Wine News

Train Napa: To ride or not to ride the Napa Valley Wine Train

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train napa

Some call it the train Napa but we know it as the Wine Train. Every now and then a WCG reader will shoot us an email asking us for advice on taking a ride on the Napa Valley Wine Train that runs through the Valley. I’m sorry to reply to these emails that I have … Read more

Napa Valley winter trip

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Napa valley in winter. Trip to tasting roomShould 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 how the Valley used to be during the entire year long ago.” If you really want to get away, this is the time to be in the Napa Valley. It’s beautiful, serene, and most of all relaxing. Here are a few things to do in December and January in the Napa Valley.

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San Francisco Prep High School churns out Winery Owners and Winemakers

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St. Ignatius graduates who are winery owners or winemakers
In center Whitehall Lane G.M. Mike McLoughlin Class of 1979
St. Ignatius High School in San Francisco has produced a very impressive list of alums working in the world of wine. The Alumni Department at S.I. forwarded me this list of graduates affiliated with wineries in the Napa Valley, Sonoma and beyond. I find it fascinating that so many grads from S.I. are owners of wineries and/or winemakers. My guess is if you looked at other high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area you would not find anything close to matching that of the St. Ignatius group. Perhaps in the Napa Valley, where wine folks live and send their kids to high schools such as St. Helena High, you would expect a large connection from its graduates to wineries, but from a San Francisco City school, it is totally unexpected.

My friend Bob (a fellow alum and retired S.I. teacher and coach) and I paid a visit to Whitehall Lane Winery in St. Helena, owned by S.I. alum Tom Leonardini. We discussed the guys we each knew from S.I. who owned wineries and that prompted us to get a complete list from the Alumni Department at St. Ignatius High School. The list below shows the name of the winery, the individual, their graduation year, and their affiliation with the winery.

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Black Friday in the Carneros Wine Country

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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 anywhere else in the Bay Area, it is an easy day trip to the Carneros region and there are many wonderful wineries to visit and things to do

Here are some great ideas to make your Black Friday Carneros trip a success:

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Robert Mondavi 2012 Blessing of the Grapes

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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.

Girls’ Wine Country Getaway to the Napa Valley

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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.

Napa Valley bashing at the Wine Bloggers Conference

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The Napa Valley is recognized as one of the top wine regions in the world. When you are top dog, expect to take some shots from your rivals. Napa Valley wineries had their share of good-natured bashing from Oregon wineries at the 5th Annual Wine Bloggers Conference held in Portland, Oregon, this past weekend.

Oregon wineries needle Napa Valley
Willamette Valley winemaker

What we heard along the way

“In Willamette Valley the weather cools rapidly from afternoon winds from the Van Duzer Corridor. Night time temperatures drop dramatically. In the Napa Valley it is hot all the time.”

“The Napa Valley Pinot Noirs from Carneros are too big.”

“Here in the Willamette Valley the winemakers and owners share their knowledge and help one another. In the Napa Valley, it is all corporate.”

“One thing that differentiates the Willamette Valley from the Napa Valley is that each year the growing season in the Willamette is very different. The climate varies significantly year to year. Napa does not have that fluctuation so their wines are always the same.”

“Here in the Willamette Valley you are likely to find a winemaker or family member working the tasting room. That is something you won’t find in the Napa Valley.”

What Oregon wineries should be saying to Napa Valley

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The Napa Valley Connection to the Barrios of Peru Our Hands for Hope

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Our Hands for Hope

What do Peruvian women have in common with Hess Winery, Robert Mondavi, the Spa at Bardesonno, and the chic West End Napa Store? The women’s woven clothing pieces are sold at these locations. It is a win for both, with the Pervian women making a living and the stores featuring a one-of-a kind product. How did this partnership occur?

We recently had a very interesting and informative meeting with Terisa Brooks-Huddleston, the founder of “Our Hands for Hope,” an organization which works directly with abandoned or widowed women from the Andes mountains, who are intent on finding a way to support themselves and their children. These women are motivated, talented and well trained, but previously were only able to sell their handmade outerwear and blankets to visiting tourists.


“Our Hands for Hope” was created out of a partnership with Project New Hope International and Creation Peru. These organizations have helped build medical centers and schools in the area, as these women and their children receive no government assistance. “Our Hands for Hope” purchases the soft alpaca yarn and sends suggested patterns to the women, who are known affectionately as “Peruvian Mothers.” The women knit the products and set their own prices. The products are then sent to Terisa and she locates retail shops which will sell them.

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Napa Valley Picnic Wineries – More bad behavior

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One of our favorite things to do in wine country is to enjoy a picnic lunch at a winery. In the Napa Valley there are far too few wineries that have picnic areas when compared to Sonoma, Paso Robles, and other California wine regions. Napa County ordinances have been tough on the newer wineries, not allowing them to offer this wonderful experience to the wine traveler. Sadly, on our trip to the Napa Valley this past week, we discovered that one of our favorite wine picnic areas had been fenced off and the winery was now charging a $35 table fee to use the picnic area. Hard to believe but true!

Rutherford hill picnic area
To enter one must pay a $35 table fee

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Napa Valley Happenings in May and June

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Is the old Gordon’s Café and Wine Bar in Yountville set to reopen? We hope so! Remember, this was a popular spot among the locals but closed in 2007. Runners, walkers, and cyclists would convene here for their morning cup of java and other goodies. Later in the day, the wine bar, along with other good eats, was the big attraction. It was sold in 2007 to Leslie Rudd of Rudd Winery and Dean & DeLuca fame. It was gutted and the remodel process got started, but then suddenly everything came to a halt. The place remained in that condition until January of this year when new owner Frank Altamura (Altamura Vineyards & Winery) began construction to turn the old Gordon’s place into perhaps a pizzeria? We look forward to the resurrection of this cool hideaway.

Gordon's Cafe and wine bar in Yountville
Gordon's as it looked in 2006

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