One event that wine clubs like the Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards wine club are known for is the barrel tasting. A barrel tasting is a lot like other wine tastings, except that all the wines come straight from the barrel. At these events, you can taste last year’s wines at their earliest stage and try to make a guess as to how good it will be when it’s judged ready to be sold.
When you’re going to a barrel tasting, the usual rules of wine-tasting functions apply. Don’t wear strong-smelling perfume or cologne, don’t act like you’re in a bar, and don’t drink too much, especially if you’re visiting more than one vineyard and they aren’t serving food. A designated driver might also be a good idea, just in case. If you’re trying to decide which wine to taste, pick something you’ve never had before.
Buy wine futures at a barrel tasting
At barrel tastings, you can often buy a wine future at a discount. A wine future is much like any other futures contract — you agree beforehand to buy a certain number of bottles of wine as soon as the wine has been bottled. By committing yourself to the purchase ahead of time, you save money on the eventual purchase price. Barrel tastings are usually held in the spring or summer, when the weather is good and long before the vineyard is busy with this year’s harvest.
Barrel tastings at a vineyard near St. Helena
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where current releases and library wines may be sampled and visitors can learn all about the process of making and storing the wine. Tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase.
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces excellent wines at prices you can afford. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain, and has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide.
One wine you might want to try Anderson’s Conn Valley is the Èloge. The most recent bottled vintage, the 2011 Èloge, is an elegant wine with an aroma and taste of black cherry, plum, cigar box, licorice and violet perfume, and a long and satisfying finish. Despite being the newest Èloge offered by Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards, the ’11 vintage is destined to become one of the rarer vintages, because low temperatures and storms reduced that year’s yield. There’s no better time to buy a bottle than right now.
During the Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend, Todd Anderson, celebrity Napa Valley wines maker, held a private wine dinner and auction among one of the several private dinners given during the weekend-long event. The private dinners were held for the biggest supporters’ homes with a guest chef and winemaker collaborating on a special tasting menu. For his private dinner, Todd
Anderson worked with Chef Leslie Schlernitzauer to provide a wonderful evening for his guests.
Aside from great food served with Napa Valley wines, a wine auction was held where Todd Anderson raised over $60,000. The money will benefit organizations like Charlotte Concerts; The Council for Children’s Rights; Pat’s Place Family Advocacy; Safe Alliance; and Second Harvest Food Bank.
“We are thrilled to have been able to contribute such a large amount to the Charlotte Food and Wine Weekend’s designated beneficiaries. I look forward to returning to Charlotte in the near future,” says celebrity winemaker, Todd Anderson.
The Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend has been attracting record crowds along with leading wine makers and chefs from around the world since 1989. The event was born from the vision of a civic-minded wine and food enthusiasts who want to promote the knowledge of and appreciation for good food and good wine while also helping the Charlotte community.
The weekend-long event has raised over $4 million since its founding in 1989 and has been ranked by Forbes Travel Guide as one of the top five in the United States in 2014.
Todd Anderson, celebrity wine maker and wine owner, attended the Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend last April 27 to 30 where he brought Anderson’s Conn Valley wines. The Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend brings together leading wine makers and chefs from around the world to celebrate and promote knowledge of and appreciation for great wine and food.
The event was born out of the vision of a group of civic-minded wine and food enthusiasts in 1989 who wanted to create a series of events that will benefit the Charlotte community. Today, the annual event has grown and has become a space for the best winemakers and chefs from around the world to gather over good food and great wine. Since its birth, the Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend has contributed over $4 million to the community. Forbes Travel Guide ranked Charlotte Wine and Food Weekend one of the top five in the United States in 2014.
Profit from the event will serve as contributions to charitable organizations that will benefit children and their families in the Charlotte community. This year, the donations will focus on Nourishing Youth and Children, nurturing the whole child in body, mind and spirit, benefiting organizations such as Charlotte Concerts; The Council for Children’s Rights; Pat’s Place Family Advocacy; Safe Alliance; and Second Harvest Food Bank.
