More roads . . . and then Greece?

So the result? I found it. Sterling Vineyards. After parking the car in a lucky spot close to the booth, we surveyed the scene. The parking lot? Very well landscaped cement and potted flowers and ferns. Then the truth sank in. It's a $20 ride for a 5 minute cable car ride to get to a beautiful white winery that had a great view, but they give you "free wine tastings". I recommend going there on a weekday if you'd like to see people at work, just like visiting the Jelly Belly Factory may seem a bit empty on weekends or after hours. Still, with 5 tastings sprinkled around its estate and with picture perfect weather, it was hard to dislike it even with a steep tasting fee.

That's when I cracked. I've visited plenty of wineries throughout California from the Del Grotto Caves where I've tasted some 96 pointers to wineries that sold bottled jungle juice that should only be served at frat parties and campfires. Still I soldiered on, waiting for that perfect bottle of absolute bliss. It's like the perfect pair of shoes. You have vague ideas of what it should be, but in the end, the only way to know that it is the right one is when you see it and walk a few steps. So I was looking for the perfect bottle. Something worthy for me to find a way to pack in my already stuffed suitcase to brave the long trip home.

Did I find it? Absolutely. Malvasia Bianca. I don't like white wine and stay away from rieslings since I find them too sweet, but this? With tropical flavors and a hint of mango, mild acidic to cut the sweetness from the fruit was a nice white wine that smelled even more amazing than it tasted. 2 bottles came home with me and it's a shame that you can't find this in stores. Either way, I found my liquid gold in a remote corner of Calistoga.

There are a lot of factors that can lead to a good wine. The growing season of the grapes that year, the types of barrels used, place of manufacture of the barrels, the yeast used, etc. Go on a few wine tours and the entire picture starts to unfold. However, what often gets neglected is that for many, the reason why some of us gravitate toward one versus the other can be purely based on experience or memory triggers. For me, it will always be the mango and tropical notes of the Malvasia Bianca from Sterling. So much so, that a month after the trip all I was searching for was orange yarn that had the perfect color of a ripe mango.

Did I find it? No. But now I own two bottles of white wine bliss. The lesson? Long winding roads, forests, clueless locals and cherry stands are all things to be endured in the search for Greece in Calistoga.