4 Badass Women Winemakers and Their Unique Tasting Room Experiences

Head winemaker Nicole Hitchcock and I shared a very fun moment when we discovered that both of our beaus are named Jeff, but aside from the bonding, what really got me were her incredibly balanced and refreshingly crisp bubbles that she produces at J Vineyards and Winery. Most wineries specialize in just a few versions of select grapes, offering up flights of mostly reds, a few whites, and maybe one or two bubbles. Not this winery. Nicole has really created a whole library of wines, with so many different tastings that you could literally make a whole trip out of just trying to get through all of the current offerings.

The winery also offers a variety of pairing options, and when I say "pairings," what I mean are complete meals with cheese "samples" that equivocate to essentially your own wheel, and appetizers that are as filling as entrées. If you ask nicely, you can not only tour the vineyards, but also check out the winery in action as you see the tasting room that looks out over the bottling plant . . . not a bad way to sip some wine.