Unfiltered, Unfined

Last week I detailed the first half of my wine tasting adventure in Northern California (see Napa Wines in Napa). This time it’s Sonoma’s turn. Sonoma is quite a bit larger and much less tamed than its cousin to the east. Therefore I invited my friend Steve along, gaining the benefit of his palate while sharing driving, navigational, photographic and food-spotting duties.

Last week I wrote about how much I enjoyed wine festivals (see Wine and Food Festivals). But festivals are only a small part of the wine lifestyle. There are many other areas of wine culture, basic areas of enjoyment that most aficionados of the grape would consider part of the package. This week’s installment is about informal gatherings with friends, events which often include shared meals. Such gatherings are ubiquitous in life. They’re also probably why wine and food have become so intricately linked, not only to each other but also to what it means to be human.