Review: Merry Edwards Winery

As you can probably tell by now, I really love wine tasting. Let me reiterate, REALLY LOVE wine tasting ;). I just find that it is a perfect weekend activity. It gets you out of the Bay Area, ie. out of the cold and into the warm, and it is super fun to go with different groups of friends. Beyond that though, if you never wanted to hit the same vineyards twice, you wouldn't have to! There's Russian River, Sonoma Valley, Sonoma Coast, Napa Valley and even Livermore now. All in a very short radius of the Bay Area. My poison of choice is of course the Sonoma/Napa/Russian River area. They are all so close to one another, that you could really have a go at it!

Outside Patio

However, the latest vineyard that I went to was Merry Edwards Winery which is known for Pinot Noirs and their Sauvignon Blancs. It had a pretty peaceful atmosphere, but it was also very cosy. The feeling though was very much, go in, taste, buy wine, onto the next winery. There wasn't a lot of space to just lounge around, and the cashiers at the counter in the lobby definitely did not make it very welcoming.

Tasting Room

They do their tastings in groups and generally four pours. A great perk: FREE tastings! The downside? Miniature pours, not that I am complaining. After having a bottle of the 2010 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir, I was really expecting a lot of very blended and balanced wines. I was a little surprised that the reds that they served were so tannic. However, they seemed like they just needed a little more time in the bottle to age to get the mature rounded taste. I ended up walking away with a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc, a very well balanced and fruity white. I'm sure that the chilled factor also played a factor in me wanting that bottle! I'll let you know when I try it!