Counter-intuitive as it may be, you can often find better deals and a wider selection at the shops. Some say the Spanish missionaries, as they explored the intimidating valleys and hills, scattered mustard seeds behind them to mark a golden route home to their missions. A champagne cork can exit the bottle at 62 mph. Place a cloth towel over the cork, hold it firmly and gently rotate the bottle clockwise. Phylloxera, the voracious little plant louse that brought devastation to vineyards in the late 19th century, works at a grapevine's roots.
Tiny insects suck the life out of the vine, usually taking three to five years to fully destroy it.
Some of Wine Country's back roads beckon bicycle enthusiasts, particularly the two-lane country roads of the Dry Creek and Alexander valleys in Sonoma County. Quail scurry across the paths, and swallowtail butterflies enjoy roadside tastings of their own. Caution is required, though, for the roads are narrow and curves frequent. I am not a sheep . . . The slaughterhouse of failure is not my destiny.