Visit to Sky Pine Vineyards and Bob Dog Winery

Winery Tour Sept. 13, 2012

Roxanne from Auberge set-up my going to Bob Dog winery, she said it was a must see. Little did I know when she set it up that it would become a highlight of my time in Cloverdale. She gave us a map and said it was four miles up the hill. Roxanne also said that there is a big grade so be careful to get enough power in your car so that you don’t go backwards and then want to turn around. What she did not tell me was how many more mountains I would climb once I got up there!

Tim Ward, who is the wine maker, chief bottle washer, self-appointed dirt farmer, greeted us with his very funky jeep. It was like being on an African Safari without the animals, and lots of grapes instead of natives. But the point is that his jeep climbed a lot of very steep mountains. He said I might throw up, not with my iron clad stomach, but there was a lot of excitement in out tour. The hills were very steep and the terrain is very rough, which made for a tour that was like a Disneyland ride. It was especially exciting when the clutch pooped out and we started rolling down the hill. After we were finished I was in need of a wine tasting. All of his wines were very good and true to his winemaking philosophy.

BobDog Wines is a grower-based winery. What does that mean? Well it’s quite straight forward. All great wines start with the vineyard, it’s the grapes. You cannot make a good wine from bad grapes. The key is to grow great grapes, and then have the Wine Maker build from there. As a winery, their priority is to handcraft the best grapes from the noble varietals they grow, and combine that treasure with the skills of the artisan wine maker.

The mission of BobDog Wines is summarized in its credo, Sustainable Agriculture, (the love and husbandry of the land itself). Social Stewardship, (charitable giving from wine sales proceeds to programs for the protection and care of animals); Consumer Education, (multi-media programs and hands on vineyard events for the consumer: theie vineyard boot camp series; and their renowned: RedWine and BlueMusic Festival).

This place is not to be missed, and Tim will make your experience all the more enjoyable. He is an expert on winemaking and filling you in on all the details of his winery. After all BobDog wines are located on Sky Pine Vineyards, which are known as the highest winery in town and Sky Pine Vineyards has the best Bordeaux on the mountain.