40 years after Judgement of Paris – strange facts Both Chateau Montelena and Stags Leap Wine Cellars are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the “Judgement of Paris.” It’s a great anniversary in wine and a great PR event for these two wineries and the entire Napa Valley wine industry. The blind tasting results shocked the world of … Read more
What it will cost you to taste wine in the Napa Valley in 2016 This is our third year of calculating the Napa Valley Tasting Room Index. Its purpose is to give travelers a rough estimate of what it costs in fees to taste wine in the Napa Valley. We are using the same tasting rooms that … Read more
#LakeCountyRising Charity Wine Auction The devastating Valley Fire of 2015 destroyed many homes in Lake County. Please help the people of Lake County by your presence at the #LakeCountyRising Charity Wine Auction. Congressman Mike Thompson and grape grower Andy Beckstoffer will be present to assist the legendary auctioneer Fritz Hatton. The auction will take place on … Read more
We were in Healdsburg last Tuesday and Wednesday while El Niño gave us a break between storms. The sun began to play hide-and-seek, starting around noon on Tuesday. With the threat of showers in the forecast, we decided to spend the afternoon on a wine walk in Healdsburg. Our first stop was the Healdsburg Bar & … Read more
Zinfandel lovers – mark your calendars for February 25 to 27 I know that we have many Zinfandel lovers who come to the Wine Country Getaway’s Website to plan a trip to wineries producing wonderful Zinfandel wines. Here’s an easy way to get to a huge number of Zinfandel producers and taste their fantastic Zinfandel … Read more
November is one of our favorite times in the Napa Valley wine country. We love the colors and crispness in the air. November is much less crowded (Thanksgiving Weekend excepted) and it’s a lot easier to navigate the Valley. The same goes for December, but this year might be different with El Niño coming into … Read more
Wine Trade at Caymus Vineyards nets Special Selection Cab It never ceases to amaze me when my good friend and wine collector Mike Beltran works out a trade deal for his wine. I have been with Mike on a few of his amazing wine trades (Mondavi was remarkable), but I put this trade for Caymus wine … Read more
One of the busiest weekends the entire year in the Napa Valley is Thanksgiving weekend. Family and friends from out of town are likely not to be traveling home until Sunday and one of the many things to do in the San Francisco Bay Area is visit the Napa Valley wine country.
Meeting Jose Antonio “Pepe” Galante – winemaker at Bodega Salentein One of the benefits of wine blogging is an occasional invitation to meet with winery owners and winemakers. This invitation was special. We were invited by Balzac Communications to a dinner with Pepe Galante. Pepe was here in the U.S. on tour to promote Bodega Salentein wines … Read more
Wine Bloggers Conference 2016 will be in Lodi “The last time I saw Lodi, the grapes were on the ground, and we went round and round and round, and ….” Don Sherwood, at one time the most popular disc jockey in San Francisco, would sing this jingle often. It was a bit of poking fun … Read more