Wine tasting in Sonoma and Shopping! (pictures from Sunday now included)

I had a great time in Sonoma on Saturday wine tasting - Aki was the designated driver and very kindly watched me sniff, slurp and savour my way through several reds from the Sebastiani wine maker. James served me a complimentary Merlot and explained the different options available for wine tasting. For 5$ you could try 3 wines from a list that you can buy in UK via Threshers or for 10$ you could try 4 wines from a list of 5 reserved and exclusive to the estate. Guess, which one I went for? That's right the second option and James bless him let me try all 5! He was very knowledgeable about the wine and explained about the different parts of Sonoma county being suited for growing different types of grape. And how the appellation system worked - if you had grapes from more than one place you had to describe it being from the county. I discovered that James is normally Head of Technology some place else and at the weekends he works here because of his passion for wine! I picked up two delicious bottles and the wine tasting notes, which I'm looking forward to sharing with friends and family. I wont tell you yet the details because I don't want to spoil the surprise - I know whoever gets to drink it with me will not be disappointed! ;)

Thankfully we'd had a hearty feed at the Cheese Factory in Sonoma town before hand, where you could choose from about 12 different types of cheese to go on your burger. I went for a spicy chili variety of cheese and it was the best burger I've had in a long time! That said by the time we left Sebastiani I was happy to sing along to Under the Bridge by Red Hot Chili Peppers that was playing on the radio. We didn't have a map so sadly we didn't find the next place, which was meant to be outstanding for sparkling wine. It would have been a close call in any case as to whether we'd make it in time because most places shut at 5pm and we left Sebastiani about 4.45pm.

So we headed back to Berkeley and Aki took me to the North Face Factory outlet for some shopping at seriously cheap prices. I spent £100 on a jacket, rucksack and shoes - saving over £200!! So now I'm ready for my hiking adventures in New Zealand and skiing next season, which makes up for not going to Lake Tahoe this weekend. On reflection I've had a far better time and have seen/done more as a result of Aki's injury, so it has all worked out for the best. :)

As you can imagine I was feeling quite tired after all the excitement of the afternoon. Luckily I was able to rest and relax at Aki's apartment before going out for dinner with her friends from Tae Kwon Do (all so young looking at 21) at another Korean restaurant. It was very ghetto and known by students as the Porn Palace because some of the film posters were a bit racy, although to be honest not as bad as I was expecting given the build up. They still had many mainstream movie posters (all in Korean) e.g. Lord of the Rings, the Matrix, the One, etc. I really enjoyed the BBQ spicy pork and hot spicy tofu soup. I also got to try soju (strawberry and aloe flavour). It doesn't taste alcoholic and can be sipped or drunk as shots. It is very potent though ... as I learnt when playing some drinking games!

Needless to say I slept very well and feel fine today, ready for my last full day in San Francisco. I'm looking forward to taking a boat trip, more shopping and Perry's cooking at the "family Sunday" meal. Every Sunday one of Aki's friends takes it in turn to have everyone over for a meal and a mystery guest is invited. Whoever cooks doesn't have to wash up! It's a chance for people to get to know each other better outside of uni/lab work. Perry said I'm a very special mystery guest because I'm all the way from England - he's such a sweetheart. He's cooking a lobster soup and a lobster salad (for those who are watching what they eat in order to compete at a certain weight in Tae Kwon Do). Sounds yummy.

OK here's the updated bit to show you some pictures from Sunday!
The cruise was an hour long and went around the Golden Gate bridge, Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge. There were plenty of small sailing boats out there competing for the space! Time went very quickly and I learnt a lot about the history.




Back on shore Big Toddle encountered a pirate who wanted him to be his first mate. Aki and I, were busy sampling 'in and out' burgers - all made from fresh locally produced ingredients cooked only when you order it. We had to rescue him and take him to Ghirandeli square for some chocolate and cup cakes to get over the trauma. We then caught the cable back to Union Square for some shopping.


Here is a pic of tasty lobster and salad dinner.