Guest Post: Kim from Pink, Pearls and Polka Dots!

Last week, (when I thought I would be living it up on Mexican beaches--go here if you are wondering why I'm not there), I asked a few bloggers to guest post for me and I'm really excited to have Kim from Pink, Pearls and Polka Dots as one of them! :) Thanks Kim!!

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Hi! I am Kim from Pink, Pearls and Polka Dots! I am SO excited to be doing a guest spot for Erin while she heads off to beautiful Mexico! I’m definitely a tad bit jealous too :)

In the spirit of vacations I thought I would chat about my all time favorite vacation destination. This is a vacation I took a couple of years back to Napa Valley California on my honeymoon!

Now I could talk about the hotel (we stayed at the Napa Valley Lodge and it was really nice),

And I could talk about the super cute red convertible mustang we rented to drive up to Napa from San Fran….

But what I really want to talk to you about the vineyards and the wine. I mean that is why you go to Napa Valley, right?!

My husband and I are not big drinkers by any means, and we definitely aren’t wine experts either. But let me tell you, you don’t need to be either because Napa is just beautiful, fun to drive around and explore. The shops are great, the restaurants are delicious, the hotels are all beautiful, and to just drive by miles of vineyard after vineyard is just gorgeous!

Here were our top three places we checked out!

Our first stop on a winery list was Sterling Vineyards. I heard this is one of the best to start with, and it surely was! The drive into the winery was gorgeous. The little road was just lined with trees and grape vines. Then the only way to get up to the winery is an arial tram because this place is up really high with spectacular views! Once you get up there you go through a tour of their winemaking process which was really interesting and cool.  Then you finish up with a roof top tasting with panoramic views of the area. Ummmm yea…it was amazing!!!

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Our next stop was pretty spectacular too.

Welcome to Castello di Amorosa. This place is gorgeous! A huge beautiful castle! We did the self guided tour, got to wander around the castle and explore.  And then finished up our tour with a tasting the basement. But it wasn’t your typical basement…it was a castle basement. It was chilly, all stone walls, it was dark and mysterious. Just overall very cool and an experience I will remember forever.

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AND…it was the best wines I tasted while in Napa! Check this place out if you ever go!

(And, if you’re a fan, a past season of the Bachelor taped an episode there too!)

My next favorite place. Beringer. I was excited to go here because you can actually buy their wine in liquor stores anywhere. And I believe it is one of the oldest wineries in the area. Beringer goes back to the 1800’s….but you don’t really need a history lesson, now do you!? Beringer was also the best tour of all the wineries we hit too. We got taste wine right out of the barrels, check out the “wine caves” where their wine is aging and being stored, and then tour finished with a tasting of some really fabulous wines (these people generous!). And like everything in the Napa area…this place was gorgeous and the grounds were just amazing.

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 My top two favorite wines that I tasted and learned about while visiting Napa were Moscato and Gewurztraminer (say that 3 times fast!). They are both considered dessert wines, but to me they are just light, sweet, and fruity goodness! They sell them in various brands at whatever your local store may be, so if you like something light and sweet for the summer, I suggest chilling a bottle of  one of these. One brand I really enjoyed while visiting the Napa area was Sutter Home. Another one you can get almost anywhere…and for a great price too. They have a vineyard in the area and a great little shop to do tastings. We stopped there too and got a wealth of info before heading out to the big fancy places.

Please, please, please check out the Napa area if you ever get the chance! It was a wonderful experience, one I would love to revisit again when our baby (or babies someday!) are grown! I think this vacation is suitable for a variety of ages, a family trip, just your girlfriends, or a couple.

Talking about this makes me itch for another vacation!! Thank you Erin for letting me do a guest post and I hope you are having an absolutely fabulous time in Mexico!!!