Category Archives: Tasting Rooms
Napa Valley Charbono Resurgence
No, this is not the name of a new chic restaurant or B&B in the Napa Valley. It is a grape that at one time was highly reveled in the Napa Valley. It was famously made by the Inglenook winery … Continue reading
Napa Valley winter trip
Should you consider a Napa Valley winter trip in December or January? Napa Valley during these two months is undoubtedly the quietest time in this spectacular wine country. As one long-time Napa Valley resident once mentioned to me, “Winter is … Continue reading
Whitehall Lane Winery in St. Helena – The Sauvignon Blanc is outstanding
We like the Sauvignon Blanc and it is perhaps the most underrated wine in the Whitehall Lane lineup. The key to this wine is the small amount of Semillon grape that Dean Sylvester puts into this wine. I think the Semillon gives an added character to the S.B. Continue reading
Black Friday in the Carneros Wine Country
Forget about spending the day after Thanksgiving at your local shopping mall. Give yourself and your family a chance to unwind by taking in the sights and sounds of the Carneros wine country. From San Francisco, Oakland, the Peninsula or … Continue reading
Pope Valley Winery – Above the Napa Valley
The winery was established in 1896 and much of the winery looks the same as it did the first day it opened. It was originally named the Burgundy Winery founded by Ed Haus. The winery was built into a hillside and you can still see the rock and stones that form the walls of the bottom two floors of the winery. Continue reading
Robert Mondavi 2012 Blessing of the Grapes
The introductions were made by Margrit Mondavi, a gracious lady, so caring and gregarious. Winemaker Genevieve Janssens spoke about the outlook for this year’s harvest. After two previous difficult harvests, she is thankful that 2012 promises to be an outstanding vintage. Continue reading
Half-Day Wine Country Getaway to the Napa Valley
This is our second suggested trip for a quick getaway to the wine country. Last post we suggested a trip to the Carneros wine region; this week we suggest the Silverado Trail on the south end of the Valley. This trip is about an hour away from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. We like going through the back side of Napa; it saves a little time when headed to the Silverado Trail. Print out these driving directions. Continue reading
Quick Trips to the Napa Valley and Carneros Wine Country
Perhaps you are on a business trip in San Francisco or Oakland. Your schedule gives you an afternoon off and you want to visit the Napa Valley or Carneros wine country. You want something that will make your trip useful and memorable. We have a few quick wine country getaway suggestions that will do just that. Continue reading
Girls’ Wine Country Getaway to the Napa Valley
The kids are back in school and it is time for a well-deserved break in the action of household duties. The best possible getaway in September is a two-night stay in the Napa Valley wine country. We have done this several times and it works wonders on the psyche. Here are some sure-fire ideas for getting this trip off on the right foot and making sure that fun times prevail throughout the stay. Continue reading
Many reasons to visit the William Harrison Winery
We visited William Harrison a couple of week ago and, as often happens with small family-run wineries, the owner or winemaker will take a stint in the tasting room. On our visit, we had the good fortune to have winemaker Jim McMahon hosting the tasting room for the day. Jim came from Luna Vineyards and became head winemaker at William Harrison in 2009. Continue reading
