Marimar Estates Tasting Room 3/13/15

In need of some time to myself today I took myself to Sebastopol to the Barlow, a conglomeration of apple packing sheds newly renovated into an area of small shops, restaurants, winery tasting rooms, a brewery and a distillery. I enjoy wandering around there checking out the new shops as they open. Today I went into a gallery/shop filled with modern decor items from Scandanavia, Italy, and local painters' work. In our house full of dogs, the huge glass vases in turquoise and citron were out of the question, but I liked the soft cotton throws and pillows made in Sweden from Norwegian designs.

Marimar Estates Winery is on the outskirts of Sebastopol, and out winemaker friend from Calistoga is a consulting winemaker there. Marimar Torres grew up in Spain in a winemaking family, but because she was a woman didn't have much future in the family business, or anywhere in Spain, so she came to California and opened her own winery. Our friend , Bill has many a story to tell about her. It seems that she is notoriously difficult to get along with, but Bill with his laid back, easygoing ways has managed to stay with her for quite awhile.

On a slope outside her winery, Marimar has three huge dog sculptures made by the Sebastopol sculptor Patrick Amiot, who makes whimsical pieces from recycled materials. They can be found all over town, especially in Sebastopol. Here in The Barlow a dog makes an appearance in a smaller, but equally colorful and unrestrained sculpture outside her tasting room.