This may be the winery tasting room opening of the year. Raymond Vineyards, in Napa Valley, has partnered with the legendary French crystal maker Baccarat, to create a one-of-a-kind tasting room, the Crystal Cellar. It’s pretty awesome. Granted, I was at the soiree to celebrate opening the Crystal Cellar. The atmosphere was like a sophisticated night club. Mirrors everywhere – on the tasting bar and display cases. A stunning crystal chandelier, the focal point of the cellar. A mannequin hanging from a trapeze. Lots of colorful mood lighting. Display cases with Baccarat wine decanters, glasses, and other decorative objects. I have seen the cellar during the daytime, when it’s much more subdued, but equally brilliant. The pairing of a winery and crystal manufacturer is nothing new, but this is the first collaboration for Baccarat with a winery. The inspiration comes from Jean-Charles Boisset, who is head of Boisset Family Estates.…
DRINK EAT – Auction Napa Valley 2010
Recession worries seemed to fade as wine lovers opened their wallets and raised paddles bidding up the prices at the 30th Auction Napa Valley, held over this past weekend. There was lots of good food and great wine flowing throughout the event. I went to the Taste Napa Valley and Barrel Auction on Friday, at Rubicon Estates. I love this annual event, and it’s a great one to go to even if you don’t make it to the live auction on Saturday. Dark skies and cool temps threatened rain, but it held off. At Taste Napa Valley, wineries pour whites and rose´and many of Napa’s top restaurants dished out bites. You could nosh on anything from chickpea fries to pulled pork sliders from BarBersQ and watermelon sorbet with chocolate chips (for seeds!), topped with fleur de sel. Martini House served up a creamy mushroom soup that was an inspired pairing…
DRINK – Check out the Sip Shoppe at Swanson Vineyards
I am really excited about the new tasting room about to open at Swanson Vineyards in Napa Valley. Sure, they’re known for Merlot, and for the elegant Salon wine tasting experience. That’s an intimate sit down tasting, paired with caviar and chocolates. Super luxe, right? But it’s also limited to groups of 8, a couple times a day. What if you want to stop by and try a few bottlings? Up until now, you were SOL. Although they’re not taking text reservations (not yet anyway!), soon you’ll be able to phone up and stop in at the new Sip Shop. The bright red and white striped room is whimsical and fun. Not your average tasting room! Here you can sip flights of Swanson’s wine, paired with some small bites. One signature pairing will be the Swanson Pinot Grigio matched with American caviar on a potato chip. Mmmm. Opening is planned…
DRINK – Beyond the Tasting Bar
Last week I was at two wineries who have taken the wine tasting experience outside. What a great alternative to the crowded, standing room only, traditional winery tasting bars. Frog’s Leap Winery in Rutherford is one of the most beautiful places in Napa Valley. They are organic and sustainable, and the ground around the winery features a working garden and hen house (they sell to local restaurants) and pond. The red barn is a wine country icon. The seated tastings are something fairly new for Frog’s Leap, so if you haven’t been in a few years, be sure to check it out next time you’re in Napa. The tasting is four wines, and you sit outside on the big veranda of the Vineyard House, with a terrific view. Reservations not necessary, but in the summer you might want to make one. Cost is $15 per person. Of course you can…
DRINK – V. Sattui at 125 years
What can you say about vintner Dario Sattui? He’s full of passion, whether he’s talking about wine, or his castle winery, Castillo di Amorosa. Listening to his story at an event to mark the 125th anniversay of V. Sattui, he just comes alive telling his most improbable story of how he made it in the wine industry. Suffice it to say he went from sleeping in his car to running the wildly successful winery in St. Helena. He’s done it his way, from selling direct to consumers, to building on the east side of Hwy 29 so that it’s an easy right turn off as visitors drive through Napa Valley. He would even pay customers to sit at the picnic tables to entice people to stop in at the winery. He doesn’t have to do that now. Most of all, Sattui’s story is inspirational, and after listening to him talk, you feel anything is possible too.
Here’s a clip from the story we did on Sattui and his castle on In Wine Country
DRINK – Play Winemaker for a Day
Conn Creek Winey in Napa Valley has a cool program where you get hands-on experience blending wine. It takes place it their AVA Room (American Viticulture Areas), where you step into the role of winemaker as you sample 15 single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon wines straight from the barrel. These 15 wines are all from the 15 appellations, or wine growing regions, that are in the Napa Valley. Conn Creek uses many of them for its signature Cab blend, Anthology. Blending is a critical tool in the winemaker’s toolbox, because often a blend will turn out to be way better than a single vineyard wine. These barrels are grouped according to flavor and body, going from soft and light to big and bold. As I taste and make notes, a few favorites pop out. Once I’d decided on the Cab components, I still had more decisions to make. One is choosing…
Drink – Premiere Napa Valley #premiereNV
It’s the beginning of the wine social season if you will — Premiere Napa Valley. This past weekend trade and media descended on the valley to taste special barrel lots created by Napa Valley winemakers that are auctioned off on Saturday afternoon. It’s a chance to meet the winemakers and owners, and to network within the industry. There are winery open houses, dinners, wine and more wine. This is when you get a good feel for the vintage. Here, the 2008 reds made their debut. There were many issues with that growing season, including frost and fires. Yields were low. Winemakers who’ve been holding their collective breath can breathe a sigh of relief. Almost everyone I talked to is very pleased with the wines. To me, they are restrained but complex, with long finishes. PNV is also about buying wine. All the auction lots are exclusive to the Premiere Napa…