It was one of those weekends we told ourselves we really should stay home and finish chores.
But we’d heard about an open house at Anselmo Vineyards in Inwood, and were intrigued enough to take a short road trip there on Sun. April 19.
So glad we did.
It was a beautiful day in a beautiful setting that began with a motorized hay ride from the Seven Hills Land and Cattle Company and Anselmo Vineyards parking lot to the main grounds.
Fun!
If you’re unfamiliar with Inwood, it’s just west of Shingletown, about a 25-minute drive east on Highway 44 from Redding.
Although our original destination was Anselmo Vineyards’ grand opening, we discovered that the winery was a small part of a much larger parcel within Anselmo’s Seven Hills Land and Cattle Co. – a working ranch that covers about 2,000 acres.
Hence, the horses, sheep, and even a tired little lamb.
The property boasts an expansive, high-ceiling tasting room; a study in concrete, wood and stainless materials where visitors sample wines, some of which came from grapes grown on the nearby 15-acre vineyard. A visit later to the spread’s website, bar7h.com, provided yet more information, such as the fact that the property is home to natural beef and lamb, wine, honey, hay, and lavender oils. Also, it hosts events, such as weddings and other catered parties, which you can learn more about by clicking here.
Twenty dollars paid for a generous flight of Anselmo Vineyards’ three signature wines: 2007 St. Pe’ De Bigorre ($16 per bottle), the 2006 Merlot ($28 per bottle), and the 2006 Majorette ($30 per bottle), followed by a wild card repeat of each guest’s favorite. (Bruce and I both liked the 2006 Majorette best – wouldn’t you know it – we guessed it will taste even better after it’s had a chance to mature a bit more.)
We couldn’t help but admire the obvious attention to aesthetic details: smooth, colorful stucco buildings, interesting artwork on interior walls, live music indoors (and even a little gift shop), and a very cool water feature and attractive landscaping outside.
No surprise then, that the food also went above and beyond the standard wine-tasting fare of bread, apples, cheese, and crackers.
The menu included grilled lamb and steak; spinach dip and a cranberry spread; pot stickers and chocolates. Did I mention the lamb? OMG.
Wine-tasting was optional, which helped explain why so many people felt comfortable about bringing children, and the kind of place where adults toured the grounds, rode horses, took in the scenery and marveled that this place seemed to spring up in such a relatively short amount of time. We wished our landscaping looked like that. Sigh.
We stayed for hours, and couldn’t resist buying some wine, which we’re saving for a special occasion.
This wine photo courtesy of Anselmo Vineyards
We’ll remember a relaxing day when we tasted good wine and ate delicious food from a new local business, a place where we met lots of nice people, many of whom came from as far away as Oregon. We also bumped into some Redding friends and acquaintances.
Finally, we became fast buddies with one particularly charismatic fellow.
Or maybe it was my lamb bone.
We never got his name. But we’ll return to Anselmo Vineyards one day.
For the wine-tasting and scenery.
And maybe we’ll look up our charming new friend.
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Seven Hills Land and Cattle Company and Anselmo Vineyards is located at 28740 Inwood Road, Inwood, Calif., 9608. For more information about wine-tasting, purchasing, special events or anything else, visit the ranch and vineyards’ website at bar7h.com or call 530.474.5546.
