day 2: ferari carano and chalk hill

Today was quite interesting and a lot of fun! Healdsburg was about 90 minutes away, but well worth the drive! And for a first visit to a wine country winery, Ferari Carano was an excellent first experience! The grounds were immaculate and gorgeous and the staff were gracious, patient, and extremely knowledgeable about the wines. And it was a real treat to get to taste many wines that they don't widely distribute or distribute at all!

And here are some things that I learned:
Don't go over a major holiday weekend. The traffic is bad and the CHP are EVERYWHERE! The staff at the wineries are great, but if you are like me and really want to talk wine, the staff will be hard pressed to do so.
Be selective. The tasting rooms are normally open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or 5 p.m. for some, so you can't hit a lot of wineries in one shot. Pick one or two, maybe three if get there at opening and then call it a day.
Research the area and the wineries in advance. Some require reservations for both tastings and tours.
If you don't already know, ask which wines are not distributed. And be sure to try those.

Here are pics from Ferari Carano and Chalk Hill. The photos of the ducks and swans are from yesterday. They live here at the hotel.

Cheers!

Dee

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