How Much of a Dork Can One Person Be?

This weekend, I tasted wine at three wineries in Livermore with Sei, Christine, Kanako, Paul and Emi. The first winery, Chouinard, was very homey. The tasting room was in an old barn right next to a huge cherry tree covered with blossoms. I thought it was a dogwood tree, but I was wrong. The grandmotherly lady pouring the wine said that her children had bought it for her and told her that it was a miniature cherry tree, but that it turned out to be not so miniature. I bought two bottles of wine: an Alicante bouschet and a Pasa Robles Cabernet.

The next winery, Westover, was the disappointment of the day. They required a five dollar deposit to taste the wine, and none of wines we tasted was that great. I bought a bottle of cream sherry, though, which isn't half bad, I think, as I sip and type.

The next winery, Thomas Coyne, was the best. We met the winemaker in the old stone barn that was the tasting room, and while Sei peppered him with questions about his Penn State fandom and the oak he used for his barrels, I tasted several good wines, the best being the “Super Quest” a mixture of Syrah, Merlot and something else that had a complex, spicy flavor.

Meanwhile, Morgan was hanging out with Nellie back in Oakland. When we returned from our Livermore jaunt, Kanako and I took the dogs on an abbreviated walk through the manicured streets of Piedmont.