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We knew the weather was going to be a bit on the colder side of things, but there were no predictions of any rain, so that was good. We had a great time exploring Solvang as this is a great city to enjoy some good wine, beer, and food. That gives you a hint of where I am at these days.

Saturday

We left Orange County at 10:21 am and started our weekend adventure. We took the Tesla on this trip so we needed to stop in Ventura for a 20 minute charge, and we decided to go to Trader Joe's to get a few groceries before we continued on our way. We decided to stop at Lincourt before heading to the Worldmark Solvang to start our trip off right with a tasting of some local wines.



Are friends arrived about the same time we did around 3:30pm and we checked into our two bedroom condo. After catching up, we decided to cook our Omaha Steaks with some shrimp, twice baked potatoes, mushrooms, and trader joes french bread.

Sunday

We started off the morning enjoying some lovely pastries and coffee from the local bakeries. In Solvang there are a dozen or so bakeries that have incredible Danish Baked Goods.

Walking Around Town

After filling our bellies with all the wonderful danishes, we walked around town in some of the tourist shops.

Firestone Winery

The members room at the Firestone Winery is pretty special. I have been to several wineries and I believe the Firestone tasting area next to the barrel room is fantastic. You are sitting in such a quaint setting right next to all the barrels. It is great!

Monday

Ditto on the morning before. We went down and got some great baked goods and enjoyed them back at the Worldmark Solvang.

We got a late checkout at 11:00 am, so we enjoyed our food and then headed out to town to act like the tourists that we were once again.

NFL Playoffs

We happened to pick the week the playoffs started, so we got to see the Bills beat up on the Steelers while we enjoyed some brews at Solvang Brewing Company.

Back to Lincourt

We finished off our trip by heading back to Lincourt Vineyards with our friends and getting a couple more bottles to enjoy back at home.

One Last Stop.....

I keep trying to find my Gainey Merlot at the prices I got used to, but it is now up to $23.99 per bottle, and even though I LOVE that wine, I think there are some fairly close second that should be in the $15 range.

Firestone Santa Ynez Valley Merlot

Is this my next hidden gem? We shall see... as I bought six bottles at $14.99 to give them a try at home. I love Firestone and hope this might be the next great find in my Great Value Wine Discoveries.