It is such a wonderful change of pace to visit a winemaker like Vince Tofanelli. Too often when we visit the Napa Valley we get caught up by the big and the fancy wineries and tasting rooms and tend to overlook the smaller names of the Napa Valley. It is much more fun and a truly rewarding experience when you meet and taste the wines of the small winemaker. We made an appointment with Vince via email to visit his family vineyards on Dunaweal Lane in Calistoga. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate that day and we had to forego the vineyard walk and instead met Vince at Envy Winery in Calistoga where he makes and ages his wines. We went into the barrel room where we tasted his 2007 Zinfandel and 2007 Charbono, and also got a barrel taste of a Grenache and a Petit Sirah that he will bottle and release later this year.
Activities
Napa Valley Golf Courses – Any Good?
Every now and then we receive an email request asking that we recommend a good place to play golf while visiting the Napa Valley. I guess people do like to do other activities besides taste delicious wines and enjoy gourmet meals when in the Napa Valley. I don’t play golf so I would not know a good golf course from a bad one. Fortunately, I have several good friends that play golf often and they have helped me formulate this list of golf courses. I have published this list on WineCountryGetaways.com and I post it here to invite comments from golfers who have played these courses. Tell the golfers of the world what you think of any of these golf courses. Thanks for helping out!
Zinfandel Tasting at Fort Mason in San Francisco: Win Tickets
There will be a large number of Napa Valley wineries participating in this year’s Zinfandel Festival that runs from January 27 – 29 in San Francisco. I have six tickets to give away, two each to three lucky winners to the culminating event of this festival, the Grand Zinfandel Tasting at Fort Mason on Saturday, January 29. Over 250 wineries will be pouring Zinfandel wines between 2 pm and 5 pm at the Herbst and Festival Pavillions at Fort Mason. These tickets have a value of $70 each and here is how you can win a set of two tickets.
Vintage Wine Tasters Blind Taste Napa Valley 2007 Vintage
This past week the Vintage Wine Tasters met for their annual blind tasting of California Cabernet Sauvignon. For this tasting we decided to drill down to the 2007 Vintage, all from wineries in the Napa Valley. Everyone in the Napa Valley is touting the 2007 Vintage as a great one. The weather in 2007 was mild with no heat spikes of over 100 degrees. The nights were cool with less than five days of nighttime temperatures above 55 degrees. The year was a grower’s delight.
It was my turn to host so I did as much research as possible to narrow the huge number of 07 Napa Cabernets to six wines ranging in price from $20 to $60. By coincidence on the day of our blind tasting, my latest Wine Spectator arrived and it was the annual issue devoted to California Cabernet Sauvignon. I quickly glanced at the highest-ranked wines in the Spectator and found two of my choices on their Top Value list, one at 94 points and the other at 92 points. 
If you like Napa you will love Champagne
We just returned from a fascinating and wonderful three-week trip to France. Our last week was spent in the Champagne Region. If you like visiting Napa, you will love visiting the Champagne region. In spending just one week in Champagne we barely scratched the surface exploring this historic wine region. There are some 300 villages in the Champagne wine region and more than 3000 Champagne producers.
Only three varieties of grapes are grown here, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. These are the grapes used in blending Champagne. The majority of the soil is limestone The vines are grown in rows about one meter apart and are allowed to grow just over a meter in height. The vines are kept short and are constantly pruned. The idea is to keep the density high so the grape production is lower and the vines must compete for the needed ingredients. The vines grow deep into the chalky limestone soil. No irrigation is needed because there is enough rain and the chalky soil acts like a sponge to absorb the water. The limestone soil gives the Champagne that unique character that is found in no other bubbly around the world. 
Discover Mount Veeder – Great Day Trip to the Napa Valley
From both the San Francisco Golden Gate and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridges, Mount Veeder AVA is about one hour and 15 minutes driving time. It is the perfect quick wine country getaway for folks visiting San Francisco who want to get a quick glimpse of the Napa Valley. We say visit Hendry Winery, Yates Family Vineyard, and Hess Collection Winery and then go to the town of Napa for a late afternoon lunch.
Mount Veeder is a beautiful and lovely mountain, one of the highest in the Mayacamus Range and was once a blistering volcano. The area is very rugged and the soil and climate vary widely as the mountain elevates to a height of 2600 feet. The first stop on this quick getaway is the Hendry Winery at the base of Mount Veeder. Here you can kill two birds with one stone, because the Yates Family Vineyards uses a portion of the Hendry Winery to make and showcase their wines. To get to Hendry, take Redwood Road off Highway 29 in Napa and head west. On Redwood Road, go to the left when the road splits (about one mile). Continue another 1.5 miles. Watch on the right for the tiny sign indicating the entrance to Hendry Winery at 3104 Redwood Road. If you are not looking carefully and alertly, you will surely miss it. Both Hendry and Yates are open by appointment only, so be sure to call ahead.
A Rainy but Wonderful Day in the Napa Valley — Amgen Tour
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.
Amgen Tour in the Napa Valley – Best Viewing Spots
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.
If you are going to the Napa Valley
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
Valentine’s Day Getaway to the Napa Valley Ideas
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.
