Little Pieces of Paradise

Five under-the-radar winery stops I love.

I still have a soft spot for “Little Pieces of Paradise,” a story I wrote for Marin Magazine, and not only because it represented another collaboration with Robert Holmes, who photographed the lead image (above). Bob also shoots the photos in The California Directory of Fine Wineries, and he’s got several in Fodor’s Napa and Sonoma.

Wildfires Intervene

The story profiled five small wineries I love: Tom Eddy Winery, Tres Sabores, Zialena, Lasseter Family Winery, and Westwood Estate, all of which I cover in one or both of my books. Unfortunately, the piece appeared in the October 2017 issue. That being the month the wildfires intervened, fewer readers were able to visit the wineries than might have otherwise. Each winery’s tasting room was closed for a week or more, though the owner of one told me that upon reopening the first visitors had a copy of the magazine in hand. 

Still Worth Considering

Three months later I did a story, “Open for Business,” that included a box detailing how the wineries fared. Tom Eddy’s was particularly hard hit. Lasseter and Westwood both have new winemakers, but the stories still capture the flavor of these five spots worth considering on your next Wine Country visit.

Epilogue

In June 2019 I took five out-of-towners to Tres Sabores—it’s also in my 3 St. Helena Wineries with a Personal Touch itinerary—and they declared meeting its passionate owner, Julie Johnson, among the highlights of their vacation.

Note: Marin Magazine’s parent publication, Make It Better, published a composite, updated “Wine Country Calling” feature in its Jan./Feb. 2018 issue combining the two stories described above.

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