2009 Ma(i)sonry Hanson-Hseih Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc

One of the fortunate things about moving to a new place that just happens to be one of the world's largest tourist destinations is that it isn't too difficult to convince friends and family to come visit.

Yesterday, I had my first family visitors, my aunt Randee and uncle Brian, who came up to Napa for the day during their long weekend in San Francisco. After a long lunch at Farmstead, where we shared the incredible zucchini with ricotta and mint dish (two, after my uncle refused to leave with just one order) along with chopped salad and fried potatoes - oh, and a peach and blackberry crumble with vanilla ice cream - we spent the afternoon at Ma(i)sonry, a tasting room in Yountville.

Ma(i)sonry is a combination of the words maison, which means "house" in French and masonry. The space is unique in that everything on display is for sale - artwork, antiques, the wines available to taste. Unlike at a tasting room at a winery where you can only taste the wines they make, Ma(i)sonry specializes in small production, local vineyards who simply aren't large enough to have their own tasting rooms.

Sabine, our hostess and a friend of my roommates who I've met a number of times before, welcomed us with a glass of the 2009 Ma(i)sonry Hanson-Hseih Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc, their own label which was surprisingly crisp and minerally (and incredibly delicious). We sat outside under suspended umbrellas (a new trend, said my aunt) and tasted a number of wines, including my first-ever dry Moscato. We ate cheese and dried fruit and nuts, completely relaxed in our surroundings.














It was a stark contrast to the mayhem of the previous night's event, Cheers! St. Helena, which takes place the first Friday of every month and consists of walking along Main St. with a govino (a plastic, stemless wine glass for you non-Napa folks not familiar) and stopping in each store where various wineries are stationed, pouring their wines. A fun event, but after three hours somewhat exhausting, especially when you suddenly realize you're hungry and every single restaurant in town is full.

And certainly a stark contrast to the last minute dinner I was invited to at Terra Valentine, the winery where Christina's boyfriend, Rory works, with a group of three couples who were staying at the guest house in the vineyard that looks like a castle (and is supposedly haunted by the man that founded the winery), where we danced, ate and enjoyed their wines. Oh, and Christina and I got tattoos - the stick-on kind.














At this pace, it's no wonder that I was able to fall asleep at 9 p.m. on Wednesday night. And it makes me even more appreciative of having had a peaceful afternoon with my family. Though there was wine and cheese involved, it was calm and less extravagant than the nights and weekends tend to be here. Sometimes you need that to bring you back down to earth.

It was great to catch up and see people I love, but it only made me more secure in my decision to uproot my life and come out west. No matter where you are, the people you love will always be there with you somehow. The first thing my aunt said to me was that I looked different, not in terms of appearance, but in mentality.

New York had a hold on me that I'm trying to let go of here. I'm already feeling more like myself, and no one can notice that better than the people who know you the best.

And, both they and I agreed, that this little part of earth where I am right now isn't too bad. (I did catch them looking at the real estate listings!).