Our December wine country getaway begins on a very cold Tuesday morning in the Napa Valley. We have scheduled a tour at Schramsberg Vineyards for that afternoon and on Wednesday we will visit Mumm Napa Valley and take one of the hourly tours there.
Many natives call December the “ugly” month in the Valley because the grape leaves are brown and are barely hanging on to the vines. By the end of the month the vines will be completely bare. We think that December brings its own unique beauty to the wine country. For sure, things are very quiet and the pace is slow and relaxed. The entire Valley feels like it is taking a long deep breath before spring comes and brings new growth to the valley vineyards.
Lunch at Cindy’s
Our first stop is for lunch in St. Helena at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen. Cindy Pawlcyn, the owner of the famous Mustards in Yountville, opened this charmer several years later. On this day, the restaurant is filled with locals and we sense that everyone has a connection with the wine industry. The talk all around our table is about wine. Janelle orders a Cobb Salad, while Joe orders lentil soup, a special of the day, and the stuffed Piquillo peppers. The food is fantastic with the Piquillo peppers a standout. We rate Cindy’s Backstreet a perfect 5.0 on our rating scale. It’s definitely the place to be in St. Helena.
Culinary Institute of America at Greystone
We do a little window-shopping in St. Helena and then stop off at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. This historic landmark is north of downtown St. Helena on Highway 29 just beyond Beringer Brothers Winery. The CIA, as it is called in the wine and food industry, has all types of courses for those interested in pursuing a career in the food and wine industry. They also offer classes for the non-professional, such as wine appreciation and pairing food and wine. We enjoy visiting the campus store to browse the books, kitchen supplies, and interesting array of spices and condiments.
Schramsberg Vineyards
We leave the CIA and continue north about five miles and turn left and up a mile-long hill to Schramsberg. We have scheduled a 2:30 tour and tasting at this famous California sparkling wine maker. Our tour leader, Kari, begins the tour at the tasting room with a brief history of Schramsberg. They are two distinct eras of Schramsberg. The first era began with Jacob Schram who built the winery, the caves, and the Victorian home. The second era began in 1965 when Jack and Jamie Davis purchased the Schramsberg estate. At the time of purchase, the estate was essentially abandoned and was in a complete state of disrepair including the vineyards. This was a bold move by Jack and Jamie Davis. Not only did repairing the estate pose a challenge, but also the Davis’s were not winemakers nor experienced in any aspect of the wine industry. But, with a pioneering spirit, they pursued their dream and today Schramsberg is world-famous for its California sparkling wine.
From the tasting room, the tour takes us into the caves where Kari explains in detail the art of making sparkling wine. The most surprising information is that Schramsberg has not mechanized the process of riddling. Riddling is the ancient method of bringing the yeast residue inside the bottle of wine to the neck of the bottle by turning each bottle a quarter of a turn a day and banging the bottle back into place in the riddling rack. Each day an employee by the name of Ramon turns 35,000 bottles of wine on riddling racks. He has been doing this for over 30 years without missing a day of work. Most sparkling wine makers have mechanized riddling with machines that can accomplish this task in about six weeks time.
We were a bit disappointed that the tour did not take us through the bottling area, nor were we able to see the aging barrels and the tanks where the initial fermentation takes place.
The tour ends in the tasting room. We taste three very delicious sparkling wines. They range in price from $32 to $80. There is also a bonus taste of wine that is the
2002 J Davis Cabernet Sauvignon. This is an absolutely fantastic tasting wine. It sells for a $65 bottle. The wine is made in honor of the late Jack Davis. The grapes are grown on the hillside property of Schramsberg. The grapes thrive in the high summer temperatures of this Napa Valley hillside known as the Diamond Mountain AVA. None of the grapes for the sparkling wine are grown here. The grapes for the bubbly come from various cool climate areas such as Carneros or the Russian River Valley.
Comfort Inn
We are just a couple of miles from the town of Calistoga. Calistoga is at the very north end of the Napa Valley. Calistoga is famous for its mud baths, hot springs, and spa treatments. There are several gourmet restaurants and many choices for lodging.
We are in a budget mode this month so we take advantage of an $89 special at the Comfort Inn in Calistoga. For dinner that evening decided to try the Calistoga Inn for dinner. We happen to hit the “Pauper’s Feast” night, a once-a-year event at the Calistoga Inn. For this night there is a special menu with two choices for the entrée. The dinner includes salad and dessert, all for a mere $13.00. What a deal! The dinner is excellent and the atmosphere is even better. The place is jammed with locals and everyone seems to having a grand old time. It’s a festive occasion complete with a couple serenading the dinner crowd with Yuletide carols.
Wednesday – The Tour at Mumm Napa
Our room includes a continental breakfast but we will skip that and have our breakfast at the Calistoga Rostery. The Rostery is a great spot for a full breakfast or a pastry and delicious coffee. The Calistoga Rostery is on 1426 Lincoln Ave in Calistoga.
Later in the morning, we head over to the Silverado Trail on the east side of the Valley. We stop at Clos Pegase winery and stroll the grounds to view the artwork and beautiful architecture of the winery. On this morning, the winter sun is casting long and beautiful shadows across the winery gardens.
Next stop is Mumm Napa. We are the only ones on the 12-noon tour on this Wednesday. Our tour is very informative and we get to view all the operations that go into making a bottle of sparkling wine. The tour ends at Mumm Napa’s fabulous art gallery. There are two exhibits on display. One is a permanent collection of photos of the great Ansel Adams. The second exhibit is a traveling exhibit called the “Legends of Rock”. It is a fantastic black and white collection of various Rock ‘n Roll artists including John Lennon, Mick Jagger, and Janis Joplin.
After spending an hour here, we enter the tasting bar where we are able to taste a flight of Mumm Napa sparkling wines. The tasting bar is very casual and comfortable with a fantastic view of the vineyards. You can find a coupon on the Mumm Napa’s web site for one free tasting and 15% off a purchase.
Then is it lunch at Bistro Don Giovanni’s, one of our very favorite eating spots in the Napa Valley. We share a pizza and a small green salad. We rate Don Giovanni’s a 4.5 on our 5.0 rating scale.
For more information on visiting sparkling wine makers, where to stay, and eat. please click on “Sparkling Wine Trail.”