Day 27

Up very early to our room service breakfast. We thought it would be a good idea to stock up on stomach lining seen as our wine tour starts at 8.30 am! Off to the aptly named Ferry Building to meet our guide, Safiya. We were then told that the drive to Napa would take an hour and a half, so the drinking, sorry tasting, would not begin until 10 am. A much more reasonable drinking time! Safiya was a brilliant guide; she filled us with San Fran knowledge, history and house prices all the way to Napa. We now know where Danielle Steele lives and how much she paid for her house, as well as passing George Lucas‘ Skywalker Ranch! We have also seen the Sausalito ‘Bay’ which was Otis Redding’s inspiration.
First stop, Domaine Chandon, makers of all things bubbly and sparkling - a good way to start any day according to Safiya! It is Lynne’s firm belief that all smokers will find each other very quickly and this rang true again as Lynne spotted Frank having a cheeky tab before the tasting! Firmly becoming friends due to their nicotine addiction, Lynne and Frank, with their respective partners Matthew and Diane, set off for bubbly goodness! We weren’t disappointed as Bob, our tasting guide, filled us with knowledge!
Giggling back onto the bus, it was time for stop two - the lunch stop. We decided to do the tasting first, settling for the ‘deluxe’ tasting, which meant seven of Napa’s finest. Actually it was six of Napa’s finest wines and one taste of Maderia, which definitely meant it was time for food. Armed with the $20 voucher from Safiya, we purchased some fantastic cheese, prosciutto and olive bread from the well stocked deli. Oh, and also three bottles of wine, which we did not consume at lunch (just half a bottle!). All aboard to stop three on the tour, minus two of our fellow tasters who were too ‘ill’ to continue. It was the woman we saw hugging a bottle of wine while slumped over the picnic table at lunch.
Reunited with Frank and Diane once more, we tasted some of Napa’s finest reds before wandering through the vineyards (Frank and Lynne smoking their way through!) until it was time for the last stop. Here, we once again tasted some fine red wines and we were even allowed to taste the grapes from the vines. Never before have we tasted a cabernet sauvignon grape, but they are nothing like ’normal’ grapes (apart from the pips). Back to the patio for the final tasting and Lynne, somewhat upset at spilling red wine on her white skirt, was rescued by Margaret, our host. ‘Here, spray some of this on it and watch it vanish’, and it did! The best invention ever, a product called Wineaway, which literally did as it promised. We are trying to buy this in bulk and sell it on the black market in the U.K.
Back on the bus to catch the ferry to San Francisco, it was naptime for Matthew. Please see attached photo for the comedy value of this!
The ferry trip back was wonderful; great company, more wine and lovely views of the Golden Gate bridge. As we docked, it was time to say goodbye to our new friends, but not before exchanging emails and a promise to keep in touch. Frank and Diane, we hope you are reading this, as we are planning our trip to Chicago already!
Phew, this is a long entry. Anyway, next we decided we wanted to see the sealions in the Bay, but didn’t know where we were, so we employed the services of Jason, our trusty steed. I say steed, he was a man on a bike with a carriage attached to the back. As promised, he took us to the sealions, via a ride on a carousel, and then back to our hotel where an early night was on the cards. What a wonderful day, with fabulous memories and two new like-minded friends!