Since I took so many pictures of my recent trip I thought I would share a little more with you.This was a tour we took in Sonoma of the Benziger family winery, they have been written up in Wine Spectator magazine because of their Green standards. Their estate is one of only a handful of vineyards in North America to be certified Biodynamic. Biodynamics is a holistic farming approach that goes a step beyond organic farming, it requires close attention to the varied forces of nature influencing the vine, along with the elimination of all chemicals.
We took a tram tour up into the vineyards where we learned how geography and weather influence their farming practices.
The Benzingers are leaders in Biodynamic and sustainable winegrowing.
Benzinger’s 28,000 square foot wine cave that stores around 4000 barrels. We learned how different types of oak influence the aging and flavors of wines.
When the tour was over we got to sample their Biodynamic and other award-winning wines.
A visit to DEAN & DELUCA in Napa. Epicurean excellence at it’s finest!!!
Chocolate anyone??
I’ve never knew or seen, so many different kinds of salts.
Parmigiano- Reggiano! the “Queen Mother”, …. I would have loved to tuck her in my suitcase!
Rows and rows of delectable olives!
Any kind of paste you would need, pistachio and almond, the smell was amazing!
Crepes with Nutella, who wouldn’t love that!
Add some fresh strawberries and banana, sheer bliss!!
I Picked these up at a beautiful farmers market set up right on pier 39 in San Francisco. Beautiful golden red Rainier cherries, if you haven’t tried these yet, and if they are available near you, please go out and get some!!
Ruby red, sweet and delicious Bing cherries
The most gorgeous strawberries not one of them blemished!
And finally, those are seals that were sleeping all at the same time, what a sight, what a day, what a trip!
We took a tram tour up into the vineyards where we learned how geography and weather influence their farming practices.The Benzingers are leaders in Biodynamic and sustainable winegrowing.Benzinger’s 28,000 square foot wine cave that stores around 4000 barrels. We learned how different types of oak influence the aging and flavors of wines.When the tour was over we got to sample their Biodynamic and other award-winning wines.
A visit to DEAN & DELUCA in Napa. Epicurean excellence at it’s finest!!!Chocolate anyone??I’ve never knew or seen, so many different kinds of salts.Parmigiano- Reggiano! the “Queen Mother”, …. I would have loved to tuck her in my suitcase!Rows and rows of delectable olives!Any kind of paste you would need, pistachio and almond, the smell was amazing!Crepes with Nutella, who wouldn’t love that!Add some fresh strawberries and banana, sheer bliss!!I Picked these up at a beautiful farmers market set up right on pier 39 in San Francisco. Beautiful golden red Rainier cherries, if you haven’t tried these yet, and if they are available near you, please go out and get some!!Ruby red, sweet and delicious Bing cherriesThe most gorgeous strawberries not one of them blemished!And finally, those are seals that were sleeping all at the same time, what a sight, what a day, what a trip!
I’m Marie, a wife, mother, mother-in-law, and gramma of two beautiful girls. My passion is food, clear and simple but especially Italian food, hence the name of my blog, Proud Italian Cook. I want you to feel right at home here so grab a cup of coffee, I’ll get the pastries, take a look around and enjoy your visit! {
