*UPDATE 12/20/19. Unfortunately Soda Rock Winery burned down in the Sonoma Fire. We are hoping they will rebuild.
After our great and satisfying visit to Lynmar Estate Winery, we headed out to Alexander Valley for an appointment we had with Alexander Valley Vineyards.
We noticed the change in climate almost immediately. It reminded us of the hot and arid climate that we have at home in El Dorado County.
Soda Rock Winery
We got to Alexander Valley a little sooner than we anticipated, so we decided to stop at Soda Rock Winery, which we saw on the way because of the very interesting giant wild boar art piece that was in front of the building. The building looked a little “wild western” and that was also intriguing.
Although we found the winery charming on the outside and inside was also rustic and elegant at the same time, we were not able to taste any wine.
I think there was one other couple at the tasting bar being helped by a server. We stood at the tasting bar for quite a while and the server ignored us and after serving wine to the other couple, she walked into a back room without acknowledging us and didn’t return. Well, she probably returned at some point, but we were unwilling to wait for any length of time. Very disappointing.
Alexander Valley Winery
After leaving Soda Rock Winery, we headed to our next and last stop of the day, Alexander Valley Winery.
It was pretty warm there, so it was nice to be inside the small tasting room to await our wine and cheese pairing experience. As we were a bit early and another group of people was lingering over their tasting at our table, we waited inside the tasting room for 15-20 minutes later than our appointment.
When we were finally seated at a small table on the deck, we found a line-up of wine glasses and our charcuterie plate.
The wine and cheese pairings were very good with the various wines, from Chardonnay through various red wines. It was a pleasant atmosphere, although it was a bit hot and noisy from some of the other tasters with their children.
We were then taken on a tour of the wine caves which were cool and huge. The tour guide was accompanied by a friendly dog. The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable.
We did not end up purchasing any wines here because they were too similar to the wines we have at the wineries at home in El Dorado County. The winery grounds were pretty but not interesting enough to explore. To be fair, it was very hot and we probably would not have poked around at all if it weren’t for the tour.
Cheers!
We Call Him Yes!Chef! 
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