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All Wine Country Vacation Rentals Posts

The Best Time to Visit Napa Valley and Sonoma

With some of the best wineries in the world, outstanding weather, and breathtaking scenery, the Napa Valley and Sonoma regions of Northern California is a wine lover’s paradise — no matter the time of year you visit! From spring and summer to harvest season and the holidays, you’ll find something that will make you fall in love with Wine Country. With that being said, there are benefits to each season …

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Luxury Travel Advisor Services & More Vacation Rentals

Luxury Travel Experiences from The Wine Stay is here — from Napa Valley and Sonoma County all the way to the Hawaiian Islands Hi friends, we’re incredibly excited to share the news that our luxury travel offerings have expanded! To start with, our 5-star personal concierge services have been enhanced to include full-service travel planning. That means you will now have access to a Personal Travel Advisor to help with all …

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How to Plan a Family Vacation to Napa During COVID-19

Whether you’re planning to travel this fall or for the holiday season for your next family vacation to Napa, you’ve decided it’s past time for a change of scenery and are ready to book a vacation in the Napa Valley / Sonoma region. But now, you’re wondering what to expect and how to stay safe while you’re making the journey from home to the wine country. If that’s the case, …

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Sommelier — much more than a wine steward

Sommelier
Wine geeks share a language of their own. What exactly does it mean when a wine expert describes a wine as crunchy, chunky, or chewy? Okay, you know what chewy means, but … chewy wine? Instead of trying to decipher the qualities of a wine that is muscular or tight, leave it to the sommelier. What is a sommelier? Dictionaries describe a sommelier (pronounced suh MUL yay) as a wine steward, but the job …

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Cook Up Some Fun — Wine Country Cooking Classes

Cooking Class in Wine Country
Last month family members gathered from across the state to celebrate my mother’s 80thbirthday. We decided early on to rent a vacation homein Sonoma/Napa Wine Country. But what to do on her special day with a group of people aged 20 through 80 with interests as diverse as skydiving and crocheting? We landed on the idea of a cooking class. The epicurean adventure turned out to be ideal— a way to …

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Cabernet Sauvignon – the perfect winter wine

Wine and a good book in front of the fire.
When it’s chilly outside, wine drinkers tend to gravitate toward reds. And Cabernet Sauvignon places first among winter wine. That’s not to say you can’t enjoy whites or some bubbly in winter, but red wine simply has more appeal this time of year. Why?   What is it about red wine in winter? Winter reds warm us up. They’re served at warmer temperatures, which brings out the fuller flavor of …

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Don’t Miss This Gastronomical Adventure — plan now for Sonoma County’s restaurant week

Every year in early March, restaurants in Sonoma County invite you to join in a culinary experience, one you don’t want to miss. So mark your calendars and book your vacation home rental now for the 10th Annual Sonoma County Restaurant Week, March 2 — March 10, 2019. More than 120 eateries will be participating this year, from Petaluma to Geyserville. Savvy food lovers know to take advantage of this …

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Passionate About Pinot — you gotta love Sonoma County’s Pinot Noir

Passionate About Pinot
What is it about Pinot that makes it so popular? Even those of us who are white wine devotees will welcome a glass of the alluring red. People are passionate about their Pinot. It’s French, of course Pinot Noir — “black pine” in French — hales from the Burgundy region of France, where it’s aptly named Burgundy. These Pinots are considered the top of the line for this varietal. The …

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