Todd Anderson, celebrity wine owner and wine maker, brought his Anderson’s Conn Valley wines to the Charlotte Food and Wine Weekend. He participated in the In Home Dinners, Restaurant Wine Dinners, and various Wine Tasting Events, such as The Grand Tasting Tent Session, and The Great All American Wine Tasting, and the Grand Gala and Auction at Romare Bearden Park.
“It is always an honor to visit during Charlotte’s Wine and Food Weekend and contribute to the community. This is a great place to visit, and I enjoy meeting the locals and teaching them about our wines,” said Todd Anderson.
St. Helena is proud to call itself “Napa Valley’s main street.” This small town has always been known for its St. Helena wineries, and today is one of the centers of the wine industry. Whole winery tours are devoted to this town and its more than 80 wineries. Its popularity as a wine center has given rise to bed and breakfasts, theaters and a restaurant so popular that reservations have to be made 60 days in advance.
If you’re planning to visit St. Helena (and why not?) find a hotel, and be prepared to spend several days there. Look for Yelp reviews of the town’s St. Helena wineries and schedule tours of the best. Look for places with at least 20 reviews and at least four stars. There’s no reason to confine yourself to the town limits — get out into the Napa Valley countryside and explore the little hills and subvalleys that influence the wind and clouds in subtle ways, forming the multitude of microclimates for which this part of California is famous. A great deal can be found within a five to ten mile radius of the town.
In 1981, the Napa Valley was named California’s first American Viticulture Area. These days 16 different AVAs are recognized within the valley. The St. Helena AVA is at the northern end of the valley floor, where it gets less cool air and ocean fog than the southern parts of the valley. Its soil ranges from gravel-clay soils on its southern and western borders to rich volcanic soils in the north and east. Deep, ripe Cabernet Sauvignons, Cabernet Francs and Merlots with jammy flavors and blackcurrant aromas all come from St. Helena wineries.
A winery near St. Helena
Some of the best California wines come from Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley. Just a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain. The microclimate of Conn Valley is cooler than many other parts of the valley, although warmer than Howell Mountain itself, so the grapes they grow are closer to mountain grapes than the grapes in the St. Helena AVA proper. At the vineyard, you have the chance to meet the owners and wine-makers and taste excellent wine stored in a cave.
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide. By ordering six bottles or more per year, you can join their wine club. This will get you a discount on many of their finest wines. Try a bottle today.
To find the best wines in Napa Valley, wine connoisseurs judge wines on appearance, aroma, body, taste and finish. The wine should be clear and brilliant, with the proper color and a complex, intense aroma. The weight and texture of it in the mouth is nearly as important as the flavor, which should be well balanced with recognizable notes of flavor. Its aftertaste should linger pleasantly in the mouth after it has been swallowed.
The best vineyards in Napa Valley match different varieties of grape to their particular soil and microclimate to achieve these qualities. There are about 400 wineries in the valley. In the coolest parts of the valley, winemakers grow Pinot Noir and Merlot grapes. The hardy Cabernet Sauvignon grapes can grow in any part of the valley, but yield better wines in some areas than in others. (Premium Cab grapes from Napa are sold for about $20,000 a ton.) The winemakers put planning and judgment into harvesting the grapes at precisely the right time, when the grapes are ripe-tasting but without too much sugar.
The best vineyards in Napa have tasting rooms where old library wines and the vintages of the past few years can be tried for a reasonable fee, paired with artisanal cheeses or other gourmet dishes. Bigger vineyards have scheduled tours, and smaller ones can generally be toured by appointment. When you visit a smaller vineyard, you have a much better chance of talking to someone who does some of the work there — or even the owner. The best time to visit is fall or spring, so as to avoid the crowds of tourists. In the fall, you can watch the harvest, but all the employees will probably be busy.
One of the best vineyards in Napa near St. Helena
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, is one of the best vineyards in the Napa Valley area. Their Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends are widely regarded as among the best wines in Napa. Their Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and non-malolactic Chardonnay of this vineyard also have a cult following. It holds tastings in its barrel caves, where current releases and library wines may be sampled and visitors can learn all about the process of making and storing the wine. Cave tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase.
Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain, and has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide. Order a bottle today.
