Sonoma Wineries:
Ferrari-Carano Winery
In contrast to the backwoodsy appearance of most of the Dry Creek wineries, Ferrari-Carano was built to impress. Fancy iron gates open to a grand vista of lush gardens and an Italianate mansion called Villa Fiore, the House of Flowers, adorned with stone columns, vine-draped arches, and Roman tile roofs.
Wine lover or not, you will enjoy seeing the public tasting room, all polished mahogany, mirrors, and black granite; and don’t fail to tiptoe down the stone stairs into the magnificent vaulted cellar where red wines age in over a thousand French oak barrels. Above the valley on the mountainsides, shallow, rocky soils and low yields produce grapes of intense flavor for the winery’s unique Tresor blend of the five classic Bordeaux varieties––Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.
Owner, Rhonda Carano, is a passionate horticulturist. Among the discoveries to be made in her formal Mediterranean-style gardens are a wooden bridge over a stream and an heirloom rose garden. Linger a while in a gazebo, and contemplate a pond filled with water lilies and goldfish. Masses of blooming bulbs attract sightseers in the springtime.
Early in the year when the buds on the grape vines burst into new green, wildflowers begin to run riot on the roadsides and in the few meadows not covered in vineyards. Vivid orange California poppies compete for brilliance with purple lupine, while spiky red flowers of Indian pinks pop up in shady glades. Along the banks of the creek, spice bush can be twelve feet tall, its magenta-scarlet flowers emitting a wine-like fragrance that is irresistible to bees.
End the Dry Creek Valley Winery Guide With a Visit to Lake Sonoma »
The article on this page is adapted from the book, Backroads of the California Wine Country by Karen Misuraca (www.karenmisuraca.com), published by Voyageur Press.
Photo Credit: The pictures on this page are by Lisa Moore. www.studioponderosa.com