I guess you could say that a modern girl’s fairytale still includes a happily ever after, a beautiful castle, and her Prince Charming. For my 21st birthday, I got to experience that fairytale at Castello di Amorosa.

My modern fairytale, along with my Prince Charming and a happily ever after, includes some dark chocolate and a nice merlot. I got all of my prerequisites for jubilance on the weekend of August 28th, 2015.

Matty arranged for both of us to get a guided tour through Castello di Amorosa, followed by a tasting of 5 of their Premium Wines in one of their private tasting bars. The tickets are on the pricey side at $40 a person, but I think that the price is more than worth it! The tour included a barrel tasting where they tapped into one of their current release wines. The tour itself was about 1 hour, and the tasting was around 45 minutes.The tour was so fascinating and we literally had the best tour guide ever! Rachel was really knowledgable about the castle, giving us so many details about its history and rich culture.

Even though Castello di Amorosa has only been open since 2007, it has been received with a lot of admiration and word of it has spread. Dario Sattui, the owner of Castello di Amorosa, is a 4th generation vinter, which explains SO MUCH about the winery’s success. 

In addition to the deliciousness of the wine, Castello di Amorosa itself is amazing! The 121,000-square-foot castle has 107 seven rooms on 8 levels, spanning both below and aboveground. The architecture remains true to the 12th and 13th  century time period with its moat, drawbridge,  defensive towards, and a courtyard. The castle also has a torture chamber, a chapel, and a knight’s chamber. During the tour, the torture chamber actually FREAKED ME OUT because it had a 300 year old iron maiden, with a rack  and other torture chambers. My favorite room of the entire tour was the dining hall. It has these humongous, plush chairs that I wanted to sit on, but I couldn’t – they were for the king and queen. I was so close to sneaking away from the group…but I didn’t, I swear!!
At the end of the tour, Rachel took us down to one of the private wine cellars, where we got to taste the wine. Since each person got 5 tastings, Matty and I got to try a total of 10 wines. We tried ALL the reds (because I’m a red wine kind of a girl) and some of the sweets. Our favorite BY FAR was the 2012 Merlot!!! We loved it so much, he bought me some to take home!!!! On top of that, Rachel gave us a piece of Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt that was absolutely delicious; it was definitely on par with the merlot! (Matt bought me some of that too … hehe).

After the tour, we took some time to walk around on our own and explore some of the parts of the castle and grounds that we got glimpses of during the tour. My favorite was the courtyard, because that was the centerpiece of the entire court life, where they had festivals and gatherings! It was beautiful with its plants and the stonework on the walls. The ground outside were also super adorable, because they had livestock outside, like pigs and ducks that were just chilling around casually on the grass.

Out of all of the adventures I had during my time up here in Northern California, Castello di Amorosa is definitely one of my favorites. The wine was delicious, the scenery was amazing, and the company was exemplary!

For anyone who is 21+ in the Bay Area, Castello di Amorosa is a MUST!!!! Even if you aren’t 21 yet, they offer tours & tastings (with grape juice). GO GO GO!! Let me know what your favorite parts are! 🙂 Your favorite wine? Did you get some 2012 Merlot? SHARE with me!!!