California - Day 4

Ahhh....cheese! What could be better than some good cheese? Not much in my opinion. Now I have never, until recently been a cheese fan in the purest sense. I liked cheese on dishes and I liked it on sandwiches, but never by itself. Apparently, I just wasn't eating the right cheese. Today my little brother and I set out to walk through downtown Sonoma and do a little shopping. Stopped in a little cooking store and found some small things I was interested in and drooled over the Le Creuset stuff that was on sale. I would have purchased the entire inventory, but how would I have gotten it home?

We then found a deli where we eventually came back to to purchase our stuff for the picnic. If I could just take that little deli home with me, that would be heaven. I would even think about quitting my job and working in it! Homemade Cheese, desserts, gelato, sandwiches, you name it they had it. And FUDGE! Don't forget about the fudge! Of course, I bought a little bit of all of it. My mom later asked how much all of it cost and I was mildly embarassed to tell her what I had spent on a picnic lunch, but then I didn't feel bad because we had leftovers!

My sandwich of choice was the Special of the Day: Turkey, Brie and Bacon. Now I have never eaten Brie (scoff if you must) and I can safely say that I am not sure I will come back to it so often. It had an interesting flavor, but overall I felt like it was just a little too woody for me.

We also got 3 different types of cheeses. Jack Cheese, Garlic Jack and Pesto Cheese. We didn't open the Pesto Cheese, but the other two cheeses were phenomenal! I think I could have possibly eaten my weight in it, and if you look at the picture above, I think Ainsley could have as well! She kept stealing my parents cheese and eating it herself, but I think they were fine with that.

And now to the Wine. While we picnicked at the Gundlack Bundschu winery we also visited Chateau St. Jean Winery. Both of them were very good and had breathtaking views of the surrounding mountains. At both places I did a tasting of 5-6 wines. I have always been a white wine kind of person, and both tastings confirmed that. For some reason, I just don't like the heavy taste of a red wine, and oftentimes, red wines are also never sweet enough for me. I tried a Gewurztraminer wine. Both were fantastic, but I would have to say that the Chateau St. Jean (CSJ) was the best. I also tasted the Riesling at CSJ and HAD to buy a bottle. I ended up going to the UPS Store and shipping the wine home, just because it was going to be easier than putting them in my luggage.

In a side note, I am trying to embrace the idea that I am a foodie. A couple of my friends have used the term to describe me, but I am unsure if it applies to me. Guess I need to look into that one. I mean I love food, I love talking about food, I love trying new foods. Work with me as I embrace that!