Where can you take your dog along for treats as you taste wine? Modesto columnist details
The Navigator did an excellent job guiding us to the Bay Area for a dim sum lunch, then on to a wood-bat league championship baseball game to watch our grandson. We headed north to Santa Rosa to check into our hotel and take a quick nap. Then we went to the new release tasting in Kenwood of Naked Wines before a great dinner.
The day was just perfect. Well, almost. Our team lost the game, but there we were, in beautiful Sonoma Wine Country. We just had to stay another night and do what we’ve done for many, many years, taste wine!
Mutt Lynch Winery
Located in downtown Windsor, Mutt Lynch is Sonoma County’s most dog-friendly winery. Open to the public, all dogs are welcome with their well-behaved leashed humans. They offer a doggone good time with award-winning wines, a wine club for you and your dog, canine “yappetizers” and a water bowl. Winemaker and owner, Brenda Lynch, husband Chris and their three dogs moved to Sonoma County in the mid-1990s She worked in the cellars of Russian River wineries, rising to cellar master. She decided to go pro and make a Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel and Mutt Lynch Winery was born in 1995.
Mutt Lynch is proud to support animal rescue organizations in their tireless efforts to save pets lives. The “Hound Lounge” is the perfect place to hold the Mutt Lynch Yappy Hours. On the second Friday of each month they raise funds for very deserving rescue organizations. Tickets are just $10, you get a glass of wine and a good time to meet wine and dog loving people. Their September “Yappy Hour” from 4-7 p.m. raised money for the Maui Humane Society and October will benefit Canine Companions.
Their tasting menu is $20 and it is gladly waived with a wine purchase. The award-winning wines are reasonably priced. My favorites were the 2019 Merlot Over and Play Dead from the Russian River Valley and the 2021 Portrait of a Mutt, a GSM blend from the Sierra Foothills. The staff was terrific, the wines delicious and there is absolutely no pretension here. Your dog will love this place and will definitely bark less and wag more!
What’s on our table
If you’re looking for reasonably priced house wine in the $8 range, give Dark Horse a try. It’s an E. & J. Gallobrand and it’s doing quite well in major wine competitions. The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc was a Double Gold with 99 points and the Non Vintage Red Blend scored a Gold with 95 points. The following were Silver Medal winners; the 2022 Rose (91 pts.), the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon (90 pts.), the 2021 Merlot (88 pts.) and the 2021 Pinot Noir (88 pts.). These awards were from the 2023 California State Fair Wine Competition. Cheers!
Questions? Comments? Find me on Facebook or at rgwinton@yahoo.com.
