My Kat Life

Beautiful Bay Area weather this weekend — what better way to kick it off with some wine tasting? I had never been wine tasting outside of Napa Valley before this weekend and had no idea there were so many wineries out in the East Bay! This weekend trip with girlfriends was just what I needed to get my mind off of the craziness that is life.

We started off our trip with brunch at The Press in Pleasanton. When we arrived, the line was out the door — I guess I need to be more on top of the East Bay food scene. It also happened to be their two-year anniversary and they were giving out free lemonade and chocolate chip cookies.

I went with a matcha latte, coddled egg + cheese grits, and Acme levain toastini (avocado & egg and ricotta, fresh fruit, honey). Everything was delicious!

Once our bellies were full, we headed about 20 minutes away to Livermore for our first wine tasting appointment at Murireta’s Well. Make sure to make an appointment.

We were greeted warmly outside and handed a glass of “welcome wine,” wow! No other wineries I know of hand you a glass of wine upon checking in (ok fine, it turned out to be the first wine on the wine tasting list, but calling it the “welcome wine” is a good idea). Thank you for the hospitality Murrieta’s Well!

We were escorted upstairs to the tasting room. The first floor is elegant and cozy with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and wine barrels lining two walls. The space was set up for a wedding reception later in the day. It’s definitely a great venue for a wedding or other special event.

Our host Rob was a darling and made sure our wine tasting experience was one to remember. Ok fine, he was beyond amazing. We tasted the five wines on the list plus four or five additional ones! Many of the Murrieta wines are blends; the standouts: The Whip, Zarzuela, Tempranillo, and the 2014 Spur that was JUST released to Club Members.

Fun fact: the winery was named after a bandit, Joaquin Murrieta, who used the well on the grounds for his horses when he was passing through. It was named Murrieta’s well to let people know not to go to the well if he was there or they would be robbed.

Our next stop was Concannon Vineyards, also a wedding venue. For just $10 per person, you can reserve a table on the lawn for five and a half hours (1-8 people max). The price includes a GoVino glass that you can take home and a 3 oz pour of wine. We decided to buy some cheese, crackers, and salami for a little picnic as we soaked up the sun and got some girl talk in. Recommendation: pack a picnic basket with snacks if you reserve a lawn table or Grape Arbor picnic space (8 guest minimum).

The grounds, comprised of the Estate Tasting Room (a dedicated historic landmark for indoor wine tasting at the counter), Underdog Wine Bar (which serves food paired with wines), and the Grape Arbor and Lawn for picnic and table reservations, are stunning. The wall covered in wisteria makes for a beautiful background for a photo shoot as well.

Our final stop of the day was the Livermore Outlets. We managed to stop at quite a few shops (and did quite a bit of walking since these outlets are huge!) and found Amorino Gelato to get a rose gelato before heading home.