Winery sans wine

I debated whether I should go. Was I strong enough in my sobriety to handle a visit to a wine region? Although I had heard many great reports of the Napa Valley and I didn't have to go to the wineries I reassured myself however there was a definite pull from within that I should go and had I still been drinking this would be on the must do list. I would feel a bit disappointed to miss out merely because of my alcohol-free status. These were all the thoughts that were swirling through my mind when I decided it was only an hour drive and it was a beautiful day, so, my husband and I jumped in the car and headed northeast from San Francisco.

Before we knew it, I saw the vineyards all around and it was official we'd entered wine country. I was overcome with a sense of comfort. It reminded me how much I enjoyed these landscapes. Looking at the rolling hills, the green of the vineyards against the red dirt brought a smile to my face and an expanse to my breath. As we rounded the corner, on top of the hill there was a building, I assumed was a winery and it was begging to be visited. I took the right turn into the driveway, and we saw sign Viansa proudly displayed at the gate I meandered the winding drive and parked the car.

Their grounds were spectacular, the winery is obviously very old and a lot had been invested in maintaining it. We walked through a cellar and then ascended the stairs into the tasting room. The tasting servers were busy, so we had look around the grounds, the view from the top was an absolute panoramic spectacle and I fell in love with it. My husband wanted a red wine, and he loves a good view as much as I do.

We had a helpful conversation with the wine tasting server who had spent some time in Brisbane, Australia (where we live). He imparted some tips on where to go south of San Francisco and identified that we should go to a place called Sonoma on the way back if we had time. Gobinda decided on a Zinfandel, a wine that I've never actually tasted before but by the description sounded like it was one the old Jade would have enjoyed. I walked to the fridge, where there was some Italian soda on display, I decided on the blood orange asked for a glass with heaps of ice and we walked outside to admire view…Phew that was a bit close!

I questioned whether it was the smartest move to go to a winery so early in the trip but I'm glad that I did it. For me being alcohol free is not about abstaining. It's not about restricting. It's not about white knuckling it. It's about creating a life that I love. I realised in that winery there are so many things that I love about wine tasting and it's not actually all about the alcohol but the connection, the conversations, the views, getting to know the people. This is what I really love about visiting wine regions and certainly what I got from that trip.

After we left the winery, we took the advice from the server, and we stopped off at Sonoma, a lovely little town that we never would have found if we hadn't gone to that winery. Wineries or indeed, any local attraction, are a good place to get the inside information on where to go. We stopped there for a couple of drinks, I had an alcohol-free beer and my husband had a local specialty. We sat outside in the sun and appreciated the experience just like I would have done with a glass of wine. The bonus was that we left Sonoma at seven o'clock arrived to have dinner in Berkley at eight o'clock and got to our accommodation at 10pm at night. The 45-minute late night drive through fog along the coast was bloody hairy and I was relieved that I did not have any alcohol in my system.

I never would have fit that much into any day when I was drinking, it was always beer o’clock at 4pm. It was tools down, make sure I was where I needed to be so I could crack a drink and start the wind down. Now four o'clock is the start of be here o'clock for me. I often will still start a wind down but with a lovely AF drink, a podcast and lovingly cook dinner. On my Napa Valley winery day I still had another six hours of fun to fit in which I would have largely missed out on had I've been drinking. Having 6 hours of more productive time is a gift that my alcohol-free life offers, which is all the more valuable when you are travelling!