The Traveling Winers on Colorado Wine Trail
Two Rivers winery was our very first stop on our Grand Junction – Palisades, CO wine trail. And what a first impression it made! The first thought that popped into my mind was “Majestic” – a huge estate with several stone houses and buildings, left me wondering what was housed inside of each.
The tasting room was just as Majestic on the inside, stone everywhere, a very large tasting bar, plenty of space to shop and relax, a stone fireplace and a fun staff to boot! Lois, our tasting room host, lead us through the tasting in”Majestic” fashion (in other words, she did a great job!) and we got to spend a fair amount of time with one of the owners, Billie. As we were enjoying the outside landscape we were joined by Billie who gave us a personal tour of their beautiful Chateau.
This vineyard & winery is definitely worth a visit and, if you have need of lodging, would be a wonderful place to lay your head!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Colorado Wine Trail
Reeder Mesa Vineyards was our last stop on our first day out trailing in the Grand Junction, Colorado area. For some reason, we didn’t even have this winery listed on our ones to visit, but it was suggested by one of the hosts at a previous winery to make sure and stop at Reeder Mesa Vineyards. So we did!
We were told that the drive might seem long up this windy road, but not to give up an turn around because we were heading in the right direction. It definitely was a pretty drive and, they were right, we did finally make it to the vineyard.
Unfortunately, the owners were away at the local Colorado Winefest so we didn’t get to meet them, but they had left their very kind and friendly neighbors in charge of the tasting room, Ray and Sherryn. We chatted a bit, tasted a few wines and then took our cheese, crackers and sausage purchased at the previous winery plus a glass of wine out to the patio to have some lunch and enjoy the view.
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Oklahoma Wine Trail
The winery is housed in an old catholic church and filled to the brim with everything wine (seasonings, aprons, chill packs, wine glass covers, etc.). The tasting was set up for us the moment we walked through the door and Martha, the self-proclaimed “Vintner’s Assistant”, took immediate charge and gave a friendly, informative tasting experience. The vineyard was small with an over abundance of charm, an inviting backyard BBQ space, and a small fermenting and bottling area. Martha gave us an estate tour, where Tom Joe got to label his first wine bottle ever (kind of). When you visit, don’t forget to ask Martha about “wine diamonds”. Oh! and they make their wines with 100% Oklahoma grown grapes!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on California Wine Trail
Another fine tasting room experience in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto! All of The Traveling Winers were by now getting somewhat more comfortable with this “wine tasting room in an industrial park setting” thing, although we still prefer the fully romantic version complete with vineyards and working winery. However, what we learned quickly on this trip, this being the 4th industrial park setting tasting room, is that the experience can still be quite exceptional if the staff have that contagious passion for the business and are knowledgeable about the wines and the winery, if the tasting room is decorated in such a way as to enhance the tasting experience and bring about the romantic flair, and if the wines are yummy delicious! And this is what we found at Palmina Wines.
We initially met with Jamie, host, who was getting slammed by all the folks coming in on this beautiful Saturday afternoon. Within a short time, relief showed up in the form of Alejandro, the tasting room manager. And that is when things started poppin’! Alejandro really took us through the flight of wines in such an extraordinary way, explaining the wines, the vineyards, etc. When it came to the Nebbiolo wines, since there were a number of them, he actually poured the 2007 and 2008 side by side so that we could clearly taste the difference. We love it when a host can bring it down to our level of simplicity!
Their wines here are very, very nice! This winery has been open since 1995, being the 2nd winery to open in the Wine Ghetto. They have about 350 acres (obviously outside of town) and grow 21 varietals, producing 20,000 cases, mainly Pinot Grigio and Dolcetto.
The Traveling Winers would definitely come back to Palmina Wines and would encourage you to do the same! This was a great experience and worth doing again!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Texas Wine Trail
Excellent visit once again from Torre di Pietra Vineyards! Half of the 4-some had visited this winery a year or so ago, and the other half of us, got to experience it for the first time this trip. End result – no matter the visit, the experience is always “top notch”! This winery exudes love from the owners to staff to visitors. The day we visited was a bit chilly and when we walked into the large tasting room, we were immediately dethawed with all of the warm decorations and the blazing fireplace in the living room-like setting. As you can see in our picture here, there was a group of folks sitting by the fireplace basking in the heat, enjoying their time with wine and friends. It is just that kind of place.
Our tasting experience was also “top notch”! Our hostess, Elizabeth, was a riot! She kept us in stitches during the whole tasting, and educated us very nicely on the wines, the history of the winery and the local area. She is definitely an employee to treasure [and speaking with Jenise (wife and co-owner), they absolutely do!]
We were fortunate enough to have quite a few minutes of Ken’s (husband and co-owner) time. Ken gave us a tour of the back of the house and more importantly, shared with us the history of the winery, some information on the wine industry, and his families story of how they all play a part in this family business. It was quite special to have this inside look at their, in our eyes, very successful operation!
As you can see from our rating of 5-grapes all the way around, we recommend that you make this one of your first stops along the Wine Road 290 wine trail. Tell Ken and Jenise the Vineyard Trail “Winers” said “HI!”
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail
The Traveling Winers on Santa Barbara Wine Trail
Cute, Cute, Cute! Carhartt Tasting Room, located in Los Olivos, California is known as the “smallest tasting room in the world”. And it IS small! Tiny, tiny bar…don’t blink as you walk through the front door and out the back as you might miss the hosts! The back patio area, however, is quite spacious and inviting with awesome barrel stave patio furniture.
The Carhartt’s started the winery back in 1998 with 2 barrels. They now produce about 5,000 cases per year, all exclusively sold at their itty bitty tasting room and through their wine club. They have two vineyards and use about 50% estate grapes and 50% sourced. They are a small family owned operation and like to call it the “ground to glass concept”, meaning they do everything from grow, make, bottle, label, and pour.
This was a very fun experience! We met with Joe, the wine club manager, and Evan, staff, host, family friend since about 5-years old. Really nice, fun and friendly guys! Good wine too!! Oh…and for a bit of history, the little room/building/shack they are in used to be a ticket booth for the stage coach back in the days of old. This place may be small, but its personality and history are HUGE…so don’t miss this one!
The Traveling Winers at The Vineyard Trail