My NE MN Wine Trip: May 6-8, 2011

This was the 4th annual and means we have hit all the quadrants in the state! But not all the wineries... I have routes planned for next several years. :)

By the time we all met up and got the car packed we were starved! Time for some brunch, unfortunately, the original destination (Tilia) was too long of a wait so we popped next door to Cafe Twenty Eight. That is right, I let us deviate from the itinerary! 28 was super yummy and we got an outside table, which meant I also got my first sunburn of the season. Full tummies mean time to wine taste! So we piled in the car and headed east to New Richmond, WI where we found ourselves at a vodka distillery. I know, I know. Vodka is not wine, but I love 45th Parallel so I had to add it to our stops. We had a quick tour and vodka/gin sampling, then we headed to our rental for the weekend. If there is a word better than perfect I would use it. Someone should invent a word to describe this place! Google maps may have put us on a (unnecessary) dirt road to get here so when we were weaving through rural suburbia for about 2 miles I started to get nervous, but then we saw some water (Kroon Lake) and our driveway. The unassuming house was in a peaceful setting, and then after unlocking the door we all were trying to figure out a way to stay here forever! So many meals, glasses of wine and laughter were shared on that deck perched overlooking the calm water lake. We never even turned on the well equip TV cuz the wildlife provided enough entertainment! We now have a realty show about geese we need to pitch to someone...


We had to tear ourselves away from the house though, we had a gala to attend! A winery about 30 minutes away was hosting an event serving a buffet of local foods. So after attending the Taste of St Croix at Chateau St Croix, we all wished we would have visited another night. If you are expecting 250 guests, why would you set up 4 tables to dine at?? It was a food event! It is hard to eat and drink standing up. And then on top of the $25 ticket we had to still pay another $6 if we wanted to taste the wine. And there were 2 people pouring. Sigh. The whole event was poorly organized, but I will admit the food was good and I ate my share (albeit sitting on the damp ground).


Saturday was a pretty open day, we were only dictated by the operating hours of the 2 wineries we were going to stop at. So that meant we lazed around and fixed a late breakfast, enjoyed on the deck. Once noon rolled around we had to get a move on, friends were meeting us in Stillwater! It was awesome timing but all three cars pulled into the St Croix Vineyards lot at nearly the same time, we were ready for a tasting! About half way through the tasting we found out they were offering a free tour, so we jumped on board that. We learned about growing grapes and the making of wine. I gotta tell you, I have gone on several of these and every time I learn more!

With the tour over and our tasting wrapping up, it was time to think about lunch. The Dock Cafe it was! I just ate here the past September and loved it so happy to return and actually sit on the dock. It was a great lunch and saw some crazy boat-cars.


We were in Stillwater, which meant we had to shop! We wandered in and out of shops til we started to crash, then thought we better hit that last winery cuz nothing wakes you up like wine. :) We only had to drive about 6 blocks til we hit Northern Vineyards. And then we waited and waited and waited. We were tired and didn't have the patience to deal with this crowd or wait. So we randomly pulled bottles off the shelf and figured we would have our own tasting back at the house. Before settling in the night we had to stop at the crazy park we passed several times: Franconia Sculpture Park. I will let the pictures speak for themselves and also say it is a destination to visit in person!






Could the weekend really be over? Ugh. How does this happen every year!? Thankfully we had all morning to make breakfast and sit on the deck and enjoy the sun (before it disappeared behind the clouds as the day progressed). Last winery was on the way out of town, Winehaven Winery. We were in and out pretty quick and on the road home. And I hoped I wouldn't run into any more pheasant...I can't close without mentioning the poor bird I completely destroyed when we were in the St Croix valley. Oh man, I didn't even see it, I guess I took care of things before the next hunter could!

Ireland: February 2011 (day 4-6)

I am so full. I had a wonderful Italian dinner tonight, but before that the day started with a super home-cooked breakfast at the b&b (hmm, food here turned out to be much better than I expected). We shared the breakfast table with a Toronto couple that were traveling with their 3 month old child (brave), they were very nice nice and traveling opposite than us so provided some tips.

We checked out and visited a 13th century church in the Dingle area (Kilmalkedar Church) and then drove to Killarney for lunch. Once we found Main St, it was really charming. After lunch, it got really rainy and just not pleasant to wander. We stopped at the woolen market, tried on 80 different wool sweaters but couldn't find anything so just checked in our next b&b for the night.



Oh and I have to give a shout out to our GPS at this time. Roads are not labeled and the signs appear after we pass them, it is just so nice to let the voice guide us. Oh and car... It is still holding in there but when I put it in reverse the back windshield wiper turns on and oh the drivers door only shuts about 60% of the time.

