I am really pleased to have been invited on a riding tour through Northern California’s best wine country during the first week of October. I have greatly enjoyed riding trips through the world famous wine country of Bordeaux and Chianti, but this trip which takes in wineries from Napa to Mendocino, should top them all. It has a huge selection of different wines and a greater variety of grapes and techniques used in producing them. Most wine areas, particularly in Europe, are bound by local traditions and often government regulations which make them stick to much the same way of doing things they have followed for centuries. California has the huge advantage of being able to draw on ancient knowledge of viticulture from many European countries, Iran and even South Africa as expert wine makers from all over the world have settled there. Californians have also been less fettered by traditions and government regulations and are more willing to experiment.
I am especially happy about the prospect of this trip because my older son, Bayard, is a wine maker himself (www.renardsyrah.com) who lives in Napa. We will be able to spend one of the evenings during the trip together and he will provide the wines for the dinner. The food in Tuscany and in Bordeaux is certainly some of the best in the world, but again California has a great deal to offer because of the ethnic mix enabling their cooks to draw from the culinary traditions of so many countries. Thanks to the mild climate there is fresh produce available much of the year.
The horses for this tour sound as though they would be a pleasure to ride. Apparently most of them are gaited Rocky Mountain horses. Apparently these versatile animals can trot and gallop as well. The breed is known to be sure footed and willing. In order to visit the most attractive parts of the area, the horses are often trailered from their base enabling us to cover the riding highlights. This adventure should provide California horseback riding at its best.
