June 30, 2016 6:31 am
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St. Helena and wine clubs St. Helena, “Napa Valley’s main street,” is one of the centers of the wine industry or St. Helena wineries. Winery tours are devoted to this town and its more than 80 wineries and numerous wine clubs. If you’re planning to go there, be prepared to spend several days. Look for hotels and St. Helena wineries with at least 20 Yelp reviews and at least four stars. Get out into the Napa Valley countryside and explore the complex topography that creates the many terroirs of Napa vineyards. In 1981, the Napa Valley was named California’s first... View Article
June 29, 2016 6:26 am
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The aging of wines We think of wine as something that needs to age. This is because while it’s estimated that 90 percent of wine is made to be drunk within a year, the most famous and highly regarded wines (with a few exceptions, such as Nouveau wines) need at least a few years in the barrel. The wine itself changes with age, and the oak from which the barrels are made secretes tannins and vanillin into it, making it more mellow and complex. Red wines rich in acidity and tannins, and white wines with high acidity, are the most... View Article
June 22, 2016 11:00 am
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Two of the many types of Napa Valley wines The Napa Valley is well known throughout the world for its intricate topography that offers many different places to grow different wine grapes. Varieties of wine grown here include Cabernet Sauvignon and Right Bank. Cabernet Sauvignon was grown from Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Hardy and resilient, producing grapes of consistent quality, the “Cab” is one of the most popular wines in the world, and was the most widely planted premium red wine grape in the world for most of the 20th century. First introduced to California in the 1870s,... View Article
June 21, 2016 10:47 am
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How the best vineyards in Napa Valley become the best There are about 400 wineries in Napa valley, and many different microclimates and regions of soil that add up to 16 American Viticultural areas. No one of them produces the perfect grape — instead, the best vineyards of Napa Valley match the right variety of grape to their particular terroir, tend the vines lovingly and harvest the grapes at just the right moment. They grow Pinot Noir and Merlot grapes in the coolest parts of the valley, Zinfandel grapes in the mildest and the hardy but exquisite Cabernet Sauvignon grapes... View Article
June 17, 2016 4:13 am
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Sampling wine at a wine club wine tasting When you first sample wine at a wine tasting, hold the glass by the stem or the base, so the warmth of your hand doesn’t heat the wine past its serving temperature. Look at the wine against a white background, such as a tablecloth, to see the wine’s color and clarity. Place the wine glass on a flat surface and swirl it carefully to bring out the aroma and show the texture. Smell the wine, and think of the things the aroma reminds you of. It may help to get a copy... View Article