It was so nice getting up and not having to pack up before breakfast. We could wander down for breakfast and then head back upstairs to get ready. We walked all over the town of Youghal today. A seaside town, that not during off season is a very different town I imagine. We visited the 18th century clock tower and lighthouse and then did some local shopping, but then we decided to go on an Experience. Ohooh, but before that rachel spotted a guy in youghal wearing a Minnesota sweatshirt!


Ok, so The Jameson Experience. Super fun time. After a tour of the old distillery those of us the tour sat down to earn a certificate as an official whiskey taster. I learned a lot about Scottish, Irish and American whiskey. Plus it was a real fun time sitting around the table talking with the other folks on the tour. One Irish couple told us to visit Carlow for some interesting ruins and another Irish girl mentioned Kilkenny. Kilkenny we hit first and after some GPS trouble we found it, really busy town! Kind of crazy to drive in. They had a castle in the center of town and the Smithwick's brewery! Adorable city, I could spend a lot of time here given the chance.


Next we drove to Carlow and realized the town was much bigger than it seemed, but also the most run down. We visited the city castle, well just one wall...a guy in the 1800s was trying to remodel and accidentally blew up the whole thing. Then we saw a portal grave dating back 5000 years and Carlow held one more surprise, another castle, with a grand stone wall entrance. In the setting sun it was magical.



We arrived then at our final b&b, in Athy. The owner knew of a bar playing music this night, finally! We had yet to hear an Irish band. We waited a long time, long time...but they finally got on stage. I was giddy listening to them, it was so awesome.

The next morning, our last day. :( We had the last home-cooked breakfast today, I am going to miss eggs every morning, I would never take the time for such things. After a 10 min hunt for the car keys, we packed up the car...well we tried to pack, the dog at the b&b jumped in the car!! He was so excited to come with! It was such an ordeal to get him out but super funny. Finally on the way to the airport. The airport shuttle guy told us someone earlier in the week had wrecked the rental car and ended up paying some local 400 euro to drive him around. Ha! Glad we were able to manage on our own. Wow, the flight back is long when you are not sleeping, I managed to watch The Town, Due Date and Red. After a connection in Chicago... Home!

Ireland: February 2011 (day 2 and 3)

I spent a lot of time this morning trying to figure out why my curling iron didn't work...turns out you need to turn the outlet on. All the outlet here have switches, different.

We found our way out Dublin and hit the open road. Our stomachs planned our next stop and it was great, Kildare. We had a filling lunch at the local pub and then traveled over to The Grey Abbey, erected in 1260. It is ruins now and an outlet mall sits behind it, but it was fun to wander around.





























After being in the car about an hour it was time to stretch the legs and when we saw a castle high upon a hill, that was the place to stop! The Rock of Cashel would have been so cool to tour but we missed closing by more than an hour. That didn't stop us from climbing around the muddy exterior and getting some lovely views.

I would love to visit the town of Cashel agian, but not the town of Bruff. Bruff was our first B&B and they did NOT have our reservation!!!! Thankfully they had space, but after the screaming children and barking dogs I had enough. There was one pub in town and we did have fun sitting there for 3+ hours but we didn't want to stay any longer in town come morning.

We left Bruff by 10am the next day and started to Dingle. Driving those narrow roads are so much easier in the daylight!! Although I still screamed at every oncoming car, but it was a more comfortable scream. Our route took us through Newcastle West, charming little town with nicely maintained walk paths and a castle in the center of town. We then started our drive to the B&B outside Dingle, it was such a remote area that the GPS wouldn't even pick it up, but we found it!

The view outside our window were sheep and the second tallest mountain in Ireland, beautiful. The B&B owner laid out a wonderful path for us to tour, but of course we managed to miss every single site she circled for us on the map. Our new plan is to find them in the morning after a filling breakfast! In the mean time we drove around the Dingle penninsula and thoroughly enjoyed the views.

Ireland: February 2011 (day 0 and 1)

If I could find an air ticket for $20 I would buy it just for the chance to sit in the Surdyk's Flights bar again. There was not a soul at the MSP airport on Saturday afternoon (odd) and we were through security in 10 minutes, with an hour+ to kill. Hello, "small bubbles" wine flight and pretzel! Our first awkward interaction when I asked the waiter if we ordered at the table and he said yes and just walked away. Um, ok.

Terminal 5 at Chicago O'Hare, we are not friends. A 2 hour lay over and you don't have a restaurant for me? Just fast food and a bar that sells Bud Light for $8.25. And just our luck to discover that the food was only on the other side of security we just went through.

Finally seated in the plane for the ultimate destination!! I love in seat movies. Watched "Never Let Me Go" til it was time to get some sleep.........

