Today we went to the Ferrari Carano Winery, in Dry Creek Valley, talk about opulence! The gardens alone were magnificent. The wines were expensive and the house was immense! But it was fabulous. It’s obvious if you live in California, wine is the business to be in!! Money, money, money!!!
The gardens were really wonderful and by the age of some of the trees, they have obviously been around for a very long time. There are 425 wineries in Sonoma County and Ferrari Carano is one of the most beautiful with its splendid gardens and over 4 acres of manicured grounds. The grapevines cover 1500 acres of land and are all the eye can see for miles around.
The Winery is the dream of Don and Rhonda Carano and is one of the most prestigious in the whole of the wine region of California. There is an outdoor terrace overlooking the vineyards with ornate trees and landscaped gardens, there is a wine shop which includes the wine tasting bar and the cellars where oak barrels are left to age. There is also a very expensive private collection which is viewing by appointment only and holds the most aged and expensive wines.
Don and Rhonda Carano have designed the gardens to ensure that there are always plants flowering all year round, there is a small Japanese garden where you can see the cork tree with a little note on how cork is harvested! I was totally gobsmacked, I really hadn’t thought about how cork was produced and didn’t realise it was such a process! Amazing!
The shop sells lots of other products which complement the wines and of course some designer clothes and expensive gifts. Some bottles of wine were $135 but that wasn’t the most expensive.
The main wines produced here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Meritage (Bordeaux), Merlot, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Port/Desert Wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Zinfandel and a few other lesser known grape names!
Antique Corker!
Today I tasted some grapes and learned that the grapes we buy from the shops to eat are nothing like the grapes used to make wine, which are much sweeter and smaller. The people I am staying with grow grapes which they sell to the wineries and they grow Muscat, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Muscat grapes were my favourite they have a very sweet scented taste, the others were just sweet but both were delicious, the lady I am staying with makes her own grape juice from what they don’t sell on and uses the grapes in deserts.
It won’t cost you a fortune to taste the wine at Ferrari Carano, even though this is a very prestigious wine tasting place, it can cost from as little as $10 for a taste of 5 speciality wines of choice and this is refunded if you spend $50 on wine purchases! I love this area and this winery but I still think you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy a glass of wine!
Rub his snout for good luck! The Wild boar who wrecked everything when the winery was being built who is said to still haunt the place!