For me, one of the purposes of this blog is to write about baby- and kid- friendly activities in the Bay Area, specifically the South Bay.
We spent Sunday afternoon at a wonderful little winery, Picchetti Winery, tucked away in the hills of Cupertino, of all places! You really don’t expect hills, let alone wineries, in the place that is also home to Apple Computers. But most of the cities of the South Bay and the Peninsula are flanked by hills on the west and the Bay on the east. These hills offer a huge variety of parks, trails and reserves and as it turns out, also some wineries. It’s one of the things I love about living in this area. You’re bang in the middle of the Silicone Valley but the most beautiful woods, walks and parks are just a stone’s throw away.
In my opinion, Picchetti is a hidden gem. It’s a easy 10-20 minute drive from most places in the South Bay. Once you get off the freeway, you drive on Steven’s Creek Boulevard for a few minutes and then make a turn onto Steven’s Canyon Road which slowly winds up into the hills. On the way, you suddenly come across a water body- again when you least expect it. This is the Stevens Creek Reservoir – it’s a deep blue and beautiful and in the summer and fall, you’ll see people kayaking and fishing. Apparently, the area around the reservoir is ideal for picnicking. We haven’t explored it yet, but you can be sure we’re going to head there one of these weekends and I’ll be writing about it soon enough.
Right after the reservoir, you’ll see the sign for Montebello Rd, the road winds up steeply and you’ll see the sign for Picchetti Winery. There is a ample parking. If you’re lucky, you might be greeted by the resident peacock who is known to give impromptu performances of it’s spectacular tail. You can grab of the picnic tables that are scattered around the lawns- some are more shaded than the others or head inside the barn for a tasting. If you buy a bottle, they give you glasses so that you can enjoy the wine outside.
It’s ideal for kids – toddlers and preschoolers have loads of open space to run around, kick a ball and there’s always the peacock. Babies can be parked in strollers (that’s what we did with Kabir) or you can spread a blanket on the grass. We were with a bunch of friends with kids ranging in age from 3 to 6 years ( and Kabir who’s 5 months old) and everybody had a lovely time.
My favorite part about Picchetti is that it’s so close to most places in the South Bay that going there can just be a last-minute decision. No elaborate planning required which is perfect when you have to deal with the erratic schedules of the 0- to12 month- old set. You just to pick up some picnic foods and you’re set. It rarely gets too crowded- I call it a ‘hidden gem’ for a reason. We were there on the July 4th weekend this year too and it wasn’t crazy busy even then.
So if you’re looking for a lovely little impromptu picnic, head on over to Picchetti.
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There was a live band playing, which is usually the case on long weekends. My favorite part of the afternoon was that Kabir actually sat right up front, at the band’s feet, rocking to the music for almost an hour! Most of you will agree that an hour is an impossibly long time for a 1-year-old to be sitting in one place. But it did happen. He was on his father’s lap for the first half, sharing it (the lap) with his buddy Aidan who’s almost the exact same age. But later, one of my lovely friends took over, and he just sat on the grass right next to her, clapping on cue, and just grooving to the music.
The Thinking Mom 