I found such a winery in Santa Rosa, California. Sunce Winery, Olivet Rd. www.suncewinery.com
707-526-9463
This quaint little Mom and Pop winery is tucked away in a rural, sub-divided, "Leave it to Beaver," kind of "Bonanza" neighborhood of small family owned vineyards and wineries.
Driving down Olivet Rd., it is easy to imagine seeing a lemonade stand next to a driveway. The road is dotted with overgrown vineyards that look as if no one cares about them. The truth is, this is how vineyards may look when the winery owner is the winemaker, farmer, vineyard manager, CEO, bookkeeper, marketing guru, husband, dad, and all things to all people who drink his wine. However, winemaker Frane' and his wife Jannae are more than good winery owners, they are good roll up your sleeves and get your hands dirty people!
Size doesn't matter!
Pulling into their driveway, I expected to see a bustling operation of cellar rats running around waving their hands wildly as Frane barked out unrealistic commands. Instead, June Cleaver sans the high heels and perfect helmet head hairdo, greeted me in the office, living room, kitchen, not quite sure what exactly they do in this space. I introduced myself and said that Jannae and I had met on Facebook.
Allow me to digress.
Allow me to digress.
Jannae and I had a mutual Facebook friend...I'll use that term loosely, who mutually pissed us off! End of story, beginning of friendship.
The best way to describe Jannae, is "super mom!" Her little mini-me's are the most adorable spawn a mother could ask for. Talented is an understatement; good home training, easily detected!
Her children are her world! In between talent searches, (they sing better than birds!), school functions and working at the winery, Jannae makes her overloaded role look easy with her gentle demeanor and infectious generosity. There is a bit of "sistah girl" in her. Built like a warrior, she embraces you with a hug that lingers for several minutes. June Cleaver could only wish to be this genuine! Best of all, she treats everyone as if she has known you forever!
Meanwhile, back to size...
The winery itself is located in an old barn on the back of the property. If you drive by too fast, you cannot see it from the road..remember those overgrown vineyards...yeah, they sort of block the view. Th property consists of ten acres of Pinot Noir vines, the barn, their home, a storage barn and an awesome deck enclosing a bocce ball court. This is definitely a favorite activity at the winery. Guests can amble up to a window located just behind the tasting bar and enjoy a glass of wine as they play bocce ball. There are also outdoor heaters to warm you as the cool breeze from the ocean, which is less than 40 miles away comes in to settle on the vines. Overall, the entire operation could fit in a typical suburban home. What is really awesome is that during any given vintage, Frane makes up to 29 different wines! Yes, this is not a misprint. He does some in as little as two barrels, and others by the hundreds of cases. (Ok, now you want to go visit, huh?)
Not being a Pinot lover, I like his Pinot's! In fact, I like everything he does! My favorite...right now as I type, Cab Franc! Yesterday, Cab Shiraz, tomorrow, Sangiovese, next week, Petite Syrah, when I publish this blog, Alacante Bouchet, while you read this blog, Barbera, and just because, Cabernet Sauvignon! Do you get what I'm saying, he makes wine!
To give you an idea of how much we enjoyed the visit, here is a little presentation that I put together.
Please be patient as it loads..
The best way to describe Jannae, is "super mom!" Her little mini-me's are the most adorable spawn a mother could ask for. Talented is an understatement; good home training, easily detected!
A few months back, I had a childhood friend visit from Florida. Rae had never been wine tasting and had never walked through a vineyard. Jannae rolled out the red carpet and treated her as if she had known her forever. Rae was treated to a private barrel tasting, wine education, a stroll through their Pinot Noir vineyard, and a new T-shirt emblazoned with the Sunce logo. For good measure, Jannae gave her a big "only Jannae can hug like that hug," before we left. Rae said that she could not wait to use some of her new knowledge in her next sermon. (I forgot to mention, Rae is an evangelist...hey, even Jesus drank wine!)
Meanwhile, back to size...
The winery itself is located in an old barn on the back of the property. If you drive by too fast, you cannot see it from the road..remember those overgrown vineyards...yeah, they sort of block the view. Th property consists of ten acres of Pinot Noir vines, the barn, their home, a storage barn and an awesome deck enclosing a bocce ball court. This is definitely a favorite activity at the winery. Guests can amble up to a window located just behind the tasting bar and enjoy a glass of wine as they play bocce ball. There are also outdoor heaters to warm you as the cool breeze from the ocean, which is less than 40 miles away comes in to settle on the vines. Overall, the entire operation could fit in a typical suburban home. What is really awesome is that during any given vintage, Frane makes up to 29 different wines! Yes, this is not a misprint. He does some in as little as two barrels, and others by the hundreds of cases. (Ok, now you want to go visit, huh?)
Not being a Pinot lover, I like his Pinot's! In fact, I like everything he does! My favorite...right now as I type, Cab Franc! Yesterday, Cab Shiraz, tomorrow, Sangiovese, next week, Petite Syrah, when I publish this blog, Alacante Bouchet, while you read this blog, Barbera, and just because, Cabernet Sauvignon! Do you get what I'm saying, he makes wine!
To give you an idea of how much we enjoyed the visit, here is a little presentation that I put together.
Please be patient as it loads..
For a treat that is sure to surprise you, visit Sunce Winery Olivet Rd. Tell them Karen sent you!
Cheers!
Copyright, Karen Burleson 2012
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