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California Wine Country Images 16 images Created 17 Mar 2009

A visit to California wine country can be more than views of rolling vineyards, wine tasting and gourmet dining. What more could anyone want? Hot springs and spas add a great compliment to all the other treats that wine country has to offer. Maybe best of all, any of these three areas are a short drive from the San Francisco Bay Area. 5 star restaurants abound, though most day trippers opt for picnics provisioned by local gourmet delis.
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  • Chateau St Jean one of Sonoma County's premier wineries.  Nearly three-quarters the size of France, California accounts for nearly 90 percent of entire American wine production. The production in California alone is one third larger than that of Australia. If California were a separate country, it would be the world's fourth-largest wine producer
    chateau-st-jean.jpg
  • As you turn in to Indian Springs’ palm tree-lined drive, you’re entering a historic spa resort. Situated in Calistoga in Napa Valley, Indian Springs Resort and Spa is California’s oldest continuously operating pool and spa facility. Situated on 16 beautiful acres planted with olive, palms, roses and lavender the property has four thermal geysers that produce an extraordinary amount of rich mineral water.
    indian-springs-3.jpg
  • Wine cellars at Merryvale, where not only wine tasting is conducted but elaborate dinners are served.  Nearly three quarters the size of France, California accounts for nearly 90 percent of the entire American wine production. The production in California alone is one third larger than that of Australia. If California were a separate country, it would be the world's fourth largest wine producer.
    merryvale-winery.jpg
  • The story of The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn & Spa dates back to the Native Americans who were the first to discover the natural underground hot mineral waters. This site was considered a sacred healing ground for generations.  In 1895, Captain H.E. Boyes acquired the property and struck 112 degree water while drilling a well. Within five years, he had built the Boyes Hot Springs Hotel on the site of the current property.  Shortly thereafter San Franciscans were arriving to 'take the waters' at the finest hot mineral water resort in California.
    mission-sonoma-spa-1.jpg
  • Welcome to the Napa Valley! Even though California is a bit smaller than France, it accounts for nearly ninety percent of all American wine production. If California were a separate country, it would be the world's fourth largest wine producer. But Napa and Sonoma counties are much more than merely wine production.  Redwood forests, hot spring resorts and 5 star dining are all part of the scene.
    napa-valley-image.jpg
  • The combination of climate, soil, temperature and experience has made California wines among the world's best.  The famous or infamous "Judgement of Paris" blind tasting event that put some of the finest wines in France against unknown California bottles. To everyone's surprise, the California wines beat out their French competitors, <br />
breaking the myth that only in France could you make great wine. The winners? Chateau Montelena and the 1973 cabernet sauvignon from Stag's Leap Wine.
    california-vineyard-2.jpg
  • Sonoma Plaza Mural - Sonoma Plaza Mural - Sonoma is a historically significant city in Sonoma Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA, surrounding its historic town plaza, a remnant of the town's Mexican colonial past. It was the capital of the short-lived California Republic. Today, Sonoma is a center of the state's wine industry for the Sonoma Valley Wine Appellation.
    sonoma-plaza-1.jpg
  • Wine Tasting Room in Napa Valley - Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine, wine tasting is as ancient as its production. There are more formalized methodologies in evaluating wines,  with experts who can identify the range of perceived flavors, aromas and general characteristics of a wine. What we experience in a wine tasting room at a vineyard or winery is not the serious blind tasting, but more for the amusement of wine aficionados and foodies.
    napa-tasting-room.jpg
  • Gundlach Bundschu Winery, Sonoma. Gundlach Bundschu is California's oldest continuously family-owned winery and is the second oldest winery after Buena Vista Winery also in Sonoma. It is still owned and operated by the founder's heirs and operated by Jeff Bundschu who is the sixth generation of his family to do so. As most people have no idea how to pronounce the name of the winery it is known locally as "gun bun".
    gundlach-bundschu.jpg
  • Most Napa Valley hot air balloon companies launch just after dawn when the winds are at their calmest and the temperatures are cool. Most balloon companies can accommodate 8-20 passengers in one basket though it is sometimes possible to charter a balloon for two. Hot air ballooning is an activity that is very dependent on weather conditions and subject to cancellation if flying conditions are unsafe.
    napa-balloons-2.jpg
  • Calistoga Spa Lap Pool - Calistoga Spa Hot Springs is the perfect place for an enjoyable stay in the Napa Valley. Facilities include spas, four outdoor mineral water pools, exercise and aerobics rooms and professional massage service as well as the spa's famous mud baths.
    calistoga-spa-2.jpg
  • Before Napa and Sonoma were household names, or even a California wine industry at all, there was Buena Vista. Founded in 1857, Buena Vista is California’s oldest winery, and its history is as colorful as it is proud. Just outside the town of Sonoma the original winery is now a California Historic Landmark.
    buena-vista-winery-2.jpg
  • Cabernet Grapes, Napa Valley -Understanding different grape varieties is a great foundation to expanding your wine knowledge and learning which wines are made from each type. Discovering flavor profiles, regions and history of the world's grape varieties, from those used to make red wine, white wine, rose and sparkling wine helps us to understand what we are drinking and appreciate it even more.
    napa-vineyards-3.jpg
  • Old Faithful Geyser at Calistoga, California.  At the very top of the Napa Valley, centrally located between Napa and Sonoma counties, Calistoga remains the historic hot springs resort destination of wine, water, and wellness.  Named a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Calistoga enables a visitor to see wine country as it was before freeways and fast food.  Only two-lane roads lead there and fast food franchises are banned by law.
    old-faithful-geyser.jpg
  • Calistoga Mud Bath - A mud bath is a bath of mud, commonly from areas where hot spring water can combine with volcanic ash. Mud baths have existed for thousands of years, and can be found now in high-end spas in many countries of the world.  The mud is a combination of local volcanic ash, peat and naturally heated mineral waters. Historically, the mud bath treatment has been used for centuries in Eastern and Western European spas as a way to relieve arthritis.
    mud-bath-image.jpg
  • Taittinger Winery is widely recognized as the leader in premium California champagne or sparkling wines. Nearly three quarters the size of France, California accounts for nearly 90 percent of the entire American wine production. The production in California alone is one third larger than that of Australia. If California were a separate country, it would be the world's fourth largest wine producer.
    taittinger-winery.jpg