We landed! And we found our way to the car rental without too much confusion. Who bet I would break the car in 10 minutes? You win! The curbs here are deadly and I forgot the bulk of the car is to my left, not my right. Whoops. Although I don't believe the amount of hub cap damage is all me, all 4 are pretty trashed. But thankfully it is now parked safely underground til tomorrow morn.

Lots are walking in Dublin. The shops were still closed when we started out, nothing opens til noon on Sundays. But we wandered til we found a pub to have lunch at, a hunk of Brie cheese on toasted bread is pretty tasty! Then the rain and wind got to be too much and we did the most touristy thing we could, jumped on city tour bus.


Good decision, it brought us right to the Guinness tour! The top floor observation area is amazing, views of Dublin as far as the eye can see.

We also hopped off the tour bus to get a better look at Christ Church Cathedral, which was stunning.

Three and half of sleep on the plane and endless walking the next day meant an early night....

Chicago

This spring I had a conference in Chicago and I had to take advantage and extend my time just a bit. I didn't spend an extra night, I just spent a few extra hours and got to see a lot! Funny how different time can pass on my couch vs real life!

First the views from my hotel room weren't half bad...
And my co-worker and I got to eat at some fantastic spots. One night was at a great Italian restaurant and the next was at Uno Pizza - where they happened to be filming a show for the Travel channel! If I am on camera, it would only be because of the funny faces I was making at my co-worker's kid.

So conference over and I have 6 hours to kill before I need to think about the airport, so I headed for the Field Museum.
So the part of the museum that holds the dioramas and taxidermied animals... well it scared me. Freak me out. I swear to you, I looked in the eyes of this beast I think it blinked:

Then I fled to the mummies and tombs, not sure if it settled my soul:
And then the totem poles of Alaska (I think it was Alaska), are messed up:
Next I was off to the dinosaur bones and I even caught the 3D movie - sure it was geered a bit towards the kids, but whatever, I enjoyed it and it did not freak me out.

Well best be heading out and see a few more sites... like the Married with Children Fountain!
I waited forever for this water show to happen, but it was a lovely day and I enjoyed my ice cream cone and book while I waited.

Finally Millennium park. There are some weird things scattered about this park, but I enjoyed a nice stroll in my last fleeting moments in Chicago...

Minneapolis Tours

I have confessed my love for tours in the past, so no surprise I went on a few this year...

* Who knew the southernmost bog resides in Minneapolis? I didn't! But once I heard about a "quaking bog" tour I had to go on it! Tucked inside of Theodore Wirth Park is this fascinating wetland (that is right - fascinating). Did you now that the pinecone from a tamarack, which can reach heights over 60 feet, is smaller than the size of a dime? So what other kind of plants grow in this low oxygen environment? Carnivorous ones of course! Pitcher plants and sundews are about the only thing that can survive. Oh and buckthorn. Sadly, buckthorn is taking over the bog now and the caretakers suffer an endless battle. And if you are interested in the definition of a Quaking bog, well it has a vegetation mat half a meter or so thick that floats over water or very wet peat. Walking on this surface causes it to move – larger movements may cause visible ripples of the surface, thereby creating a quaking surface.

Ok, this shot is not the bog, but just outside of it... poison ivy!


This is not in the bog, but just across the street is Eloise Butler Wildflower Garden and there was a cardinal! It made my day.


* Lake Harriet Traditions (co-sponsored by the Linden Hills History Study Group) was a lovely walking tour starting at William Berry Park (Queen and 40th St) and brought us through Linden Hills and ended at Lake Harriet. It was a fun look at the neighborhood and homes.


* Tour: Red Cedar Lane and the Purcell and Elmslie Homes. Starting out near 54th and Upton Ave this tour was all about the architecture in the area and the people who built it. Interesting folly spotted along the way!
I highly recommend checking out the walking tours of Minneapolis: www.preserveminneapolis.org

California Wine Trip: September 10-12, 2010

Ah, California wine country, I returned! As soon as we landed I wanted to get started and visit all 280 wineries and the fact that I couldn't stressed me out, but in 3 days we still made a good effort! Michelle and I flew in Thursday evening and after waiting far too long for the airport shuttle we finally arrived at HoJo where Rachel was waiting for us with a chilled bottle of champagne! Awesome.

The next morning, after filling up at the continental breakfast, it was time to travel to our actual destination: Glen Ellen. Oh, but wait! The Golden Gate bridge! And it was a typical foggy San Fran day, the bridge never looked so cool.
Last time I was in the area we just jumped on the main highway, but I had heard that CA 1 was the way to travel. You follow the water and cut through some charming towns, like the little unincorporated water side town of Olema. Cute. A lovely lunch was served to us on a charming outdoor deck at the Farmhouse Restaurant. Unfortunately, the fog that made the Golden Gate so charming stuck with us the entire time on the 1 so the views weren't what they should be.

