Wine and Spirits Travel

Marin County is the often forgotten area between San Francisco and the California wine countries of Napa and Sonoma. I have been here many times because I have family in this area, but this is the first time I’m getting to spend a week in this area exploring. My last trip here included a mini girls’ getaway with my nieces which was a lot of fun.  This time it’s going to be a Napa getaway in Calistoga, but before that gets here I am checking out Marin, starting with Novato. According to Christine Bohlke, my contact from the Marin County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Novato is just the place for the Spirits Traveler to begin. You see, legend has it that a Russian contingency came here and was disappointed to find this area had “No Vodka,” and named the town accordingly! You won’t find a shortage of vodka – or any other spirits – here these days and Christine helped me prove that by taking me around town.  I had the pleasure of staying at one of the great representatives of Nova

A previous engagement kept me from accompanying the rest of my group to Epernay on a visit to the Perrier Jouet Champagne House.  Epernay had been a classic stop on my October trip to France so I was familiar with this champagne filled city, but wanted to learn more about this brand and its history. Though the wine and spirits giant Pernod Ricard now owns Perrier Jouet, it still bears the legacy of the family it came from in 1811.  The house includes extensive caves which housed many fine champagnes, as well as Italian prisoners during the war.  Most of all, it is filled with tradition founded by Pierre-Nicolas Perrier and Rose Adelaide Jouët on Avenue de Champagne in Epernay, now home to an abundance of champagne houses.  Before I left France, I did have a chance to sit with Cellar Master Herve Deschamps who told me about what makes Perrier Jouët stand out from the rest, “It’s a family work ethic,” he said, “to preserve the quality and maintain the same style.”  The vineyards, w