San Fran Adventures: Part 1 - Wine and Things

cALi SipPinG!

Sooooo, I just got back from San Francisco, CA. Why did this trip happen you ask? Well, one of my very best friends calls me up one fine day in May and starts the conversation off with:

E.S.:  "Hmmm...I want to go to Napa Valley. Wanna go?" 

Me:  "Let's  go! Let me look at my schedule."

**60 minutes pass**

Me:  "I'm off June 7 - 11. Let's invite Joyce...she loves wine!"

E.S.:  "Cool....hotel and wine tour information to follow!"

And that's how it happened! We booked our plane tickets, hotel, and wine tours in May! The things you get done when wine is involved...smh. Oh well, our motto for the duration of the trip (and our rationale for being so random/sporadic/last minute) was: YOLO!!

HERE'S A LITTLE SUMMARY OF MY SAN FRAN ADVENTURE
I didn't list everything we did (that would take forever), so look out for one more post. I have to give a special thanks and shout out to my friend's uncle for showing us around San Fran! Thanks Uncle J.! You really made our trip awesome! 

 Our view from our hotel room.
Where we stayed: Marriott in Union Square
We enjoyed our stay overall. The staff was pleasant, trendy bar area and decor, EXCELLENT downtown location....We had one mishap (I won't go into details); instead of getting a free night's stay for the mishap (what we were hoping for), the hotel delivered a lovely bottle of wine and cheese/meat tray. Ummm...I guess that was sufficient.  

We walked along the Embarcadero waterfront. Embarcadero is Spanish, meaning "pier" or "to embark". According to one of my wine tour guides, back in the day, San Francisco was the busiest and largest ports in the US. San Fran's ports were so important to US importing and exporting business that many forts were built around the city to protect the ports. A lot of those forts are still around today. One fort in particular had military personnel until 1970! We are standing in front of the Bay Bridge. That bridge was built around the same time as the Golden Gate Bridge....I can't tell, looks a lot older to me! Anywho, that bridge will take you from San Fran to Oakland.






We absolutely loved Waterbar...so much that we ate there twice! haha. Waterbar is popular for their amazing waterfront views, a huge cylindrical fish tank in the middle of the restaurant (it needed more colorful fish), and.....$1 oyster bar during happy hour! Their oysters were pretty freaking awesome! Another favorite of mine from the menu was the grilled squid...sounds gross, i know. I didn't think i could eat squid that wasn't batter, fried, and died, but trust, this grilled squid taste like bar-b-que chicken to me lol 

http://www.frenchculturenights.com/index.php/86/the-venue/

The Bubble Lounge wasn't far from our hotel in the downtown area. If you love bubbly....they have over 200+ to choose from. Nice and cozy on the inside....i wonder if this is what a speak easy looked like back in the day? (Random thought) Definitely had to "call a cab" after leaving this place...lol But seriously, Bubble lounge = laid back + intimate + chill spot

OMG! Who knew "southern style" food could be found in san fran! This place was off the chain! I had catfish, baked mac-n-cheese, greens, sweet potatoes, and cornbread.....it was freaking amazing. the food wasn't sloppy, greasy and was full of flavor. if you are from the south and want some good ole home cooking....check out Gussie's Chicken and Waffles *in my deep south country accent*....where they specialize in a whole lot more! 

The Wineries :-)

 The sole purpose of this trip was to visit Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley, Ca. We took two wine tours...Wine country tours and terrific tours. We had an amazing time. Each tour allowed us to visit 4 wineries....that's 8 wineries and wine tastings! Napa Valley wineries were very nice, contemporary and sophisticated. My favorite wine overall was the fountain court by the franciscan winery. Fountain court is a sauvignon blanc...when the tour guide poured that wine in my glass, i thought she was pouring water! the wine is so clear and taste amazing! Sonoma valley wineries prided themselves on being family owned. Sonoma valley is quieter and more rustic than napa valley. Sonoma valley is also home to the first Hispanic american winery, Robledo....i think that's awesome! We had lunch in the town square of sonoma. absolutely beautiful. Easy living is what i call it....and that's exactly how i want to live one day! We learned so much about viniculture (wine grape growing) and the art of making/tasting wine. Here's a little wine tasting 101 by d.g.:

• Swirl - once your wine has been poured in your glass, you want to gently swirl the wine around in the glass. most of the tour guides suggested placing your glass on a flat surface to swirl (keeps your hand steady, because after a couple of glasses you'll be swirling your wine out of your glass and onto the floor...or the person next to you...ooops!) Swirling allows oxygen to enter the wine, thus releasing the wine's flavors and aroma! Swirling also allows the wine to coat your glass so you may observe the wine's "legs"! Wine has legs! The legs tell you how viscous (thick) the wine is. Fat present in the wine creates it's viscosity. 
• Smell - use those nostrils and take in your wine's aroma! Everyone's sense of smell is different so there is no right/wrong way to describe how your wine smells to you! a lot of times, wines tend to have floral, citrus, and berry aromas. Describe it how you want to! Smelling the wine helps ignite those taste buds and prepares them for the last step....sipping! So make sure to take a whiff before sipping to enjoy the full experience your wine has to offer. 
• Sip! - the best part of wine tasting....actually tasting! There is no pace too fast or too slow. Sip how you want to sip! I personally drink wine slowly so i can appreciate all of the flavors in my wine. A lot of wines are fermented in oak barrels. If you pay attention, you can taste the oak in your wine. oak barrels come from all around the world! Apparently, the most popular and expensive come from France....every wine maker wants to get their grape-juicy hands on a french oak barrel. oak barrels are toasted on the inside to varying degrees to bring out different characteristic of the oak, which in turn creates different flavors in the wine! I actually tasted a wine that was fermented in stainless steel....it was a pinot grigio....tasted very crisp and refreshing! Definitely could tell the difference from an oak barrel wine... different folks, different strokes. 

Here's some more Fun Facts about wine:

• Wine grape's names are of French origin. The French named wine grapes based on their appearance and color. For example: Pinot Noir means black pine in French. Pinot Noir grapes grow in a pine cone shape on the vines and eventually turn a deep purple color...thus Pinot Noir
• All wine grapes start off green. It's not until the very last days of growing that red wine grapes turn color
• Wine grapes are a lot smaller than table grapes. Their skin is a lot thicker and they have more seeds than table grapes. Wine grape eating is not as pleasant of an experience as eating a table grape