Sonoma County, Russian River Valley, Healdsburg, California
By: Sarah O'Brien - Senior Editor - floatingcork.com
Apparently, the wasteoids of the world unite at Hop Kiln. I witnessed a group of about ten swaggering out of a limo, trying to grasp on to rocks and grasslings – anything in their path so as not to biff and face plant themselves to the ground. Others, donning rock t-shirts, looking like wasted band members were zombie-ing around the grounds. I would have laughed at them if I wasn't too busy laughing at myself for over-thinking some easy instructions Don was giving us to volatize the esters. I was also trying to hold it together lest Don think I was one of the bad or the ugly that just arrived – I wanted to be a part of the good. The decent wine drinkers that come to volatize those esters and talk, I mean really talk, about wine. I only hope it wasn't witnessed that earlier I was inhaling pretzel sticks laced with jams, oils and mustards in the tasting room (you must try the pepper jam!) I don't believe I came up for air for a straight five minutes – I only hope Chef Renzo wasn't viewing my display of the wine munchies. Hop Kiln was the last stop of the day for my group, the last winery on our trip and my brain was a bit fried; still, I appreciated all Don – our adorable, somewhat goofy wine pourer - had a lot to say about Hop Kiln wine even when I wasn't fully paying attention, which wasn't altogether my fault; there was a ferocious air show cutting through the sky, and my concentration. I do have to say that it is Hop Kiln's friendly, cottage-like presence that allows visitors to loosen up about wine tasting. There was a definite fun, festival-like atmosphere about it. It could have also been because there was a festival going on, but still, just look at the place. Hop Kiln's are cute cottages – this one especially, thrice towered and filled with fresh-baked bread, fully stocked with tantalizing goods (again with the pepper jam).
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