Napa Valley Bits & Pieces of News – October

Harvest Ups and Downs
At the annual Napa Valley Vintners Association Harvest Report, jubilant vintners gave glowing reports, touting the 2009 vintage to be perhaps one of the best in recent years. But that report came the day before the big rains of Tuesday, October 13. The Valley had 3 inches of rain in areas and many growers were worried that the heavy rains would cause mold and perhaps ruin this so-called perfect vintage. But then, Mother Nature did an about face and heated things up on Friday. Winemaker Cathy Corison on twitter: “Sun out and 80 degrees. Lots of Cabernet still out in the valley- this should bring it home safe and sound.” But Cathy also reported the challenge was getting tractors into the muddy vineyards to pick grapes.

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Chardonnay Harvest at Truchard in Carneros

At 6:45 on this Wednesday, I arrive at one of Truchard’s beautiful Carneros vineyards where 30 harvesters are hard at work amid the rows of Chardonnay grapes. There is no fog this morning in Carneros and the sun is not over the hillside as yet. It is an ideal temperature for the grapes to be … Read more

Winning Back the Wine Tourist — Some Ideas

Everyone knows the number of visitors has dropped in the Napa Valley and all wine country regions. As seasoned travelers to the wine country, we know that there are a number of strategies that wineries can do to win back visitors and keep them coming back for more. We have talked to loads of tourist on our winery treks and from those conversations and our own experiences, here are just a few ideas that we think will encourage visitors. These are not necessarily in order of priority.

Tasting fees applied to the purchase of wine. It just makes good P.R. sense and we honestly do not understand why so few do this. It is a “win-win” for all.

Team up with hotels, websites, restaurants, the Destination Council, and provide two-for-one tasting coupons. We know a lot of wineries have these but few visitors know about them.

Offer a price range of wines with at least one wine in the price range of $15 for the budget-minded traveler.

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Napa Valley’s Economic Woes as Harvest Approaches

Harvest season is underway and that should be a festive time for everyone in the Napa Valley. But that may not be the case. I spent the last two days in the Napa Valley driving from Napa to Calistoga, hitting the crossroads, doing some photography and of course wine tasting. During my travels I spotted some troubling signs that the recession is taking its toll on the Napa Valley wine industry. I’ve read the reports and watched news segments indicating that hard times are ahead for wineries and growers, but until you see some concrete examples it’s hard to judge the reality of those reports.

For the first time since traveling to the wine country I saw a sign in front of a vineyard by Whitehall Lane in Rutherford that read “20 plus Tons of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes for sale.” Wow, I thought, here we are 4 to 6 weeks away from harvesting these grapes and this vineyard as of Thursday, August 20, 2009 had no buyers. Out of curiosity, I called the phone number on the sign and talked to a person who did not want to identify himself. Last year he said these grapes sold for $4100 a ton and were purchased by V. Sattui Winery. This year V. Sattui has decided not to buy these grapes and now the grower is left holding the bag, so to speak. At this late date this grower is desperate enough to put out the sale sign in hopes of selling the nearly 7 acres of grapes by harvest time. By the way, the person on the phone told me that this vineyard is just one of many in the Valley in the same situation.

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Napa Valley Community College — A Bonded Winery

Alert to U.C. Davis and Fresno State University wine schools, you have a major competitor in the Napa Valley Community College. NVCC is not only situated in one of the world’s most renowned wine regions, but how about those course fees! The Napa college is the first community college in California to have a bonded winery and students can participate in every phase of winemaking, including growing grapes and the selling and marketing of wine. This November the college will release and sell its first vintages of wines, a 2008 Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.

Dr. Stephen Krebs is the head of the Viticulture and Winery Technology instructional program at the Napa Valley College and is the driving force behind a ten-year effort by the college to raise funds and meet the difficult legal requirements to become a bonded winery. The first vintage will yield some 350 cases of wine and the college will be able to legally make as many as 1000 cases of wine. The college currently has six acres of vineyards on the campus. The Napa Valley Vintners Association, Trefethen Family Foundation, Gasser Foundation, Doud Foundation and many others have made significant contributions towards the development of the operation of the wine programs.

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Mumm Napa Celebrates The 2009 Harvest

Toasting and drinking sparkling wine is synonymous with celebrations. When Mumm Napa celebrates the Harvest, they do so in a most unusual manner. Friday, August 14, 2009 was the first official day of harvest for Mumm and when the first grapes arrive at the Mumm crushpad it’s cause for a jubilant celebration for all employees.

At 6.am that morning the harvest crew began picking Pinot Noir grapes at the Game Farm Vineyards in Oakville. The harvesters fill small yellow bins repeatedly with amazing speed and by 9:30 am the first truck load of grapes arrives at the Mumm Napa crushpad. This marks the beginning of the Mumm Napa harvest celebration.

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2009 Harvest Begins at Mumm Napa

I arrived at the Game Farm Vineyard in Oakville at about 6:45 a.m. this Friday morning to photograph the first harvest in Napa for the 2009 growing season. I got word yesterday that Pinot Noir would be harvested beginning in the early morning. I spent an hour shooting the amazing harvest team of workers make … Read more

Napa Valley Vintners Wine and Dine Bloggers

At last year’s first-ever wine blogger conference, the Napa Valley wineries were noticeably absent from all activities. At this year’s conference it was another story. The entire day on Saturday, 12 hours’ worth, was all Napa Valley. The Napa Valley Vintners wined and dined the conference attendees showing off what the Napa Valley is all about – wine, food, and beauty. I’m guessing the Napa Valley Vintners think that those who blog and use Twitter and Facebook are very important and influential, because they really did roll out the red carpet to impress all of us.

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Lorca Winery in Rutherford Closes Shop

The Lorca Winery is out of business and sold what remained of their wine inventory, 600 cases of 2003 Gary’s Vineyard Pinot Noir, to Trader Joe’s. This wine is currently being sold at Trader Joe’s for $14.95 about half the suggested retail price. Get it while you can because this wine is delicious and will fly off the shelves. 600 cases does not go far when there are over 150 Trader Joe’s stores in California.

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Traveling to the Napa Valley? Use the Wine Country Trip Planner

It has been several weeks since we have been to the Napa Valley; perhaps the longest stretch in recent memory. We are in the middle of a kitchen remodel and our wine travels are on hold until the project is completed. We are hoping that will be in two weeks. In the meantime, while staying … Read more