Wine, Cheese, Chocolate and Fine Dining

In German we have a saying that someone is living like "god in France" - meaning that you are indulging in the nice things in life, which is exactly what we did for Memorial Day and the following Tuesday. I had booked a surprise overnight trip to Sonoma Valley - Napa Valley's nicer and less overrated sister. After a nice stop in Muir Woods we started off with our first winery - Croatian owned Suncė. Especially their desert wines were delicious, and apart from that, they offer free pulled pork with their own special sauce so you don't have to enjoy their wines on an empty stomach. After lunch in Healdsburg (a nice Italian called Bovolo in a book shop - try their Gelato) we went to our second stop, Paradise Ridge, a nice winery famous for being a wedding location, before arriving in downtown Sonoma, where we spent the night. The town offers a wide variety of nice eateries and we decided for "the girl and the fig", enjoying great food on their patio. Especially the selection of goat's cheeses with their very own fig compote was delicious and we went to bed happy and a little tipsy. Next day we were picked up around noon to see another four vinyards. My personal favourite being Jacuzzi - mostly because they also sell artisan olive oils and balsamic vinegars. Also a picknick overlooking the wine country is something we can only recommend. So coming home with half a wine cellar full of nice Sonoma produce, I can see one more reason, why people would enjoy living in Northern California - especially if you are a food and wine enthusiast.