Sizzling Sunday.....

Celebrate The Harvest...... Lodi Ca
*read more HERE

Yesterday was sizzling! We hit the century point here in the Sacramento area and so what was one to do on such a hot day, where you could actually see the air currents floating though the air, thick and dense and standing in the shade still caused one to melt into a puddle within minutes... go wine tasting of course! Well most tasting rooms are air conditioned after all! Seeing as we had to pick up our wine club shipment at one of our favorites m2  , recently relocated  this past Winter to Acampo, just outside Lodi, to pick up our wine club shipment, it was the perfect excuse to drive on into Lodi for a tasty lunch and a bit more escaping from the heat. 

Since we were there, we decided to partake of these and
a few others ... and of course I had to sample the
Ruby's Muse... it is named after me after all!!! 

A short while spent sipping and chatting with the wonderful people who work at m2, we packed our wine in with ice in an insulated bag and then into the ice chest, would hate for all that goodness of the vine and the efforts of the wine maker Layne Montgomery to spoil because of the heat! It was time to eat! As is our habit when out wine tasting we wanted a hearty lunch and to down several glasses of water before continuing on. Hubby had researched a new to us place in which to dine, Rosewood Bar and Grill , located on School Street in the historic district of Lodi. Normally we dine at The Dancing Fox, a wonderful eatery that features a yummy bakery as well as the winery tasting room by the same name. featuring amazing soups, salads, sandwiches and wood fired pizza,  it has a wonderful and homey interior full of antiques, dark woods mixed with white painted furniture, golden walls and soft lighting, but looking for somewhere perhaps a bit more quite and eager to try something new, we narrowed our choices down to two and Rosewood won. Are we glad that it did!! The interior is rich and dark, white table clothes, a black and white floor that shines the reflection of the dimmed lighting overhead set a wonderful back drop for classic American food, featuring a seasonal menu that includes local and organic produce, meats and sustainable seafood. The menu is varied enough to find something for everyone, and there is not one thing that did not sound tasty, it was so hard to narrow it down, but in the end we decided on an all time favorite and little indulged in treat.. a Monte Cristo sandwich, and we of course had to have the mixed fries! Oh and we may have had a salad too *giggle* But hey we DID share!

Too hot this day to sit outside.....

We chose to eat in the dining room, but there
is a beautiful bar room as well!

The fugi apple salad Romaine, Candied Pecans, Point Reyes Bleu Cheese and Apple Vinaigrette

The star of the meal! Crispy and sweet Texas toast with melting Swiss cheese, and tasty
turkey and ham.. all topped off with strawberry preserves. mmmmmm!

Let us not forget the "mixed" fries, sweet and regular, crisp, sweet, salty  and savory all
served up in a pretty white bowl! 

Once we had gorged upon  , um, eaten our delicious lunch.. and deciding we will be back, and often as we can, we decided upon our next destination. Watts/ Upstream Winery and tasting rooms. Located out on N. Locust Tree Road, just a little over 4 miles from where we were parked on School St. there in Lodi, we were greeted with rows and rows of grape vines, lovely, over grown gardens, the cry of a lonely male peacock and the sound of water from fountains and waterfalls. The tasting room, modest in decor, but filled with some very interesting art and photos, was inviting all the same and we were greeted with a welcoming hello and smile from the hostess pouring wine. Two labels/ wineries reside and offer tastings at the bar and we were quite lucky to have a free pass for two tastings, received at Zinfest when we had visited their booth. Upstream is more fruit forward, with offerings ranging from a Chardonnay, what appeared to be something similar to a rose' and I truly wish I could remember the name ( must have been the heat, or my serious lack of notes!) , reds and  dessert wines. Watt, has a bit more tannin to them and has a wide range off offerings as well. We choose to pour Upstream in my glass and Watt in hubby's glass and then trade off. It is a great way to get a little bit of everything they both have to offer and not over indulge. We truly enjoyed all the tastings, but as our wine fridge is so very full, we opted to not buy and just taste, but we have a feeling we will return. 

"Come with me..." 

Remember this from the Zinfest post I did a couple of weeks ago??

The offerings... at least Upstreams.. which I was concentrating on! LOVED the second one in
from the left!!! Perfect for a Summer day!

The garden surrounding the tasting room in the front is just my style! 

Once we had sampled all the offerings, and it still being early enough, we decided we could fit one more in before heading home. The heat index building, we sought out the one and only strictly white wine winery in the area, Acquiesce. Located back in Acampo on N. Tretheway Road, among open fields, older homes and rows of grape vines baking in the sun, sits a large 100 year old converted barn that serves as both the winery and tasting room. The wine maker, Susan Tipton who started out as a home wine maker,eventually expanding to a commercial wine maker, has created a comfortable and friendly tasting room that has both the touch of the feminine about it, but does not hit you over the head with it, so that men can feel just as good standing there taking advantage of the offerings of fine white wines of the Rhone varietals and food taste pairings that are offered at the bar. My husband had a favorite that he had tasted at Zinfest, the Viognier, but I truly could not pick just one, as each one was just as tasty as the previous one offered! Acquiesce is the perfect spot to sip on a sizzling hot Sunday! Oh and you can even do a little shopping too of not just wine! 

Fashion Shot of the day....

Jean pencil skirt and peasant blouse
and even showing a little skin
*you can see the sandals and purse
in a photo further up in the post.
Trying a new shade of red....
it came out deeper/darker than intended,
but hey it is only hair, it will grow and change
and with me a lot of that latter, as my moods
change! 

Till Next Time...Cheers!