<p>No one took the bait (OK, one person did) on another thread talking about underage drinking, for a question I asked, so I will start a new thread.</p>
<p>There’s a possibility that we will try to squeeze in a trip to the SF area sometime in August with D1 (who is 21) and D2 (who is 19). D1 took a wine and appreciation class her last semester at school, and D2 just graduated bartending school (her version of Plan B for a performing arts major). So I thought a nice day trip for us would be either Sonoma or Napa Valleys (I haven’t been there in 15 years or so). However, from the websites I found, it is unclear how California enforces drinking by those under age 21 in the presence of a parent. For instance, in several states, if a parent orders the alcoholic beverage for the under 21 age child, and the server places it in front of the parents, it is legal for the parent to give the drink to the child. We’ve done it both in Wisconsin and Texas, and I know it is legal in other states.</p>
<p>However, how do the wineries handle the presence of a 19-year old touring with their parents? Do they allow them to taste in the presence of parents? Or do they just look the other way?</p>
<p>I don’t want to turn this into a discussion of whether or not we should allow her to embibe, or what some ‘think’ the legal drinking age is in the U.S. Other threads have dealt with that. This has to be an issue parents traveling with older teens and 20 year olds have had to deal with, so I’m looking for some specific resources that will answer my question, or hearing from someone who has done this kind of trip.</p>
<p>I have seen wineries in the area card at their tasting bar. I have never seen them “look the other way”. An under-21 child can join older relatives at many tastings but will not be allowed to participate, but many wineries will not even allow under-21s into the tasting area (I have seen them card at the door). Check the websites of specific wineries you’d like to visit to see if they’ll allow your D2 to join you inside. I don’t believe any of them will allow her to participate.</p>
<p>I live in “wine country”. Most of the tasting rooms which are not at the actual vineyard have large signs saying you must be 21 to enter and it is enforced. The fine if you are caught by ABC is about $1,000. to the clerk and another fine to the tasting room. You cannot participate in tasting even if the parent pays for the under 21.<br>
Some of the wineries which have tasting rooms on the winery property itself will allow even young children to be in the tasting room but will not allow anyone under 21 to drink.
The only thing I will note is that some restaurants will open a bottle of wine which we brought, charge us corkage and ask “how many glasses?” They will bring a glass for our 19 year old without carding him or asking his age.</p>
<p>Ugh… I was pushing it to fly Chicago to West Coast on this trip (I’ve done a lot of flying in the last few months and am not looking forward to another airplane ride), but I’ve got a ton of earned points on my credit card that will basically pay all four RT tickets and 4-5 nights in a hotel. Since my kids have never been to California, I thought the SF area would appease the likes of everyone since there’s so much to do. If we have to skip the wine tasting one day (or split up in twos), I’m sure we will find something else to fill the time. I don’t want to waste all these credit card points on a trip with an outing where one family member feels excluded the whole day. There’s just too many other fun things to do in that area that we could all enjoy.</p>
<p>Stop by Sonoma State and see me while you’re out here!!! (if the trip is after the 23rd, that is. tee hee.)</p>
<p>Oh.</p>
<p>If you’re up for a fancier dinner, there’s a REALLY nice restaurant called Rue LePic that my choir goes to every year (we travel to SF once a year for a festival). I’m not sure how much it costs, but their Fillet Mignon is INCREDIBLE.</p>
<p>And make sure you go to Fisherman’s Wharf and see the guy that makes the crazy paintings with spray paint. Always a favorite in our group (at least one person buys one every year).</p>
<p>I thought about you HGFM when I realized how close we might be to Sonoma State, but alas, I will be busy moving my daughter back to school the same weekend you will be moving in, so the trip will be earlier.</p>
<p>Sounds like a great trip Teriwitt. My D and I are doing a little mother/daughter spa trip before she goes to college. She is lobbying hard for California but I think we’ll stay closer to home.</p>
