I went to the area on a business trip which I will go on about in a later blog but this trip was like a mini vacation. If anyone lives within a few hours of the area, I recommend it as a relaxing weekend getaway. I was accompanied by a coworker and friend. We drove up after work on Friday night and found our Inn. It is called the Toll House Inn and it was easy to find. Just take Hwy 101 to Hwy 128 out towards the coast and turn right at the Anderson Valley Brewery. About ten minutes along a gently winding road you happen upon the cute little house. There are four rooms in the house and we decided to share one room for the three of us. There was an event in Boonville that weekend and didn't want to take up all the rooms.

Greeted by a welcome bottle of wine.

In our room we were greeted by a little bottle of local wine in an ice bucket. It was a Handley Cellars Chardonnay and really hit the spot after a two hour drive. We met the caretakers of the house, a very nice, young couple who owned two cute little dogs that were not supposed to be in the main inn but we kept luring them in to pet them. The inn is like a house that is all yours. We could use the kitchen, refrigerator or any number of games and books. It was immediately relaxing.

We decided to grab some dinner before it was too late so we drove up 128 to the town of Philo to have the best Mexican food in the state.

Libby's Restaurant, the best Mexican food

Libby's Restaurant is a popular, traditional Mexican restaurant. Traditional, except for the fact that it serves a wide variety of local, fine wines with their fabulous meals. The food is excellent.

A Tostada at Libby's

On our way home we stopped at a funky, local grocery store to stock up on snacks and wine for the evening. I love this little store because it has everything you would ever need from escargot in a can to gas for your camp stove. In the back is a whole wine store selling wines from all over but featuring the local wines. We bought a bottle of Navarro Edelzwicker which is a blend of Alsatian varietals.

We spent the next day at the Alsatian Varietal Festival which I will blog in detail later. That evening, we couldn't help but visit Libby's once again. Our final day in the Anderson Valley we spent wine tasting at the various wineries. Some of the best wines can be found at Handley, Navarro, Toulouse Vineyards, Greenwood Ridge Vineyards and Roderer Estate.

Vern, the winemaker and owner of Toulouse Vineyards

The wineries were having open houses because of the event that weekend so we got an extra special treat. Most of the places had open houses with free food pairings, live music, barbecues and you got to learn from the winemaker various things about each winery and their wines.

On our way out of the valley we stopped for a beer at the Anderson Valley Brewing Company. We picked up some gifts there for our boyfriends. I bought a mustard that was made with their Stout and a t-shirt to commemorate the trip. We went home feeling like we had a long vacation.

Anderson Valley, Mendocino County