2008-04-18
Spring is in Bloom
at Ferrari-Carano
What better way to treat your senses than to spend a day at Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery? Nestled in Dry Creek Valley, Ferrari-Carano is known for their world-class wines as well as their magnificent gardens, and spring is the perfect time to visit. Sip newly released wines while enjoying thousands of tulips, daffodils, flowering trees and other awe-inspiring flora in full bloom.
Villa Fiore (“House of Flowers”) is the winery’s magnificent hospitality center. Upon entering, guests immediately feel the warm Italian ambiance of this elegant tasting room. Visitors may enjoy a sampling of Classic Collection and Villa Fiore wines in the wine shop, or head downstairs to the Enoteca to sample selections from Ferrari-Carano’s new single-vineyard Russian River Valley white wines, collector red wines including PreVail, the winery’s newest red wine brand, and dessert late-harvest wines.
For a more in-depth wine tasting experience, personalized private tasting programs are available by appointment that highlight the many nuances of wine in a fun and informative style. Programs are hosted by an experienced wine educator and include The Enthusiast, which walks guests through an in-depth tasting of five wines of their choice and is tailored to cover any wine-related topics about which participants have always wanted to know; Scentiments provides an opportunity for participants to test their “smell memory” and identifying particular aromas in wines; The Chardonnay and Cabernet Tasting includes four wines each paired with local artisan cheeses and/or dried fruit and chocolates and an in-depth look into the winemaking process, growing regions and oak aging; and the PreVail Tasting gives guests a glimpse of the history and creation of Ferrari-Carano’s newest brand served up with an array of appetizers, fruit and cheeses.
The Villa Fiore Wine Shop offers a diverse selection of unusual tableware, linens, wine accessories, logo clothing and unique wine country gift items. The dramatic, curved mahogany and black granite tasting bar with its backdrop of large, arched windows overlooks Ferrari-Carano’s estate vineyard, the surrounding mountains and the stunning villa fountain pavilion. Across the room is the temperature-controlled, vaulted Library Wine Cellar which showcases Ferrari-Carano’s past vintages and large format bottle wines.
A limestone staircase descends to the Enoteca wine tasting bar and to the stunning, underground double-vaulted wine cellar filled with resting wine. The Enoteca, designed by Rhonda Carano, features a 37-foot barrel-shaped tasting bar with a black Galaxy granite top, a dramatic, glass enclosed wine bottle cellar running the length of the bar and tasting tables with chairs for guests to relax and indulge in Ferrari-Carano’s reserve wines.
After tasting top-rated wines, guests may head outside to stroll through Ferrari-Carano’s spectacular five acres of gardens designed by gardener extraordinaire Rhonda Carano and Head Gardener Pat Patin. A self-guided tour takes visitors down a meandering path and foot bridges along a rippling stream captured at both ends by waterfalls that flow into fish-filled ponds. Bronze sculptures by world-renowned artists and two rare Portuguese cork trees dot the landscape. The over 2000 species of trees and shrubs are marked with identification tags, making this self-guided tour informative as well as breathtaking.
Ferrari-Carano is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Winery tours are offered daily at 10 a.m., by appointment only, and reservations may be made by calling the Hospitality Department, (707) 433-6700. Private tasting programs are by appointment only, and reservations may be made by calling Brook Drummond, (707) 433-6700, or brook@fcwinery.com. Visit www.ferrari-carano.com for additional information.
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