Park City

This last weekend we took a quick weekend trip to Park City, Utah.  It was for a business retreat for Carlos' work and the spouses were invited.  We stayed at the gorgeous St. Regis in Deer Valley (right next to Park City) on top of a mountain.

I had not skied in nine years (right before I got pregnant with Landon) and I was impressed that I remembered how!  I do have to say that the ski valet service and ski in/ski out ability at the St. Regis makes it quite easy to ease myself back into it.  It also didn't hurt that they had a ice castle bar that you could order champagne, wine or cocktails from that you could ski right up to.  

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend and happy travels!  

Cheers,

Savvy Travel: Provence Wine Region

I'm finally getting around to posting our trip to France and I thought I would share it in multiple posts since the posts will be so picture heavy.  It's so hard to not share all of the pictures that I took while in France, since everything is so breathtakingly gorgeous.

When we first arrived in Paris, we jumped on a train and headed down to Aix-en-Provence for the first half of our trip.  Carlos and I figured since we were going to be exhausted anyways that we should just get on a train and do all of our travel in one day.

One of our first adventures in Provence was to visit the Provence wine region.  We arrived in May while Rose season was in full swing (so you know I was in heaven).  We visited the Cotes de Provence & Bandol regions on a wine tour.  We went with a guided tour, Provence Wine Tours, to make sure we could maximize our wine country day with people that know the area well.

We visited Chateaux Vignelaure, which is this gorgeous estate that is in the foothills of Mont Sainte Victoire.  We toured the property and tasted their refreshingly crisp Rose and their famous full body red wines.  The second winery we visited was Chateau la Dorgonne which is set in the foothills of the gorgeous Luberon region.  There we tasted Rose (of course), a wide selection of reds and their very own olive oil that they produce.

It was the perfect "taste" of the Provence wine region and the perfect day getaway from Aix-en-Provence.

I have a lot more posts to share with you about our trip to France and a lot more of our summer adventures as well.  I've been busy enjoying my summer with all three kids and trying to soak up all of these summer moments with them before school starts.  But I do promise to start getting back to a more normal posting routine over here at Savvy in San Francisco.  I'm also still working hard on the blog makeover (which is taking forever mostly due to my indecisiveness).

What have all of you been up to this summer?  I would love to hear from you!  Enjoy the rest of your week!

Cheers,

Happy Hour - Paris Style

Cheers,

Savvy Travel: Bonjour from France

Bonjour from Provence, France!  Actually bonjour from the train speeding through the French countryside at 200mph from Provence back to Paris.  

I've been a little MIA on the blog getting ready to leave and then being on the trip.  Carlos and I are here celebrating our nine year anniversary (it's actually today - love you honey)!  We have spent four days in Provence and we are now headed back to Paris to spend our last four days there.  

Carlos actually proposed to me almost 10 years ago (July 2004) at the tip of Ile Saint Louis.  So, it is an extra special trip for us to be here celebrating being married for nine years in Paris together.  

The weather is saying that rain is in our future for all four days, but I'm being hopeful that it will move out and the sun will make an appearance for at least a couple of the days we are there.  One of the things that I love about Paris is how much walking we do all over the city.  This is our fourth time to visit and it never seems to get old for us.  We love walking and exploring the city everytime we are here and there always seems to be a new discovery awaiting us.   Plus the walking helps justify all the pain au chocolat and croissants that we eat! 

I will try to post more along the way, but if not, please follow me on Instagram: www.instagram.com/SavvyinSanFran to see what we are up to while in France.

Au Revoir mes amis,

Melissa 

Savvy Travel: Packing for France

Everytime we go on a vacation, I tell myself that THIS WILL BE THE TRIP that I pack lighter and more efficiently.  I actually started out well and then what happened (which is what always happens) is that I started panicking and then ended up throwing last minute things into the suitcase on top of what I've already packed.  I am still pretty impressed with myself that my suitcase only weighed 43lbs when we got to the airport as to my normal 50+ lbs (yes I admit it).  

What does all that mean?  It means that I have plenty of room to bring home French beauty products and maybe some new additions to the wardrobe.  Maybe Carlos would have liked me to have already maxxed out my space prior to coming to France. 

But I did start out with good intentions and a nice base of fun prints, denim and linen pieces that I thought could all be mixed and matched nicely together.  The Cloth & Stone denim tunic dress is such a great piece because it is so versatile and can be worn as a tunic with jeans or leggings or as a dress in warmer weather.  But is also the softest piece of denim that I have ever owned.  I love it!  I also bought my first jumpsuit by Ella Moss.  I'm in love with the print and it's such a comfortable and effortless piece.  Throw on a statement necklace, some heels and your ready to go out!

Since I'm currently on our trip, I will have to come back and link to the pieces of clothing and where you can find them when I get back!

Au Revoir Mes Amis,

Melissa

Sunsets in Santa Barbara

This week we are spending Spring Break down in Santa Barbara and trying to soak up all things beach and sun.  Lucky for us, my friend Kim, told me to check out Could I Have That's blog post on must do things and places to eat while we are here.  Her two blog posts on Santa Barbara are spot on!  

I hope that you are all having a fabulous week!

Cheers,

*image by Savvy in San Francisco iPhone.

Holman Ranch Vineyards - Carmel Valley

I was recently invited to attend an overnight press trip to Holman Ranch to not only experience their beautiful wedding and event venue but to taste their wines.  Holman Ranch is a gorgeous ranch nestled in the Carmel Valley that it is full of history dating back to 1928 when it was first built.  Many Hollywood celebrities would escape to this exclusive hideaway to relax including Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford and Marlon Brando. 

