June 21, 2020

Today Leanne and I went to Castillo di Amarosa in Calistoga, CA, in the Napa Valley. It is amazing to us that we are only a day trip away from the world’s most renowned location for wine. The castle itself is a fully-fledged winery and was built as a castle which opened in 2007. The castle was built to honor the owner’s Italian heritage and provide a beautiful location to enjoy incredible wine produced in the best way possible. None of the wine is ever sold outside of the castle doors. Leanne and I did a wine tasting there today and tried some of the best wines we have ever had. The wines were also paired with different types of chocolate so we could see how the flavors change. We had to leave with a bottle of white wine that pairs perfectly with spicy and ethnic foods!

Before the wine tasting we went to the Napa Valley state park where there was a beautiful trail and woods that included the tall and awe-inspiring California redwood trees. The trails themselves were damp mossy soft dirt trials perfect for trail running were it not for the little sub-inch tree frogs hopping everywhere! We had to be careful not to smoosh any of them!

We ended the day by enjoying walking through downtown Calistoga, CA. This was a quaint and fun downtown with plenty of shops, cafes, and a bookstore. 

On the way back home in Suisun City, CA, we went to a marketplace at another winery where they had an outdoor BBQ, gelato, deli, and so much more to explore. We felt like we were in Italy!

Leanne and I are so thankful to live in Suisun City, CA, which is so close to Napa Valley (45 minutes away), Sacramento (45 minutes), and San Francisco (1 hour). We know there is so much more to explore and we cannot wait to see more.

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