Italy – Page 2

Wine. Pizza Oven. Deli. Gelato. Music. VJB Cellars has it all! Not only is their wine delicious, the atmosphere in their piazza is excellent. T.W.O. has been going to VJB for many years and takes all their visitors to this family-owned Kenwood winery.

Meet the Belmonte’s

Vittorio, Henry and Maria Belmonte are the family members who started this winery. Just about every weekend, you can see at least one of them roaming around the piazza. Like every visit to VJB, Vittorio and the staff greet us with open arms, just as if we were family. When in Italy…or should I say VJB!

The Piazza

The piazza is an open aired patio that is identical to the ones in a small, Italian town. With a pizza kitchen on one end and long tables on the other, it is a great place to enjoy lunch and some wine on a beautiful day. The food is excellent. Pizza, ribs, paninis and sandwiches are all made fresh to order. T.W.O. highly suggests the traditional margarita pizza. If you decide to go to VJB on the weekend, you can expect live music in the piazza. Close your eyes and you will think you are in Italy!

The Deli

What shall we eat?

Ordering our lunch!

The deli has everything from cold meats, fresh salads, and cheese that you can order to go or to enjoy in the piazza. Don’t forget to pick up some of Maria’s pasta sauce on the way out- it is delicious!

The Tasting Room + VJB Wines

Now to taste some delicious wines! Prosecco, Rose, Zinfandel, Montepulciano, Cabernet, Rosso Family Blend, Dante, Sangiovese and Barbara are some of the varietals you will see at VJB. Even though T.W.O. enjoys all of the wines at VJB, their favorites are the Barbara and the Dante.

Gelateria

After an afternoon of live music, pizza and some great Italian wine- why not end it with some gelato! The dark chocolate is phenomenal!!

*This photo was taken on a previous trip to VJB with more of our family!

Cheers to VJB Cellars and a T.W.O. favorite winery. Thank you to the Belmonte Family for welcoming our family to your winery and making us feel like we are at home every time!

Travel journals have been around since the beginning of time. The pioneers kept journals while traveling to the West to document their hardships, sightings and experiences to the new unexplored land. Many of these journals have been used to learn more about history and many were lost in the rough, leaving unanswered questions. Today, T.W.O. has adapted the same concept with their travels around the world.

Before every big trip, T.W.O. buys a journal to document their memories and capture their favorite quotes and experiences. The journal selection process is important; you just can’t select a book with paper in it. Below are some requirements that are needed:

– Hard cover
– Memorable quote or picture on the front, depicting the trip
– Wire ring binding
– 70+ pages

The main idea of the travel journal is to write about each day’s activities so that you can remember everything years later. Hotel and restaurant names, shopping stores and city neighborhoods are all noted in the book.

T.W.O. uses the travel journal to suggest places to friends and family traveling to the same destination. The most important part of the book is the “scrapbook” section, which has restaurant business cards, post cards, wine bottle labels, maps and anything else that comes across the way during T.W.O.’s travels. (There is even a smudge of chocolate from a croissant T.W.O. had in Paris in the travel journal!) Scotch tape is important to bring along so you can tape the items into the book that same day.

At the end of the trip, T.W.O. recaps their favorite memories and quotes. T.W.O. finds it important to document these experiences as soon as you can because as time goes own, details are forgotten. And just like the pioneers, these journals will be passed to future generations. From wagons, to cars, to trains to planes, we will see what the next century brings!