My NEW Favorite Winery: Cantiga Wineworks, Somerset, CA

Cantiga Wineworks philosophy behind their wine making is layed out clearly in their mission statement:

"The intent behind our unique method is twofold:

first, to recapture the art of making wine that benefits from long periods of cellaring;

and second, to craft a food-friendly style, thus reclaiming wine’s rightful place on the dinner table."  

- Cantiga Wineworks, http://www.cantigawine.com/Mission.htm

The mention of pairing food with their wine spoke to me like a gentle whisper in my ear. Okay, not really, but my ears sure perked up and I began to really fall in love with their "old world" approach to wine. I could have taken home one (or 5) bottles of every single wine I tasted. Now, I'm no wine connoisseur, but I do enjoy wine, especially with a meal. If we decide to have wine with our dinner, it's hard for me to take another bite if my wine glass is empty. I find that this is not the case with everyone. A number of my friends  prefer to drink their wine separately, either before and/or after their meal.

Rich (and his wife) own Cantiga Wineworks and have for about 11 or so years. Rich happened to be pouring wine last Saturday afternoon when my sister, mom, and I just stumbled upon this lovely little winery. Upon seeing us, waiting patiently for some glasses, he asked if we had tasted before and when we mentioned it was our first time he casually went into what he called his "spiel".  We actually really enjoyed the story of how his winery came to be and what the winery stands for and his philosophy behind the wine they make. I'm not about to get all into it here (something about no sugar, almost no sulfates, no lactic acid, aging for long periods of time, no new oak, etc...) so you NEED to check out the wine and hear it for yourself.

Aside from the great wines, the grounds are just beautiful. Nestled in the rolling hills of Somerset, located in the Fairplay wine region of El Dorado County, this place was ideal for me to practice what I sorta learned in that photography "class" I took a couple days back. Unlike the heat stroked streets of Old Sacramento, these wine soaked hills begged for an amateur, aspiring half-arsed-wanna-be-photographer to snap some photos ( PLUS I had some beautiful women along with me to provide inspiration, as well.)

****

Uh, yes...a food shot. Charlotte's in Diamond Springs makes a mean sandwich.

My mama and sis.

I am blessed to have these beautiful and wonderful women in my life. Us girls know how to make the most of our experiences with one another, we love us some food and wine.