Saturday, October 1, 2011

Bent Creek Winery


It was a beautiful day for some wine tasting. My neighbor invited me to visit Bent Creek Winery this afternoon, "... nestled in the rolling hills southeast of Livermore." It was a very nice, relaxing winery with a small tasting room, two patios, and a small grassy area with tables.


They make reds, whites, and ports with local grapes. The vineyards all around the tasting area were sirah grapes. We especially enjoyed the Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Red on Red, Petite Sirah, and Petite Port.


They do not provide tours, but visitors are welcome to wander around as they like. And dogs are welcome too, so Roland will have to accompany us next time. There is a winery cat too. She's a cutie.


We explored a bit, walking among the grape vines. There's a gazebo, and we came across this large stone building.


I don't know what its used for, but I think it would make a lovely tasting room should they want to expand.


There's even a rustic windmill on the side.


The grapes were heavy on the vines too. Harvest time must be coming soon, and what a big job that has to be.


Tasting is free, and they have eleven wines to try. And I love that it is so close to home. I haven't visited the Livermore wineries until now, and I definitely want to see what else is there. Beats the two hour drive to the Napa and Healdsburg areas!


1 comment:

Bruce said...

If you have time, the ones in Lodi and Woodbridge are nice too. They are what Napa and Sonoma was 20 years ago, nice and best of all free!
Almost all the Zin wines made in Napa come from Lodi and Woodbridge via Highway 12 (the Zin highway)
http://www.lodiwine.com/wineries/wine-trail-map
Some of the wineries have small family farms which make it run for kids like Jenni. Rabbits and chickens running all over the place. Another weekend adventure.