The communities and businesses of Wine Country California celebrate their beautiful and delicious wines all year long with exciting festivals, cultural activities, and professional wine tours complete with fun and educational wine tastings.

Delicious food is also front and center in the Napa Valley and Sonoma County cultures, with many award-winning restaurants and charming cafes with their delicacies paired perfectly with some of the area’s delicious wines.

Platypus Wine Tours, a premier Wine Tours company based in Napa, offers fun, safe, and educational join-in or custom wine tours throughout Wine Country California. Tours include wine tasting sessions at select wineries with expert commentary and often a nicely prepared picnic lunch for the trip.

Lunch with Your Platypus Wine Tour

Whether you select a join-in tour, a prearranged custom group outing, or a private session, the culinary professionals at Platypus can prepare the perfect food accompaniment for your adventure.

Platypus Wine Tour guests often request the recipe for some of the creative dishes offered during the wine tours.

One of the more popular selections in recent years has been Platypus Wine Tours’ delicious and very healthy Quinoa Salad.

Recipe for the Platypus Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

  • One cup of “regular” quinoa
  • Two cups of vegetable or chicken broth
  • One small onion, coarsely chopped
  • Two cucumbers, peeled and chopped
  • Two yellow/summer squash chopped
  • One red bell pepper chopped
  • 3-4 scallions chopped
  • 1/4 cup cilantro destemmed and chopped
  • 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, white pepper, and Kosher salt

Preparation:

  • Wash quinoa in at least 5 quarts of water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off the water until it runs clear. Drain in a large sieve. Add quinoa and coarsely chopped onion to a saucepan of boiling broth, cover, reduce the heat, then cook for approximately 20-30 minutes.
    • OR – the easy way is to put it in a rice cooker and follow the directions provided by the rice cooker for rice, two parts liquid to 1 part dry.
  • Add the chopped onion with the quinoa and broth to the rice cooker for extra flavor.
  • After the quinoa has cooled to room temperature, add remaining vegetables and herbs and gently mix.
  • Sprinkle kosher salt and white pepper to taste. About 1-2 tablespoons salt and enough pepper until the top of the quinoa is dusty looking.
  • Whisk rice wine vinegar and olive oil together and drizzle over quinoa, mixing until it glistens.

Book Your Wine Country California Wine Tours with Platypus

Platypus Wine Tours offers experienced, safe, educational, and professionally curated wine tours in Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Enjoy the beauty of Wine Country California worry-free from your comfortable seat in a luxurious tour bus as you travel through the picturesque vineyards and wineries of the region.

Visitors can select a Join-In Small Group Tour, an Intimate Private Tour with a customized itinerary, or a Private Group Tour tailored to match the needs and personality of your group.

Guests can learn more about the experiences and make reservations for your Wine Country California experience by visiting the Platypus Wine Tours website.

Or, you may phone the Platypus Wine Tour professionals at 1-707-253-2723.