Welcome to a virtual tour of places in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys mentioned in Sweeter Than Wine.
These photos were taken at the Gundlach-Bundschu Winery in the Sonoma Valley.
 |
Ripening grapes on the vine It's mid-August, and the grapes are starting to turn from green to purple. The harvest is only weeks away now. |
 |
Harvested grapes awaiting crush After picking, the juice is extracted from the grapes as quickly as possible, to avoid spoilage. Most wineries are working double-shifts, seven days a week during harvest. And the swarms of bees and wasps buzzing around these lugs of grapes have to be seen to be believed! |
 |
Harvested grapes being crushed After picking, the juice is extracted from the grapes using a device called a crusher-destemmer. |
 |
Initial fermentation of red wine grapes After being pressed, the vats of juice for red wine are covered with lids and allowed to absorb color from a thick layer of grapeskins floating on the surface during the initial period of fermentation. |
 |
Carting away the pomace After the crusher-destemmer extracts the juice from the grapes, conveyer belts carry away the skins, seeds, and stems, and dump them in the beds of waiting trucks. The pomace is sometimes used to make grappa, a potent distilled liquor, or more commonly, is used as fertilizer on the fields. |
 |
Rosenbaum House at St. Clements Winery Located at St. Clements Winery in Calistoga, at the top of the Napa Valley, this house served as the inspiration for the beautiful Victorian house at Sweeter Than Wine's fictional Montclair Winery. |
 |
Fieldstone Winery Building, St. Clements Winery Located in the back of the Rosenbaum House, this stone building provides a cool place to crush and ferment grapes. This building served as the inspiration for Montclair's stone winery. |
 |
Duhring's Hardware & Grocery, Sonoma Yes, it really existed! No longer a grocery, this graceful nineteenth-century brick building is located on the east side of Sonoma's central Plaza, across the street from City Hall. |
 |
Sonoma City Hall Located in the middle of the Sonoma Plaza, and surrounded by a large city park, City Hall has four identical facades. |
 |
Wine Cave Located in a hillside at the Gundlach-Bundschu Winery, these caves provide a temperature-controlled place to age and store wine. |
 |
Sonoma Vineyard in Springtime February and March are beautiful months to visit the Sonoma Valley. The vines are still bare, but the vineyards are bright with the yellow masses of wild mustard flowers. |
 |
Summer Vineyards near Ravenswood Winery Beginning in mid-May, California's hills turn golden-brown, providing a rich contrast to the blue skies and green vines. |
 |
Summer Vineyards near Healdsburg, California It's a cloudless summer day in Sonoma County, and the vines are in full leaf along the country roads. |
 |
Victorian House near Healdsburg, California A lucky find on a drive through the back roads of Sonoma County--a gorgeous Victorian house, surrounded by flowers and vineyards. |
Return to the Wine and Roses page.
Want to be notified when my next book is released? Sign up here! (Your email address will not be sold or passed on to anyone else.)
This Website © 2005 by Papaguy Designs
Stories and novel excerpts © 1999-2005 by Michaela August
Sonoma County photos © 2003 by Karin Welss
Images, text, or Web page layout may not be reproduced in total or in part without express written permission.
This Web page last updated April 2005
Mail the Webmistress!
Email the Author!
You are visitor
Thanks for stopping by!