Leone Wine Tours

October feels like a celebration as harvest is in full swing. November feels like an exhale after a successful season. December feels like firelit warmth and nostalgia. Read my latest wine country journal entry to find out why the quiet time of the year is a special time to visit wine country.
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Featured wineries: . , , 🍇

Harvest is an exciting time in an exciting time in wine country. While waiting for my guests I like to wonder around the winery. Here I watched the assistant winemaker add nutrients to a vat of grapes fermenting with their own wild yeast. Then he did a punch down, pushing the skins through the juice to give it color. The machine running is a destemmer, it pops the grapes off the stems.

People often ask me what my favorite winery is, well with almost 1000 to choose from that’s pretty tough. But I will stay that Storybook Mountain Vineyards is truly one of my favorites. They do a great tour, have super cool old caves built in the 1880s, and can taste either in the cave or in their beautiful little redwood Grove. Here I caught the wine maker, Colleen bleeding some Zinfandel, juice off to make rosé. This wine sat on the skins for about four hours which will give it a really pretty dark pink color.

If you like great wine, good music and a cool vibe, check out Passagio in Glen Ellen. Most weekends they have someone playing easy rock that you’ll know every word to. Super fun chill way to spend an afternoon. And if you’re lucky you’ll get to see Cindy the owner/wine maker singing.

It’s that time of year again. Veraison! This is when the green grapes start turning purple. This is also when we can start measuring the sugar. this is a really great place for bubbles and caviar if you happen to@be up in Dry Creek Valley