What a Sonoma Winery learned from a trip down the Rhone River

The Petaluma Gap Winegrowers Alliance organized a fantastic trip down the Rhone River, France. I was fortunate to represent Keller Estate; my husband and I shared some great memories with some of our great club members! If you have never cruised, I would highly recommend it. You arrive, unpack once, and specially in a small river boat, with about 130 passangers, you have a feeling that you've found a new home. Every morning we rose to a new adventure, perfectly oerganized and made to suit many different levels of activity!  

From a winemaking perspective, this was a fantastic route, since we make our Keller Estate "Rotie". This wine was inspired by the wines made in the town of Vienne, where, a small region is called the Cote de Rotie. Syrah here is cof-fermented with Viognier to produce some of the most elegant wines I've ever tasted. Our homage to these wines tries to arrive to that same elegant wine. Nvertheless, the conditions in the Petaluma Gap are very different. Where as the French hills are some odf the warmest in the region. The windy Petaluma Gap is one of the coldest areas of Sonoma.  

 As we glided down France we had a chance to take in the temperatures, talk to new friends, visit many vineyards from Beaujolais, Saint Joseph, Chateauneuf du Pape and my did we get a chance to enjoy some beautiful wines. I came to see the same passion and joy that I feel as I present my wines to fellow wine lovers that our French hosts enjoyed as they shared their creations with us. Our friennds from the Petaluma Gap, Fogline Vineyards, Trombetta Family wines made the days extra sepcial as we shared new adventures together. 

I hope we get a chance to share many more with our members!