A View of Clear Lake from Vigilance Vineyards in Lake County, California

While visiting Lake County, California we discovered that Clear Lake is the largest freshwater lake in California. The lake is a beautiful sparkling blue sight with views of mountains and vineyards. At one end of the Clear Lake is Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.  The park is scheduled to close permanently on July 1, 2012 presumably because of budget cuts. Here is your chance to help keep the park open to the public.

Cattails & Tules is taking place on Saturday, June 16 to help raise funds for the Anderson Marsh Interpretive Association and Konocti Regional Trails. This is a wine and food festival with creative cuisine from the local area including chefs and restaurants. The Cattails & Tules festival is taking place at two Lake County wineries: Vigilance Winery & Vineyards and Gregory Graham Winery. The wineries are located in the countryside of Lower Lake. Unique is the trail that runs between the two wineries. Visitors can enjoy following the trail between the two wineries for the events or transportation is available for those who would like a ride.

Prize categories include: Best presentation, most creative, best of show, best use of local products and consumer favorite pairing. Drawings will be held for special prizes including a two-night stay at Vigilance Vineyard House.

Enjoy local restaurants’ and chefs’ creations with wines from Gregory Graham Winery and Vigilance Winery & Vineyards.

For details and tickets visit the Cattails & Tules website.

Cheers, Kathy

Lake County is located just north of Napa Valley. While we visited the area this week we noted that during the day the temperature would warm up quickly and in the evening quickly cooled off. In addition, humidity is low.

As a result of great terroir in Lake County, winegrowers are growing wonderful rich grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Sirah and Chardonnay.

For wine enthusiasts and travelers, Lake County is a desirable place to visit. When you visit, you will discover many of the wineries are located close to Clear Lake. Look for outstanding views of vineyards and mountains. Have a camera handy for memories to take back home with you.

Reasons to visit Lake County include:

• Wine, winery tours, vineyards and wine tastings
• Clear Lake is the largest freshwater lake in California
• Lake County Quilt Trail
• Ranch/Farm tours
• Fishing
• Beautiful scenery for photographers and painters
• Fresh air
• Country roads
• Wildlife

Future articles and blogs will feature the wineries we have visited this past week.

2012 is the year to discover Lake County, California!

Cheers! Kathy