Jeroboam Surprise - $150 Corkage A Jeroboam of Still wine (as opposed to sparkling which holds one-third less) is equivalent to 6 standard bottles.

An acquaintance of mine brought one in for a very special meal and told me the restaurant charged him a $25 corkage per bottle equivalent which totaled $150.

Although the diners used the same original wine glasses, and the waiter rarely got around to help pour, the restaurant refused to budge on the full corkage.

Needless to say, the tip was based on the price of the food before tax and before corkage.

Winery Tour – Pride Mountain Vineyards
Our spectacular tasting and tour experience ($5) was midweek in October. Straddling Napa and Sonoma counties in the Spring Mountain District, this gorgeous setting with stunning wines by Bob Foley is what the “Wine Country” is all about.

Our excellent tasting and tour guide Russell gave us insights about the wines and vines and shared a taste of the grapes from the vines. We even met the Belgian draft horses who work where machines shouldn’t. (Russell said, “The shoe allowance for these horses is $1,200 a month.” I couldn’t resist; I turned to my date Judi and said, “Hey, just like you.”)

There are wonderful surprise highlights about this special wine country experience that you’ll discover for yourselves when you arrive that shall go unmentioned here. Note: appointments are mandatory – call a couple of weeks ahead.

Tip: Between visits to the various wineries on Spring Mountain, you’ll thank yourself for having picnic foods and water. And bring your camera.

[Overall rating: 10 out of 10 corks].

Winery Tour - Benzinger
This $10 45-minute tour takes you on a tram pulled by a tractor through the Biodynamic (no chemicals) vineyards, pausing for great views and interesting facts (e.g., sun exposure on the same varietal will vary the taste depending on morning vs. afternoon) and to the wine cellar.

Our guide John gave an enthusiastic and finely wordsmithed tour.

Our sold-out tram (October, Friday at 1:30 PM) included folks from all over the world, and we even tasted grapes from the vine. The "free" wine tasting at the end included lots of choices, including a great Chard and an excellent 2004 Oonapais.

Tip: (this applies to many tasting rooms) to avoid the crowds, when entering the tasting room, wind your way to the other tasting stations instead of the first one.
We especially enjoyed server Mary Jo (name badge says "Sunshine") who gave us lots of tastes, genuine personal attention, and a cheerful attitude.
[Overall rating: 8 out 10 corks].