<p>teri, you won’t have to exclude your 19 year old for the whole day. In our experience, in California, the entire family can certainly participate in the entire tour, in the talks that are sometimes available, in the walks through the actual vineyards, just not the tasting at the end, which really was somewhat incidental to the rest of the time we spent there. It really was not like people were spending hours in the tasting area. I’d still go if I were you, and I can recommend the Mondavi winery for very interesting tours, and a beautiful location.</p>
<p>I think if you’re interested you should still consider visiting a few wineries with your family, tour them, and even do a bit of tasting (the non-alcohol drinkers might be able to taste grape juices if they have them). Some of them have shops where the tasting is and they can wander around looking at the shop while you taste a bit. Do some research on the internet (or CC) up front to find the ones with decent tours and shops. Even if not tasting, they get to see how the winery operates and see the scenery around the wine country. For a lot of people doing the winery tours, it’s more about the tour/shops/scenery than it is about the tasting anyway.</p>
<p>I hope you guys have a WONDERFUL time, regardless of where you go. Northern California is, in my opinion, much nicer than SoCal (where I grew up).</p>
<p>I actually did some winery tours when I was there 15 years ago. H is not much into wines as he is beer (I think we did three brewery and distillery tours when we were in Ireland), but will contently go along if that’s what we decide to do. I do know that there have been many changes in how wine is made in the 15 years since I was there, so it would be educational for me. I also think the educational aspect for my daughters would be worth it, to reinforce what they’ve learned recently in their classes.</p>
<p>And before anyone asks, we do plan on having a party while D2 is home for three weeks this summer so she can practice her newly acquired skills. Between both daughters, we ought to be well stocked. I told D2 her friends cannot drink at this party (the party is mostly for our adult friends anyway) and she told me, “I know mom… they taught me to card people anyway.” While I’m not fond of admitting my two daughters now collectively know more about alcohol than their father and me, it is kind of nice to have them as resources… no more Boone’s Farm or Morgan David around here (or Schlitz!) JK.</p>
<p>How about your H and D1 take a winery tour, and you and D2 can “take the mud” in Calistoga meanwhile? A nice relaxing mudbath and spa treatment would be just heavenly to me right now…</p>
<p>(And then dinner afterwards at the Culinary Institute - Greystone in St Helena, and stay in a little inn somewhere nearby. Sounds great to me!)</p>
<p>actually, that sounds lovely, but we are limited in where we can stay by our credit card points, and those are only good at Hyatt/Fairfield/Marriott and Ritz-Carlton chains. I do get massages every two weeks, but I’ve never done anything like a mud bath. I can’t even get D2 to indulge in my treat for a manicure/pedicure… not sure if she’d think differently about a spa day (she has seen my massage therapist a couple of times, though). How far is St. Helena from SF?</p>
<p>Just reread my previous post… I got Mogan-David wrong. I should know it well… it was the first thing I ever got drunk on… as an eight year old. My parents were out and my brother was supposed to be watching me. He got absorbed in his homework, and I became curious about the purple drink in the fridge!</p>
<p>yea, but the Ritz requires many, many more points than the others per each night. We’d get, let’s see, maybe two nights at the Ritz with what we’ll have left after plane tickets.</p>
<p>I’ve only skimmed, so don’t know if this suggestion would work. </p>
<p>If the idea is to visit California, consider visiting San Diego area instead of SF area. Then do the wine country tour in Baja California, Mexico. Drinking age is 18. We have a winter home there and we have taken every visiting set of friends on a Ruto del Vino tour and all have loved it. Drive time from San Diego to the wine country is probably about 1 1/2 hours, but allow two. Drive time on the return would be longer, as the border crossing is a big traffic jam -going north back into the US; no problem going south into Mexico - (to put it mildly).</p>
<p>PM me if you want more details re specific wineries, etc.</p>
<p>I spent my honeymoon in the 80’s north of SF. We stayed in Gualala at a gorgeous B&B and did mostly Sonoma wineries. I remember enjoying the Korbel tour and I loved the Russian River/ Healdsburg area. Sadly, a big flood came not too long after that and did a lot of damage in that area. I still look for Russian River wines when shopping.</p>
(if the trip is after the 23rd, that is. tee hee.)</p>