Wine Traveler Visit Organically Certified Preston Vineyards

Preston Vineyards is a lovely tasting room to visit. It is located at the very end of one of California wine country's most beautiful backroads, West Dry Creek Road. A few years back, Preston was a quiet winery, a secret and hidden gem. However, in recent years Preston Vineyards has been featured in some well-known wine publications. I’m sure the publicity has been good for owners Lou and Sue Preston but for some of us long-time visitors, we prefer the old days where it was one of Dry Creek's best kept secrets.


On our recent visit, the tasting room was jammed. Granted the room is of modest size, but we are not accustomed to waiting for a spot at the tasting bar. Another change since our last visit, Preston now charges a $5.00 tasting fee. The good thing is that the tasting fee can be applied to the purchase of wine. And, oh yes, the wines have gone up in price quite a bit. But, then again, what California wines have not, they all seem to somehow leap frog the inflation rate.

Preston is still producing good quality wines from its organically certified vineyards. In 2001, Lou and Sue decided to scale back their case production and focus their attention on making wines only from the best of their estate vineyards. The rest of the vineyards are sold to various other wineries. The result is about 8000 cases of very good wines and recognition from the wine experts. In 2005, the winery was officially certified for its organic farming and practices.

Beside the wines, Preston makes olive oils and has a full-sized kitchen for baking bread. The grounds are quiet and serene with a very cozy picnic area. This is a great spot for a picnic lunch and we suggest you try the delicious and different Rousanne, a white Rhone wine.

To get to Preston take the Dry Creek Exit from highway 101. Drive west 7 miles to the Yoakim Bridge. There is a stop sign here and Yoakim Bridge Vineyards is on the left. Cross the bridge and turn right onto West Dry Creek Road. Travel along West Dry Creek Road to the end and follow the signs to Preston. If you get to Bella Vineyards, you've missed the turn to the right.

Read more of this entry!

The Wine Traveler at Lambert Bridge Winery – Best Picnic Spot in Dry Creek Valley

Bar none, the Lambert Bridge Winery, near Healdsburg CA. has the one of the prettiest picnic areas in California wine country. As we mentioned in our last blog post, the Dry Creek area is no longer a secret and hidden area. On weekends tourists flock to the Dry Creek Valley so much so that often all accommodation in nearby Healdsburg are booked solid. A better choice is to visit the Dry Creek area and Lambert Bridge during the week. From San Francisco, you can get to Lambert Bridge in about 1.5 to 2 hours depending on traffic through Santa Rosa.

Lambert Bridge is located on the very quiet side of the Dry Creek Valley on West Dry Creek Road. The fall is definitely the best time to picnic here but really any time of the year is wonderful. The best way to get to Lambert Bridge is take the Dry Creek Exit off 101 and head west about four miles to the Lambert Bridge Road. Turn left, and this road takes you to the Lambert Bridge and over Dry Creek to West Dry Creek Road. Turn left to Lambert Bridge Winery. Before you turn left to go over Lambert Bridge you may want to stop and buy your picnic lunch at the Dry Creek General Store. Rumor has it that the store, founded in 1881, is now owned by Gina Gallo.

I’m a little disappointed at some of the changes that have taken place at the Lambert Bridge winery in recent years. Now there is a tasting fee of $10 and the wines have jumped in price. I say, forget tasting here, just stop in the tasting room and to the left is a small wine cooler. Pull out a chilled bottle of their delicious Sauvignon Blanc and when you pay for the wine ask the server for glasses. Then enjoy a wonderful and relaxing picnic lunch.


View Larger Map

Read more of this entry!

Wine Traveler in Dry Creek Valley - Zichichi Family Vineyards

The Dry Creek Valley near the town of Healdsburg is one of my favorite places to visit. Sad to say, but in recent years it has been discovered not only by tourists but by wineries as well. It seems that each time we visit, we discover a new winery that has recently opened. It is hard to keep up. About a year ago the Zichichi Family Vineyards opened its tasting room and last week was our first chance to visit. Zichichi is located on what I think is the most wonderful backroad in wine country, West Dry Creek Road. This is a pretty little road that winds along Dry Creek Valley and ends at Bella Vineyards. You have to drive slowly because around each bend it’s likely you will meet up with bicyclists.

So here is the deal on Zichichi Family Vineyards. Steve Zichichi purchased his Dry Creek Vineyards of Zinfandel and Petite Syrah vines in 2000. In November of 2006 he opened his beautiful winery and tasting room. The tasting room is nicely done but the best part is the view from the deck. It was absolutely stunning on our visit as a partly cloudy sky beamed rays of sunshine on the fall colored vineyards.

Steve Zichichi happened to be in the tasting room and it was nice to talk to the owner and hear about his wines. The only bottle of wine we could taste was the 2005 Old Vine Zinfandel that spent about 19 months in the barrel. It was delicious. His 2005 Cab and Petite Sirah were sold out. Then Steve took us back into the barrel room where we sampled the 2006 Napa Cabernet and the 2006 Petite Sirah. These wines won’t be bottled until next year but are being currently offered as “futures.” The Petite was so good in the barrel that we went for a half a case on the “future” at $40 a pop. This is way more than we like to pay for wine, but we could not resist. We got caught up in the moment.

To get to Zichichi you will have to pass up many an inviting tasting room along the way. From Highway 101 take the Dry Creek Exit and head west along Dry Creek Road. Drive 7 miles to the Yoakim Bridge. There is a stop sign here and Yoakim Bridge Vineyards is on the left. Cross the bridge and turn right onto West Dry Creek Road.

Read more of this entry!