Graziano, with grilled pork tenderloin, foie gras and imported Italian sausages—just a few of the delectable edibles on offer. Finally after squeezing myself through the merry throngs of happy revelers into the very popular tasting room of McFadden Vineyards, I was instantly recognized and rewarded with a treat. They were serving wild rice and artichoke salad, beef steak marinated in local olive oil and McFadden blend herbs. Finally, onto the Weibel Family Vineyards where I dined on shitake mushroom bruschetta and salsa verde and Brie while the uprights sipped such taste sensation wines as sparkling pomegranate. Unfortunately for the uprights these wineries were so crowded it was hard to find room, however, when they did finally get in and sampled some of the wines and food they all had that total look of contentment that humans get after being indulged and indulging in a great day of fun, food and wine.
Finally exhausted, Lula and I settled into the car for the journey home. Safe, knowing we had a designated driver, we nestled back to back, snuggling, dreaming happy thoughts and reveling in a much needed nap of contentment. I have to say, I think I know how to show a girl a good time.
So fellow canine gourmands and wine enthusiasts, what can I say to you apart from, if you get the opportunity to attend Hopland Passport I think you too will have a wonderful time. And if not for Hopland Passport but during your trip to Mendocino County, do make it a point of stopping off at some of the wineries mentioned above and tell them “Hairy sent me.” Sorry I couldn’t visit all the wineries participating, but next time I promise to visit those not mentioned here first.
A few things to note; the weather was very warm so be careful about leaving us in a vehicle unattended. Not all the wineries had water bowls out for their canine visitors, so make sure, uprights, that you bring a container for us to drink from. Waste bags are a must and PLEASE do not forget to clean up after us. Tickets include both days and can be purchased in advance online at www.hoplandpassport.com. If you have a designated driver, that person will get into the festival for free and be able to enjoy the delicious food and entertainment along with us. You can pick up your wristbands/tasting glass or buy tickets on the day at any of the participating wineries, all you do is choose which winery to start at and you are all set.
FYI: Keep checking this blog and www.visitmendocino.com as the publication of my new expanded 3rd edition Pet Friendly Travel Guide to Mendocino County should be available for viewing and download around Thanksgiving time.
Cheers,
Hairy