The ranch has changed hands a couple of times over the years and was most recently purchased by the Lowder family who wanted to not only continue hosting weddings and corporate events at the ranch but to make estate grown wine and olive oil.  We were hosted by the Lowder's daughter Hunter and her husband, Nick, for the overnight trip.  

We first stopped at their tasting room in the quaint little town of Carmel Valley to pick up our key to our room .  Their rooms are only available to people using the ranch for an event (wedding, corporate, etc).  While we were there we were able to sample their estate wines which include Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris (my personal favorite of their wines), Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Rose of Pinot Noir.  They also have tastings and sell their Extra Virgin Olive Oil at their tasting room.  

After we arrived at the ranch and got ourselves settled in our room,  Nick greeted us with a glass of Holman Ranch wine and treated us to a tour of the beautiful property.   After the tour we we had a deliciously catered dinner paired perfectly with their estate wines out on the patio behind the Carmel stone hacienda.  

The next day we were given a tour of the rest of their property which includes 19 acres of vineyards, stables and their wine caves.  Their vineyards are in the Carmel Valley American Viticulture Area which is similar to France's Appellation d'Origine Controlee.  The climate and soil create a wonderful environment for their Burgundian Clones.  They produce about 3,200 cases of wine a year. 

If you are down in Carmel Valley, I would definitely recommend stopping at Holman Ranch's tasting room to sample their estate wines! 

*This trip was sponsored by Holman Ranch, but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Cheers,

Dry Creek Valley - Wine Tour

Aromatics Seminar at Fritz Winery

Underground caves at Fritz Winery

"Soil Tasting" at Mauritson Winery

Organic Grapevines at http://www.quivirawine.com

Blending Seminar at Dutcher Crossing

Dutcher Crossing wine maker Kerry Damskey

The three Dutcher Crossing wines we blended

Dinner at the home of Debra Mathy, Proprietor, Dutcher Crossing Winery

All of the writers "blends" ready to be judged

Our winemaker judges - Scott Lindstrom Drake (Thumbprint Cellars), Barry Collier (Collier Falls Winery), Kerry Damskey (Dutcher Crossing Winery) and Rick Hutchinson (Amphora Winery) 

Dutcher Crossing Vineyards and Collier Falls Vineyard that looks like a waterfall on the hill behind. 

I was thrilled when the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley invited me on a wine tasting day to explore the Dry Creek Valley! It was an opportunity to learn more about the region while learning some of the different techniques that go along with wine tasting and making (aromatics seminar, "soil" tasting and blending seminar).  How could I say no to touring a wine region famous for its Zinfandels, my personal favorite red varietal!

With so many different wine regions right in our Bay Area backyard, it was a great opportunity to discover some new wineries an hour north of San Francisco.

We started our trip up in Cloverdale at Fritz Winery with an aromatics seminar.  The seminar was lead by Fritz Winemaker, Brad Longton.  He introduced us to the notes in the following wines:

• 2012 Estate Sauvignon Blanc: Guava, Sweet Pea Flowers and Fresh Pineapple
• 2012 Estate Rose: Sweet Strawberry, Raspberry, and Blueberry
• 2011 Estate Zinfandel: Black Cherry, Licorice, and Ripe Plum
• 2010 Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: Ripe Raspberry, Bittersweet Chocolate and Ripe Plums

Next we went to Mauritson Winery where wine grower, Cameron Mauritson introduced us to the following wines and showed us how the different soils of the vines could change the taste of the wine:

• Mazzocco Sullivan Vineyard Zinfandel
• Bella Lily Hill Zinfandel
• Gopfrich Syrah
• Mauritson Rockpile Zinfandel
  
  

After the tasting we enjoyed a delicious catered lunch at Mauritson by Dry Creek General Store.

Then we were off to Quivira Winery, an organic winery and biodynamic farm.   Nick Amtower lead us on a tour of the property to see the biodynamic farming in action and meet some of the farm animals.  We were able to enjoy the following wines while on the tour:

• Quivira 2012 RoséWine Creek Ranch Grenache
• Quivira Fig Tree Sauvignan Blanc
• Quivira Quest Zinfandel
• Quivira Mourvedre Wine Creek Ranch
• Quivira "Elusive" Wine Creek Ranch (GSM)

Our last winery stop was at Dutcher Crossing, where winemaker, Kerry Damskey, led us in a blending seminar.  We later had four winemakers judge our blends in a blind tasting to determine a winner!

We then went across the vineyard to Debra Mathy, Proprietor of Dutcher Crossing Winery, to enjoy a catered dinner by Heidi West Catering.  It was such a gorgeous setting sitting on her back deck nestled in the vineyards with rolling hills in the background.

At dinner we enjoyed the following wines:

• Thumbprint - Viognier and petite verdot
• Collier Falls - Cabernet Sauvignon
• Amphora - Zinfandel
• Dutcher Crossing - Sauvignon Blanc
  
  

While we enjoyed dinner we were able to hear from all of the winemakers what they loved about making wine and especially why they loved making it here in Dry Creek Valley.

It was a fabulous day spent touring the Dry Creek Valley!  I really getting to know a handful of the over 70 wineries in the Dry Creek Valley area and getting to know the winemakers behind the wine.  It was such a treat to meet all of them and I left with such a better knowledge of wine and the winemaking process! Thank you to the Winegrowers of Dry Creek Valley for a wonderful day trip!

*All images via Savvy in San Francisco except the last image via WDCV.
**This wine trip was sponsored by the WDCV, but all opinions are my own.

Cheers,