![]() The 2016 Petit Sirah recently scored double gold at the San Francisco International Wine Competition. I decided to do both, making sure to get a refill of wine in between. ![]() With wine in hand, I couldn’t decide if I wanted to relax on the steps of the front porch in the sweet fragrance of blooming flowers or enjoy myself in the middle of their beautiful gardens on the back patio. The Mankas Gardens Tasting Room overflows with charm. The valley’s soil boasts an ideal microclimate, which is warm, dry and includes a coastal effect from the San Pablo Bay-perfect for these varietals. The winery is best known for Petite Sirah and Zinfandel. The sweetness of the fruit mingled perfectly with the tartness of the vinegar.ĭay two started off with a visit to Vezér Family Vineyard’s Mankas Gardens Tasting Room in the Suisun Valley. My favorite pairing was the balsamic vinegar reduction on a slice of peach. To end the tasting, they presented a handful of small bites to pair with the oils. Sipping straight olive oil felt strange at first, but it did allow my senses to truly appreciate the balance between aroma and flavors. Next, I tasted the oil for fruitiness, bitterness and pungency. From there, I smelled the oil and picked up on aromas including green grass, green almond, black pepper and herbaceous and floral notes. To ensure the oil is warm and to release the aroma, swirling the oil is recommended. So, is oil tasting similar to wine tasting? I was surprised by the parallels! Each oil is offered initially as a stand-alone. You may take your tasting inside or outside on their welcoming patio with views of the olive trees with rolling hills in the distance. Vivid green olive trees surround the Il Fiorello property. Accolades have rolled in year after year, including being named as one of the best olive oil producers in the world at the 20th Annual Los Angeles International Olive Oil Competition. So, follow along with my Fairfield getaway, and get a taste of this surprising wine region as I savor six all-weather tasting rooms.Īs someone who tastes wine regularly, it was refreshing to mix it up right off the bat with my first stop to Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company, a family-owned company that grows and mills international award-winning olive oils. And, bonus, there are six tasting rooms in the area that are open seven days a week-rain or shine, there’s always wine in Fairfield! Suisun Valley and Green Valley, both not far from Napa Valley, are home to more than a dozen family-owned wineries and tasting rooms. I wasn’t even aware that this was a wine region with certified AVAs until my recent trip to explore Fairfield wineries. There is too much to learn and enjoy in this world of wine to ignore entire regions, which brings me to my recent discovery: Fairfield, CA. That is when I realized I was missing out. It wasn’t until a few years ago when I started my wine blog that I really began my wine journey and expanded my palate to new regions. Most of us to do it-I did it for years! For so long, I only wanted to drink cabernets from Napa. It’s easy to be narrow-minded in deciding the type of wines and wine regions we prefer.
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