San Francisco & Napa Valley: Day 4 (Part 1)

January 14, 2013

Our last full day in Napa Valley with Trafalgar Tours began with what else, but yet another visit to a winery.  Except, this winery, Round Pond Estate, is also home to olive groves.  One of my favorite things in life is olive oil, thus I could not have been more excited to learn about their olive oil cultivation and production.  Luckily for us, we arrived on the first day of harvest and there was already a copious amount of liquid gold for us to taste.

After a few delicious and very fresh samples, I wandered off into the nearby wine vineyards for a moment of solitude.

San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California

Then it was time to head over to the breathtakingly beautiful estate, where there was even more olive oil and wine along with locally made bread, cheese, and produce from the estate’s garden.  Once I tasted their rosemary, garlic, and basil olive oil trio I instantly purchased them to take home with me.

San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California

It was nearly impossible to leave Round Pond Estate, as it is truly one of the best wineries I have ever visited around the world, however we had a reservation at another award-winning destination: Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen.  One of the most popular restaurants in the Napa Valley and for good reason, the owner Cindy Pawlyn was once on the show Top Chef Masters.  Cindy starred on Season One and now has three Napa Valley restaurants, her most famous being Mustards Grill.

San Francisco, California

The food and the ambiance definitely lived up to her reputation and a visit to Napa Valley would be incomplete without a stop at one of her restaurants.  Cindy even left what she was doing in the kitchen to introduce herself.  Those amongst us who are cooking show fans were thrilled to meet her in person.  I personally had never heard of her before, but thought this was another fine example of the unique and special moments you will only experience on a Trafalgar Tours guided vacation.  Thankfully, we still had some more moments of our own left ahead of us. . .

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Andi Perullo de Ledesma

I am Andi Perullo de Ledesma, a Chinese Medicine Doctor and Travel Photojournalist in Charlotte, NC. I am also wife to Lucas and mother to Joaquín. Follow us as we explore life and the world one beautiful adventure at a time.

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22 thoughts on “San Francisco & Napa Valley: Day 4 (Part 1)

  1. Katie @ Domestiphobia

    That just looks like the absolute most PERFECT day! From the moment of solitude among the vines, to the olive oil tasting and fantastic meals, I could probably spend every day like that for the rest of my life and never get bored.

    Reply
  2. Andi

    Gorgeous photos, you did such a great job capturing Round Pond, all my photos sucked! I loved that place. Great photos of Cindy’s too!

    Reply
    1. Andi Perullo Post author

      Thank you so much sweetheart!!! I LOVED that place! I could have taken photos there for hours. I can’t believe I didn’t have any food shots from Cindy’s. 🙁

      Reply
  3. Karla

    Simply stunning bella!

    What amazing captures of this beautiful winery 🙂

    Love olive oil! Pouring a bit on a nice piece of fresh baked bread (or baguette) is heavenly!

    I agree with Ted, that photo of the palms lined up and seen from the window is just fab.

    Bravo 😉

    Reply
  4. Lisa

    Wonderful post. A picture is worth than thousands words. Photography is indeed the best way to express your feelings and depicts the era. I love photography and look over the web for finding useful stuff for the same. I came across your blog and after subscribing in my feeder I hope you will keep on the good posts like this continuously. Thanks You

    Reply

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