We celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary last year at the Raccoon Cottage (for more information, see our posting entitled “Travel Itinerary: Russian River Valley” from a couple of months ago), in Sebastopol, California, with our two-month old son.   After enjoying a romantic dinner in nearby Graton, as our baby boy slept peacefully on our laps, we spent a sleepless night enduring the incessant cries of our normally placid son.   My oh my — how our lives had changed since our previous anniversary!

Nevertheless, the following day, bleary-eyed and yet still happy to be in such a gorgeous setting, we decided to picnic at sleek Stryker Sonoma winery in the Alexander Valley.   Despite our struggle to enter the tasting room of this serene winery — just as our hand touched the door, our son awoke from his  slumber, fussy and hungry — and despite our having to alternate tastings as the other paced back and forth outside with our baby, we had a splendid afternoon at Stryker.

The award-winning tasting room featured gleaming floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed for spectacular sweeping views of the surrounding hills and vineyards; the pourers were engaging and pleasant; and the wine was excellent.   After the tasting, we purchased a bottle of Zinfandel and another of Cabernet Franc — note that Stryker wines are available exclusively at the winery — and spent the next hour or so relaxing under the shade of the trees, soaking in the peaceful beauty of the Alexander Valley, and enjoying our savory meal of bread, cheese, fruit, and olives.

But, lest we were to forget that our baby, the master, now dictated our lives, just as we packed up our belongings and strolled back to our car, he decided to throw us another curve ball (hint: it was messy).

www.StrykerSonoma.com
5110 Highway 128
Geyserville, CA 95441
(800) 433-1944