I just finished reading in the St. Helena Star the article “More Wine Unsold During the Economic Slump.” There were two points in the article that really stood out for me. Long-time winemaker and owner Mike Grgich stated that his sales are down 30 percent this year in California and 50 percent for out-of-state sales. Most wine owners don’t like to admit how bad things are. Whenever I have asked about wine sales, I get the usual runaround: “It’s slow but we are holding our own because of our loyal customers.” I’m sure Mike Grgich has lots of loyal customers but not all of them are working right now. The second and most telling point of the article is some of the advice out there to the Napa wineries to hold prices, and forget the discounts. Napa has an image to uphold. Hello to Napa, things have changed. This is a different recession and a totally different global wine community. Read the rest of this entry »

Slow Season Gets an Early Start
The slow season has arrived a little earlier than usual in the Napa Valley.
According to a couple of limo drivers and tour guides I talked to on the road, when October came, the phone stopped ringing. Several tasting rooms say that the tasting rooms have seen less foot traffic than usual. Lodging deals and packages are beginning to emerge sooner than the norm. My own website, Wine Country Getaways, has seen a dramatic drop in visitor traffic since the end of September, much more than the average for this time period. These signs could point to a very dismal off-season in wine country.

One lodging deal that crossed our desk was at the Napa Marriott Hotel for a $99 special for per night from November 29 to the end of February. This is available through TravelZoo. If this does not show up on your browser, call the Napa Marriott and ask for the Wine Package.
We have are own Travel Widget on WineCountryGetways and we will alert you to any package deals that emerge.

Wine Sales and Discounts
We are also starting to see the signs of wines going down in price, but not much. I am on many a tasting room’s email list and several wineries have sent notices about discounts and shipping freebies. If the subject line says “Free Shipping,” I’m unlikely to open the email. If the subject line states “Sale,” I will open it and see what the offer is all about. Right now, the consumer is looking for good deals, and wineries need to get a sense of a new consumer attitude that looks for these deals. This must be tough on the small winery that depends on moving their wines and recovering costs. I just hope the small wineries survive and don’t give up.

Trinchero Family Estates
This is the family that created the White Zinfandel buzz in the mid 1970’s. Today, they own several labels including these Napa Valley wineries: Sutter Home, Folie a Deux, Napa Cellars and the Trinchero Napa Valley Winery, where Folie a Deux once existed before being purchase by Trinchero. Well, with all that wealth floating around, the Trinchero family does a lot of good deeds. The latest one, a million-dollar gift toward a facility focused on developing healthy grape rootstock. Congrats to the Trincheros for this donation.

Wine and Food Pairing
It is good to see more wineries offer a food and wine pairing experience for the wine country visitor. Food and wine pairings provide a terrific learning experience for the wine country traveler. The latest to offer such a pairing is the Duckhorn Wine Company. At both their Napa wineries they will offer these sessions: Food for Thought experience at Duckhorn ($55 per person) and at Paraduxx Winery, An Unpredictable Pair. Check the website for complete information for the times and the menu.

The harvest is over and when the fall colors end the slow season in the Napa Valley begins. This year could be the bleakest and slowest on record. Twelve percent unemployment rate, cutting back, building a savings account, spending less than $20 on a bottle of wine, not going out to dinner. All add up to a dismal time for businesses that depend on tourists traveling to wine country. One alternative for the budget-minded traveler is to consider a daycation to the Napa Valley. You save on lodging, meals, and still have a great time. Read the rest of this entry »