September 23, 2016 1:39 pm
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Wine clubs learn about the harvest Grape harvest season in Napa Valley is upon us. Already, the winemakers have tested the first few grapes to see if they’re ripe. Sometimes the grapes are harvested mechanically, but other times they’re harvested by hand. This latter approach is obviously a lot more work, but in many cases the result is a much better wine. Mechanical harvesting involves shaking the grapes until they fall off the vine, which can rupture some of them. However the grapes are harvested, they have to be sorted by hand. Grapes that are green, moldy or shriveled have... View Article
September 22, 2016 1:17 pm
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Cabernet Sauvignon a famous California wine It’s that time of year again. Throughout Napa Valley, the grapes are being harvested for Cabernet Sauvignons that won’t be sold for a few years yet. It’s been a dry year in California, but the Cab grape is famous for enduring the elements while retaining its quality. Its tannins mean that it lasts a long time in the barrel, and interacts with the oak to bring out new flavors as it ages. This results in the famous nose and palate of the California Cab, which includes such elements as cassis (blackcurrant), black cherry and... View Article
September 15, 2016 3:14 pm
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Wine tours of Napa Valley In Napa Valley, the grape harvest season is upon us. If you want to see the wineries at their busiest, this is the time. If you’d rather have the chance to actually talk with the winemakers and not be underfoot while they’re trying to get things done, this is the time to schedule a visit for somewhat later in the year. A number of travel companies have set up wine tours of the Napa Valley area in which you can visit a series of vineyards accompanied by other wine lovers. You can learn all about... View Article
September 14, 2016 3:03 pm
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Things you hear at a wine club’s wine tasting. A lot of the wine tastings language you hear if you’re a member of a wine club and you’ve been invited to a tasting is easy to understand. If you’re familiar with the smell and taste of various fruits, vegetables and spices, much of the description of the aroma and flavor of wine will make intuitive sense. Some of these terms might seem not exactly food-related, such as “leather” or “crushed rocks.” Think of the smell of leather or wet cement, and imagine tasting that smell (taste and smell are closely... View Article
September 8, 2016 10:29 am
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Learning about the winemaker experience at wine clubs Joining a wine club means getting the chance to talk to real winemakers about their work. The winemaker experience is not quite like any other. The process of growing grapes may have a lot of similarities to growing, say, tomatoes, but being a winemaker means knowing your produce will be judged more exactingly, and delighted in more thoroughly, than that of any tomato grower. The winemaker learns the terroir of his or her vineyard — the precise microclimate of the area, the levels of sunlight and moisture that prevail at various points... View Article
