After rollicking our way through Sideways this week (I confess I watched it twice), Ken and I decided to take a mini-road trip to the Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, Massachusetts. The weather was so spectacular today; granted, it was in the low eighties, but the air was so dry. The improvement in my mood has been amazing to experience!

Although the tour of the winery was bland (they need to educate the guides), the tasting was lots of fun. As soon as the vintner realized we actually intended to make a purchase, she let us try whatever we wanted. The dry wines were mostly apple and pear wines, and, to my taste, lacked character. The semi-sweets, however, were incredibly good (so complex!), and I can see why so many of them have won awards year after year. Our favorites were the Semi-Sweet Blueberry, the Cherry, and the After Dinner Peach.

Because their purple raspberries were ripe, I picked a pint to bring home. Now I need to find a raspberry sauce recipe. And, come to think of it, I don't own a strainer that will help me separate the seeds. Time to go calling friends in the neighborhood, I guess.

The setting was bucolic, and I enjoyed walking through their peach and apple orchards. What a relief to have a day when it's enjoyable to be outdoors.