One of the highlights for any wine buff is watching all the activities that take place during the harvest. The Napa Valley is one of the best spots for viewing the “crush” because of the number of vineyards and wineries in such a concentrated area. If you spend a few days in the Napa Valley from mid-September through October, you are likely to see all the harvest activities: the grape picking, the sorting table, crushing, and fermentation. It is the Napa Valley at its best for the tourist. Start making your plans now to watch the most exciting show in the world of wine.

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In the middle of May, one would expect the Napa Valley to be sunny and warm and provide a relaxing atmosphere just perfect for visiting the Napa Valley. Not so on Monday May 17th as it rained most of the day, and temperatures were 20 degrees below normal for this time of the year. Despite all that, we spent a most enjoyable day in the Napa Valley. Our primary purpose for being there was to watch world-class cyclists including Lance Armstrong ride through the Napa Valley on Stage 2 of the Amgen Tour of California. We had planned ahead and picked out the ideal spot to watch the riders. The Miner Family Winery that is just north of the Oakville Cross Road on the Silverado Trail was our choice for viewing the most important and best cycling race in the U.S.

The Peloton rides along the Silverado Trail

On Monday, May 17, the Amgen Tour of California will take the cyclists through perhaps what is the most stunning and spectacular portion of the entire eight-day tour. Too bad these world-class professional cyclists will have little chance to enjoy the view of wine country. Up Howell Mountain and the Oakville Grade, cyclists will use every ounce of energy to make their way to the summit of these steep grades. Down these two mountains, the cyclists’ skills will be put to the test as they maneuver not only hairpin turns but also attempt to avoid numerous potholes that seem to be around each corner.

For spectators, the news is much better. There are plenty of places to take in the tour in the Valley. This past week we used our car to scout some of the better locations for viewing the cyclists. Ideally, you want a spot where you can sit higher than the cyclists. The view should be unobstructed as there will be parked cars on both sides of the road. A view of a long stretch of road in both directions is also a plus. If you can’t get to higher ground, try and avoid crowded areas. Each person leans in to catch a glimpse of the riders as they approach and that has the same affect as it does in a stadium when the fan in front stands up at a key play. Read the rest of this entry »

This may not be as fancy as a video produced by the Napa Valley Vintner’s Association or the Napa Valley Destination Council, but our new video on travel tips to the Napa Valley is just what our readers have been asking for. We must get several emails each month with the same essential comment: “We are going to the Napa Valley for the first time and we don’t know where to begin.” We are always a little bit bewildered by this because our Napa Valley Web pages on WineCountryGetaways.com are all about simplifying a trip to the Napa Valley and helping visitors to decide which wineries to visit. We realize now that many folks don’t want to spend a lot of time searching around, so we decided to create this short but informative video. The video explains how to select wineries and also many of the “Do’s and Don’ts” of wine tasting 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?

Looking For Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in all the right places, Part One

Why take the tourist route? Here is a backroad gem of a tour where you can see some fantastic views of Carneros and the Napa Valley and avoid busloads of tourists. This trip starts by heading across the Golden Gate Bridge but one can certainly come from other directions, just use the Google map below or your car’s GPS. We are going to begin this trip in Carneros on the Sonoma County side, where Ramal Road on the north meets Highway 121. Coming west on Highway 121, drive about 3.5 miles from the main intersection of Arnold and Highway 121. If you do come from the other direction take good care when you make a left turn onto Ramal Road; Highway 121 is busy and many drive way too fast on this road. Read the rest of this entry »

At 6:45 on this Wednesday, I arrive at one of Truchard’s beautiful Carneros vineyards where 30 harvesters are hard at work amid the rows of Chardonnay grapes. There is no fog this morning in Carneros and the sun is not over the hillside as yet. It is an ideal temperature for the grapes to be picked and also for the harvesters. The plan is to finish this vineyard by 9:30 a.m. and move on to another nearby vineyard.

About half the harvesters are year-round and long-time employees at Truchard. The others are contracted just for the harvest. For working hard and furiously during the harvest, some of these contracted workers can make up to as much as $200 per day.

The team of harvesters works about four rows at a time, with about 7 to 8 men in each row. When they fill their container they toss it, turning it over and into the half-ton bin. The foreman tosses back the empty container and off the harvester goes to pick another load.

As the bins are filled the tractor driver delivers the bins down below where I later catch owner Tony Truchard joyously loading the bins with his pallet tractor on to the truck to be transported back to the winery. From the expression on Tony Truchard’s face, I get the impression this is going to be a very good harvest. The previous day, I’d tasted the 2007 Chardonnay at the winery. It’s a beautiful Chardonnay, with some acidity and light oak. It is just the way I like Chardonnay. It is a delight to have the opportunity to take photographs of this wonderful event that nature has given us and to know that these grapes will become a wonderful Chardonnay wine.

Last Saturday, after some 40 years of visiting Napa Valley wineries, for the very first time we attended the musical concert at the Robert Mondavi winery featuring the group Ozomatli. What a fantastic venue for a concert.

This series has been going on for 40 years and Margrit Biever Mondavi, who started the series, is still on hand to make the introductions. This year’s summer series of concerts will run through August 1. The proceeds from the concert series go to support various musical programs throughout the Napa Valley. Read the rest of this entry »

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 »

There is trouble ahead for Napa Valley wineries in 2009 and maybe beyond. You might think that all California wineries will suffer equally, but Napa wineries may be more vulnerable. A trip to the Napa Valley costs more than going to Paso Robles, Mendocino, or the Russian River wine region. Lodging and restaurants are more expensive, tasting room fees are higher, and on average, the cost of a bottle of wine is more expensive in the Napa Valley.

Since January we have been to the Napa Valley on three separate occasions. Granted we always visit during the week but almost every tasting room we have been into has been empty, void of visitors. Where are the tourists? In each tasting room we have heard the same lament about winter months being slow, but never this slow. The outlook for visitors the rest of the year does not look good. The San Francisco Convention & Visitor’s Bureau is predicting a drop in European and Asian travelers and in corporate travel by U.S. companies. No company wants to look bad for taking unnecessary travel junkets. More tourists are traveling on a beer budget.

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