By this point though we needed to get a move on it, the wineries were going to be closing for the day and we hadn't even made it to 1 yet! It is really a shame the tasting rooms close at 5pm. As closing hour started to approach, we (luckily) missed our turn off so decided to stop at the winery just ahead: Anaba. This is a new winery that took over a previously existing vineyard. Their blush and pinot were my favorite!

Glen Ellen was minutes way at this point and oh, what a picturesque city Glen Ellen is! It is a small town and has all the small town charm. On the main drag is a tasting room for Hop Kiln so we could fit in another tasting for the day. The lady at the tasting room was kind enough to make reservations for us at Glen Ellen Inn for dinner. After eating there I wanted to move to Glen Ellen and only eat the ravioli that they served me that night. Oh and then there was dessert...

During our stay at Glen Ellen we rented a cottage off VRBO.com. Vanity Vineyards had some pluses and minuses. So never was it made clear we were renting a guest house in the backyard of the main house. Which meant when we arrived at the address we just entered the house...it wasn't our house! Ugh. Once we got that all settled our cottage was adorable, but we always had that feeling that we were intruding on someone's space.

Morning came and we were first in line for when the doors opened at Kunde. This turned out to be my favorite vineyard on the whole trip. We started with a cave tour and ended with a wonderful tasting. The Sauvignon Blanc here was pretty delish!

Before visiting our next winery, just up the road was a local olive oil shop, Figone's Olive Oil. It was great! Sipping olive oil out of little cups is an interesting experience! Ok, now for the next winery! Kenwood. The guy pouring our wine was a trip.

After 2 tastings (pre-lunch) we figured we better get some food in our bellies! So just up the road was Ledson. Um, we didn't even try the wine here, but we took advantage of the beautiful grounds and deli! The whole place was just so commercial and grandiose that I couldn't bare to be inside it and sample the wines, so we rushed out with full bellies and traveled the roads of Santa Rosa til we arrived at Paradise Ridge. The views here can't be beat. I didn't sample all they had to offer, I just purchased a glass of the bubbly. It wasn't my favorite, but it was nice to sit high atop the hills and look down at the town and vines.

We now needed to get on the back roads and find us some charm and boutique wineries. The first one we stumbled upon was DeLoach. Is not boutique, but it was good! And all pinots. I might like pinots now! But I am still scared to order them, you just never know - I always follow the rule, purchase a cheap cab before you purchase a cheap pinot, and you all know I am pretty cheap! Next, we found our boutique winery! Harvest Moon. I think we arrived 20 minutes before closing so it was a bit rushed, but great. The Zins here were good and we got to nibble on actual wine grapes.

For dinner on Saturday we decided to drive into Sonoma. We wandered a bit, but it was dark and you couldn't see much and our tummies were growling! After a day of drinking, nothing sounds better than Mexican so we stopped in at La Casa. They had a spot in the back courtyard, so we could just relax and over indulge in cheese and carbs!

Yet again, we were first in line when the wineries opened Sunday morning and we were ready to sample the fine wines at Chateau St Jean. I had a fun time here and really liked everything I sampled, but left with a Gewürztraminer. By this time we had figured out that you could share a tasting, which meant one could still taste the wine by the end of the night and not by hungover by 4pm!

Then we traveled back into Glen Ellen and stopped quick at the tasting room of Mayo . Some really good one here, particularly the Barbera. Lunch was calling and we ate at Garden Court Cafe , great food in a small cafe in the heart of Glen Ellen.

I had heard all about the tram ride and vineyards of Benziger and was really interested in seeing it for myself. The grounds were breathtaking. And it was nice to just sit and have someone drive me around. The wines here are bio-dynamic and I don't know if it is my head or not, but it all tastes a bit earthy for palette. The reserve cab is pretty darn good though!

I didn't want to leave! We had to go, we wanted dinner in San Fran and I guess at this point we were getting a bit full of wine, but on the way out of town we pass by Cline. I realize how commercial it is, but I do like their wines so this was our final stop. It was crazy busy here, but we found a spot outside and I could leave with a non-fortified port that I had been hunting for.

We drove around San Fran for a bit and I suffered a panic attack being stuck near vertical on the hills but finally got us to Lombard Street...and we drove the crooked street! Then we drove for like an hour to find parking and finally stopped and ate at an Asian-French fusion place. It was good! But I still had enough room for a second dinner at the airport! :)