My last post was about Napa Valley wine prices in 1970 so I thought it might be fun to try and describe what the Napa Valley was like back then. Our first trip to the Napa Valley was in 1968. We were newly married and just a mere 25 years old. I had actually been there once as a teenager but of course could not have cared much about visiting wineries. We owe our interest in wine and wine country traveling to my brother-in-law and to a teaching colleague who were both 12 years our senior. Both of these individuals introduced us to wine and we traveled often with these folks to the wine country. My guide back then to wine country was the first edition of Sunset Magazine’s California Wine Country. It was published in 1968 and was priced at a whopping $1.95. Read the rest of this entry »

I was digging through some of my old wine books and came across two items of interest from 1969-70. In those days I kept very meager notes of the wines I purchased, this of course was well before computers and spreadsheets. I scanned one of the pieces of notepaper so you can take a look at what I paid for these wines back then. The second item I found was a wine list from Orsi’s Restaurant in San Francisco. I scanned one page that listed the Claret wines from the Napa Valley. Take a look at the prices, very interesting! Read the rest of this entry »

If you are thinking about getting away to the Napa Valley with that someone special on Valentine’s Day, you’d better think quickly. Although tourism is down in the Napa Valley, Valentine’s Day is always one of the most popular weekends in the entire year and waiting until the last minute can get you in the doghouse. So, you have two things to do immediately after reading this posting. Make a lodging reservation and dinner/lunch reservations.

Maybe a balloon ride?

Three factors to ponder for the makers of fine Napa Valley Cabernet: First, the criticism by many wine critics on the high alcoholic content of Cabernet Sauvignon. This ball has been rolling along for a couple of years but it seems to have been gaining steam in recent weeks. The latest comes from wine writer Dan Berger’s “The Collapse of Cabernet,” his article appearing in the St. Helena Star last week. James Laube also addresses the issue in the latest Wine Spectator. Next, is the economy, still? All signs once again are pointing to a dismal year for wines priced above $20 and most Napa Valley Cabernets are well above that price point. The third factor and one I don’t think has been mentioned much is how the American diet is beginning to change. The American diet, especially among the fine-wine drinking crowd is shifting. What is in are soups, salads, fish, more grains, more vegetables and fruits. What’s out are eating lots of red meat, creamy sauces, etc. Not altogether out, but the creed is to cut down. Healthy meals are more easily paired with white wines, rosés, and lighter reds such as Pinot Noir. If this trend is true, will that translate into less Cabernet sales? Read the rest of this entry »

VinoVisit and Cellar Pass – Reservation system for tasting rooms

These two competing companies are battling toe-to-toe to sign up wineries with a new concept that is designed to attract wine country tourists to the tasting room. VinoVisit seems to have the head start with more wineries signed up plus a few publishers like our own Wine Country Getaways. The reservation widget for both companies will work much like widgets used by the Trip Adviser to find and book hotels or like Open Table to reserve a restaurant. With the tasting room widget the tourist will be able to book a tour, tasting, and other winery events. For VinoVisit, each winery in their system will have its own individual Widget on its Website, and publishers like Wine Country Getaways will eventually have a general Widget containing information on all the VinoVisit wineries. You can check out this page to see the current wineries using VinoVisit on WCG. Read the rest of this entry »

Remember all those rumors when Charles Shaw wine first appeared in 2002 on the shelves of Trader Joe’s stores? My favorite was the one about a major airline having to dump the Charles Shaw wines because new airline regulations after 9/11 would not allow wine corkscrews on board. So the rumor continues with Trader Joe’s purchasing all the wine for a song and then selling it for an amazing price of $1.99. Of course most of us all know by now that Napa Valley’s good friend, Fred Franzia, owns and produces Charles Shaw wine. But few people who walk out of Trader Joe’s with a case of Cabernet in hand know that there really is a Charles F. Shaw, who once had a real winery by that same name in St. Helena.

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Have you heard of Tudal Family Winery? I doubt it. Even though its first vintage was in 1979 and its vineyards are located in the famed St. Helena AVA, most visitors to wine country have never seen or visited this small family-run winery just north of St. Helena. Despite its fine reputation for Cabernet Sauvignon, the Tudal winery has been lost in the shuffle of big wineries, fancy tasting rooms, and its hidden location. All that may be about to change as Tudal Family Winery is revamping its image under the guidance of John Tudal, son of the founders Alma and the late Arnold Tudal.

The revamp began in 2009 when John hired Kirk Venge to be the Tudal winemaker. Kirk is a winemaker on the move. At 33, Kirk not only heads up his own winery, Venge Vineyards, but is consulting winemaker for several boutique wineries in the Valley. He is in demand and one to watch in the coming years. Kirk likes full-bodied wines that will certainly be a change of pace from the current offerings made by Tudal. Read the rest of this entry »

The “Less is More” Era Arrives in 2009
This is not so much an event as it is a pervasive feeling that I think is the biggest factor of the year affecting the wineries and related businesses in California and Napa Valley wine country. I hear about it from my friends, my adult children, financial wizards, etc. Our spending habits were out of control and the recession rocked us back to sensible saving and spending behaviors. The recovery may be underway, but this feeling is likely to stay a long while. It is why people are buying wines under $20 or ordering a glass of wine for dinner rather than a full bottle. It is why folks decide to stay at a budget motel instead of an expensive B&B or why they decide on a day trip to the Napa Valley rather than a weekend visit. It means dropping out of that wine club that sends out those expensive wines every four months. Read the rest of this entry »

Sonoma County, Mendocino, and Paso Robles are doing their best to attract wine country tourists and they are outspending Napa by a large scale. Not long ago, most folks traveling to California wine country were under the impression the Napa Valley was the only game in town. Could it be that people are opting to go to these other wine regions because they are being led to believe that the Napa Valley is too chic, too expensive, or too crowded. Bottom line, tourism is down in the Napa Valley. So in the works is a plan to have Napa hotels and B&B’s being asked to pay an assessment to fund a tourism business improvement district. This likely means we’ll see a little bit more tax on our Napa Valley hotel bill that should generate some 4 million dollars to promote tourism. Stay tuned.

Calistoga Happenings

Talk about no tourists, we spent a couple of days in Calistoga last week and as one tasting room worker said, “things are dark” around here. The popular Brannan’s restaurant was practically deserted except for bar patrons. By the way, Janelle says Brannan’s makes the best Manhatten she has ever tasted. They call it the Branhattan. The secret ingredient we found out is the Punta E Mes Vermouth. Read the rest of this entry »