Hours: Year Round

When Victor and I met in 1985, Victor had already received his degree in photography and I was still attending Cuyamaca College as a technical illustration major. Victor was employed by the West Coast's largest professional photo lab, and I was working for a local newspaper as the creative services director we were both working artists. Our idea of a great date usually involved a trip to Little Italy to purchase fresh pasta and handcrafted sausages, with a visit to a wine shop to pick out wine after a wine-bar tasting or two, and then a visit to Blockbuster for a movie rental to enjoy. Victor taught me to appreciate great California wines. Silver Oak cabernets, Duckhorn Three Palms merlots, Kenwood Artist Series cabernets and Ridge zinfandels were among some of our favorite weekend indulgences. We were foodies before there was such a term and wine just fits with good food.

That next summer, Victor and I took our first vacation together, opting to camp in Sequoia, Yosemite and then a private campground in Napa Valley. Not to diminish the grandeur of the first two parks, but upon arriving in Napa, we were immediately absorbed into the beauty of the spectacular vineyard expanses. We toured vineyards and wineries, tasting the best wines California produced, with each adding a bit of knowledge to Victor's wine education. We ventured into Sonoma, then Santa Barbara and over into Paso Robles on our way back down the coast. The smaller non-corporate wineries of that time period were very intimate. We were officially hooked.