Happy Friday! I can’t believe this time last week I was up in Sonoma. What a fun-filled wine tasting weekend with some other bloggers. Don’t you feel like the week after you go on a vacation is so busy and slow at the same time?
I shared a bunch of in-the-moment things on Instagram Stories but here’s a recap on my Sonoma weekend sharing what we did and what I wore. (I did save everything on Instagram to my highlights if you missed them!)
Lola & Ivy organized this trip. I just started working with them so got to meet other bloggers who do as well. We came from all over: Florida, Louisiana, Kentucky, Texas, California, and beyond. It was so fun to meet these ladies and share a common interest of blogging, even though we are from different spots on the map and have different styles. One of my goals this year, now that I have settled into the life of “full-time blogger,” is to be more social in the community that I am a part of and meet new girls. So this year and goal are both off to a good start!
We all trickled in Friday morning and afternoon, checking into Hotel Trio in Healdsburg for our weekend. The people at the hotel could not have been nicer, the rooms were clean and spacious, and you even had a mini kitchen. My favorite part about this hotel though, was that you could order snacks from their 24/7 market and have a robot bring them to you. YES. A robot. I didn’t get a photo of Rosé the robot for here but I did catch it on Instagram Stories, so if you go there for anything go to the Sonoma highlights to see her in action.
Our first tasting was Friday after lunch at Matrix Winery. It was pretty gloomy and rained on and off all afternoon, but we definitely made the most of it and all got to start to get to know each other. Plus the rain made for some cute photos with this bubble umbrella!
WHAT I WORE: A pair of Madewell overalls and a lightweight sweater by them as well. This is the perfect sweater to tuck into overalls (and any pants for that matter) because it’s thin and therefore doesn’t add too much bulk. The worst thing is when you try to tuck in a sweater and the extra fabric makes your pants too tight. I hate that feeling.
After, we split up into two groups for dinner. The restaurants there are small so it was hard to accommodate a big group of about 12 people. I opted for Spanish tapas at Bravas and we were served a medley of things including white and red sangrias. They had the most delicious potatoes, but of course the star of any Spanish cuisine is paella.
The next morning, we all piled into a bus for a full day of fun. It ended up being sunny on this day so we really lucked out, especially because the first winery we went to, Macrostie, had sweeping views of their vines on rolling hills. This was the first time I had ever been wine tasting, and exactly what I imagined a winery to look like. It’s after harvest season so there aren’t grapes on the vines, but there are mustard flowers planted between each row and that’s the green that you see.
The room we had here was absolutely beautiful, with floor to ceiling windows and a high ceiling. The wine and all of the food were killer, but the décor and architecture here were treats in themselves! We tasted six reds and six wines, loaded up on bread, freshly dried fruit, and all of the cheeses.
WHAT I WORE: Comfy high-rise jeans from Frame, a chambray shirt to feel a little country, and this long brown teddy coat to keep me warm, since the weather was unpredictable. These black Aquatalia booties were my go-to because even though they are suede, the brand is completely weatherproof. So, I could look cute without worrying about killing my shoes. They’re a really great buy if you live or frequent somewhere with a lot of rain.
For lunch we stopped at the cutest place, Dry Creek General Store, to grab some sandwiches. This was a rustic little market and deli with pre-made selections and made-to-order items. It was super busy, and I got the feeling that it’s always like that. Be sure to give yourself enough time if you’re in between tastings. There are tables and chairs along the front porch where you can eat. I got the prosciutto sandwich with mozzarella and tomatoes and it was amazing.
WHAT I WORE: A plaid shirt (to continue my country feel), my new favorite cropped cotton jeans, and a leather jacket to dress up my outfit a bit, since we were going to dinner almost straight from the second winery.
Our day continued with a little change up into sparkling wine at J Winery. This felt a little fancier than our first stop, maybe because we had bubbles? They sat us in a pretty room with one long table. Each glass of sparkling wine was specifically paired here with its own cheese. All of the other wineries we visited last weekend brought out general snacks, so I liked that there was something specific based on each drink.
For dinner we went to an Italian spot called Campo Fina. It was dark so I couldn’t see much, but everything we ordered was delish. I had the ravioli, and it was a lot lighter than I expected, in a good way.
Sunday morning we ate at a darling little French spot called Costeaux and I had the French toast. Instead of regular bread or brioche, it was made from cinnamon walnut bread. So good!
Our last stop was to Mazzocco winery. They had a table set up for us with a custom menu; it was SO cute. Since this is a small vineyard, you could literally drink a glass of wine then look at the exact acre where they grew the grapes. It was really cool. The guy leading our tasting also took us to where they harvest the grapes. From there we got to see more of a bird’s eye view of the property. This was more intimate than the other wineries, but I loved it and the wines here were so good. I didn’t want to leave empty-handed and since this was our last stop, I got a bottle of Zinfandel.
So that’s it! Sonoma was so pretty and the little city center was small, quaint, and adorable. Some of the other girls had to fly into Sacramento or San Francisco. I was lucky enough to catch a direct 1.5 hour flight right into Santa Rosa. If you’re planning a trip to Sonoma, be sure to see if any airlines fly directly there from your city. Now I want to go back and take Matt!
SHOP MY SONOMA LOOKS
