...is in a limo. And a Viva Limousine if you're really doing it right.
A couple of weeks ago my dad, my brother, and my brother's girlfriend, Claire came out to visit and it was wonderful. Having the three of them here, let alone at the same time, meant so, so much to me. I only get to see them about once a year and it's not nearly enough. Not to mention, my family hadn't met Ryan's mom, Cindy, and stepdad, Ray, yet (who are a big part of my life out here) and so I was super excited to introduce everyone. To celebrate, I decided to rent a limo to take us wine tasting in Temecula, about an hour north of where we live in San Diego.
To plan the day, I researched a LOT of limo companies and party buses and Temecula winery tours. There's a lot to consider: price of limo per hour, whether or not gratuity is included, how many passengers, do they include tasting tickets or coupons, do we rent the limo and buy the tickets separately, what about lunch etc. etc. Who knew? I finally settled on Viva Limousine and their tasting tour package. I will be forever glad that I did because they truly made our day. Ken, the owner, and Kathy, our driver, were so exceptional. Having done the research, I can tell you now... if you are ever planning on doing a day like this, avoid the headache and go straight to them.
Bonus? Our driver Kathy makes and sells the most adorable wine cork tiaras and had one as a gift for me for booking with Viva Limousine! I made her take a picture with me and my tiara at Bel Vino. Isn't it cute? If you're going to Temecula for a bridal shower or a birthday party be sure to pre-order one of these for your guest of honor!
Our awesome driver and the owner of Wine Cork Tiara, Kathy Poblano
For the tastings, I picked four wineries in Temecula: Danza del Sol, South Coast, Falkner and Bel Vino. This was my second time at Danza del Sol and it was just as meh as the first time... skip this one if you can. The award-winning South Coast was huge and had beautiful grounds, not to mention they served the most generous pours of the four. Kathy had boxed lunches ready for us to enjoy outside with the spectacular view and wines at Bel Vino. But my favorite wine of the day was the Hot Lips at Falkner, a mulled wine perfect for chilly holidays.
We had so much fun from the moment we got to Cindy and Ray's for brunch on their patio to our drunken limo ride home. It was one of my favorite days ever and I wish the three of them lived here so there could be more days like that. But I'll take what I can get and what I got was pretty great. :)
