On Saturday I had the good fortune of being invited to an amazing wine tasting of boutique wines made by a group of elite winemakers. Acme Fine Wines, one of the premier wine shops in the Napa Valley, arranged the tasting. Owners Karen Williams and David Stevens brought together 12 winemakers who make wines for some 60 small wineries. The tasting was divided into two sessions. The first session was for media only and the second session began at 1 pm for consumers. Acme Fine Wines is a small wine shop located on a side street in St. Helena and it was jammed to the gills for both sessions as wine afficionados leaped at this opportunity to taste wines made by these artisan winemakers. Read the rest of this entry »

In July of 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill calling for a special picnic license for wineries. This picnic law would grant a picnic license allowing wineries to designate a picnic area and sell visitors a full glass of wine or bottles of wine to be consumed on the premise. I was excited about this news because I was hoping that it would increase the number of picnic wineries in the Napa Valley. As it is, the Napa Valley compared to all other wine regions in California has the lowest percentage of wineries with picnic facilities. By my count, I only find 20 Napa wineries conveniently located that have a picnic area. Secondly, I thought the new law would bring about some innovative tasting ideas. Why not be able to order one single glass of one wine, instead of sampling an array of one-ounce portions of wines? Or, purchase two glasses of 3 oz each and do a side-by-side comparison. The law went into effect on January 1 and now, well into the year, I have yet to see any effects of this so-called picnic license. Read the rest of this entry »

The spring season is one of our favorite times to visit the Napa Valley. It is a cause for celebration as wildflowers and bud break signal another growing season in the Napa Valley. But this year things are a little different as spring arrives. The economy has changed the dynamics, and how it will play out nobody knows. Maybe more visitors will flock to the Napa Valley from the greater Bay Area, as folks substitute weekend retreats and put off vacations to far-off destinations. What a perfect way to relieve some economic stress by taking a few days of solitude and rest in the beautiful spring atmosphere of the Napa Valley. Read the rest of this entry »

The mood of many a wine drinker these days is not to drink less wine but to search out bargains wines, ones that give the “biggest bang for the buck.” If you visit any of Napa Valley’s finest wineries you are unlikely to find anything in the way of a sale but we did find a couple of wine shops in the Valley where one can certainly find many wine values. If you are a bargain wine hunter, don’t pass up the chance to find some very interesting and not so expensive wines at either JV Wines & Spirits in the town of Napa or the Wine Garage in Calistoga. Read the rest of this entry »

We are back from our three-week jaunt in Argentina and Chile. We visited several wineries and had plenty of wine to drink with both our lunch and dinner meals. When we met and chatted with Americans in Argentina and Chile, we were invariably asked the question, “How do Argentine (or Chilean) wines compare with those of the Napa Valley?” Our answer would come without hesitation: “The premium wines of Argentina and Chile are as good as any wines we’ve tasted from the Napa Valley.” These are quality wines with great structure and flavors and what we are talking about is the shear enjoyment of a wine. When you taste a well-made Argentine or Chilean wine you can appreciate it just as much as a good Napa Valley wine. But one thing for sure, as I have pointed out previously, the big advantage for Argentine and Chilean wines is the price. A very good Malbec from Argentina or Carmenere from Chile is in the $10 to $20 range. Read the rest of this entry »