Alana loved fancy dinners. I don’t remember all the places we went to, but we definitely went to Millennium, Firefly, and once splurged on the All About Vegetables Tasting Menu at Atelier Crenn. We were both vegetarians with similar tastes, so it was easy to agree on restaurants.
However, after a while, I wanted even more celebration with Alana. In 2010, I proposed a sparkling wine tour. (I never would have remembered this if I didn’t reread this email exchange, but she said she had never really done wine tasting up north. So, all of you who went wine tasting with her after this, you are welcome.)
We went wine tasting many, many times, sometimes springing for an oh-so-civilized tour where we could snicker inappropriately in the back of a group, Alana could flirt with the people pouring, and we could beam at each other over glasses of delicious, lip-smacking wine and congratulate each other for being so good at wine tasting. I’m pretty sure we hit almost every winery in Napa or Sonoma that made sparkling wine. Schramsberg! A fantastic trip with Penne and her Jacquie (vs *my Jackie*)—not exactly sure where we went (Quintessa, maybe, among others), but it was amazing! And of course J (the first time where we did the tasting menu and she decided to become a member, and then again last year when she and Mac needed to pick up wine)!
I miss her, her love for sparkles, and her general effervescent joy and light so much.
Posted by Nalani