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Wildflowers in wine country

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Wildflowers in wine country

Wildflowers in wine country – St. Helena Vineyard

Wildflowers in Wine Country – St. Helena

After five years of drought conditions, we finally have a wonderful season of rainfall. The wine country in the Napa Valley and Sonoma has not seen this amount of rainfall in 50 years. The result as we swing into Spring and warm weather is a bounty of wildflowers.  Look along the hillsides and in between vines for wildflowers. It is an exciting season for gardeners, nature lovers, and wine enthusiasts. A trip to the wine country this March is just about as healthy as can been. It clears the mind and rejuvenates the spirit.

Wine Barrel Cleaning

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steam cleaning wine barrels

Steam cleaning wine barrels at Quintessa Winery in the Napa Valley

Wine Barrel Cleaning

Wine barrel cleaning or washing is one of the most important tasks in the wine cellar. Anytime the winemaker removes wine from a barrel, it must be washed and cleaned thoroughly. Any minute amount of bacteria that in the wine barrel can cause future spoilage of the wine. Wineries use various methods of cleaning wine barrels. Some use hot water and rinse the barrels several times. Others, as shown in the photo above, use a steam cleaning machine and tools to clean both the inside and outside of the barrels. One can only imagine the amount of time needed for cleaning wine barrels. Many of the larger wineries have hundreds of barrels. One of the favorite activities for wine country tourists and visitors is taking a tour that leads to the barrel room. When you visit a barrel room, most likely in one portion of the room or cave, a set of wine barrels will be in the cleaning process. The photo above was taken at the Quintessa Winery on the Silverado Trail. Please see article about our visit to Quintessa Winery.

Cover Crop Life Begins in the Vineyards

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cover crops wine country

Cover crop in a St. Helena Vineyard

Cover Crop Life Begins in the Vineyards

Our Wine Country Photo of the Day is a beautiful shot of a cover crop just beginning to take hold. This picture is a St. Helena AVA vineyard in the Napa Valley. A cover crop serves many purposes for a vineyard. The vineyard manager or grower select the types of cover crops to grow.  Some cover crops are volunteers like wild mustard.  Cover crops add to the beauty and elegance of a vineyard in the late Fall and Winter months. It is yet another good reason to travel to the wine country.

Joseph Family Vineyards – Alexander Valley

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Joseph Family Vineyards - Alexander Valley

Joseph Family Vineyards – Alexander Valley

Joseph Family Vineyards – Alexander Valley

We continue our theme for this time of the year showcasing beautiful Fall colors in wine country. This wine country photo is a view of the Joseph Family Vineyards in the Alexander Valley of Sonoma County. One of the most incredibly beautiful backroads in wine country is Highway 128 in the Alexander Valley. Along this wine country backroad are spectacular vineyard views on both sides of the road. We love visiting wineries on the Alexander Valley Wine Route. Pick up picnic goodies at the historic Jimtown Store. There are several great picnic wineries along this wine trail, but our favorite, by far, is the picnic area at the Field Stone Winery. The wines are excellent and the vineyard views from the picnic area are breathtaking. Field Stone is the last winery heading south on this backroad. The winery is quiet, serene and very beautiful. The best way to get to the Alexander Valley Wine Trail is to head north on Healdsburg Avenue in the town. Once you pass the Simi Winery look for Highway 128 on the right. Continue on Highway 128 and follow the signs toward the south.

Additional Alexander Valley wine country information

  • Lodging in Healdsburg and Geyserville
  • Best dining opportunities in Healdsburg
  • Where to buy your picnic lunch in Healdsburg

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Introduction to Healdsburg Wine Country

Shenandoah Valley in the Sierra Foothills

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Fall colors in the Shenandoah Valley

Fall colors in the Shenandoah Valley near Plymouth, CA

Shenandoah Valley in the Sierra Foothills – Fall Colors

The Fall is the most incredible time to explore the Sierra Foothills. The wine country is spectacular. Our favorite area in the Sierra Foothills is the Shenandoah Valley, just outside of Plymouth, California. The rolling hills of vineyards are centered in an oak woodlands ecosystem. The Fall colors afford dramatic views driving along the quiet backroads of the Shenandoah Valley. Compared to Napa Valley or Sonoma wine country, the Shenandoah Valley is a hidden wine country. There are no more than 50 wineries in the area, and most are small wineries that are family owned and operated. It is a serene place to ponder life and take in the beauty of wine country. This particular photo location is on Shenandoah Road. The vineyards belong to Young’s Vineyards.

More information on the Shenandoah Valley

Barrel Room at Chateau Margaux

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barrel room margaux

Barrel room contains wine from the current vintage

Barrel Room at Chateau Margaux

This is one of two spectacular barrel rooms at the Premier Cru winery, Chateau Margaux. These are French oak barrels. The Chateau Margaux cooper made twenty percent of these barrels. The wine in this barrel room is from the current vintage.  For one year, the wine will be aged and racked in this room. After one year, the wine will be transferred to the second barrel room. At that point, the winemaker and other Margaux officials will blend the wine from different vineyard plots. I shot this photo while touring Chateau Margaux in September of 2016. I used Lightroom software and Photomatix Pro software to give the photo a special effect.

Merlot Grapes in St. Emilion

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Merlot grapes St. Emilion

Merlot grapes will be harvested this week

Merlot Grapes in St. Emilion – harvest is near

These are Merlot grapes in St. Emilion. Harvest will more than likely take place this week. In St. Emilion, the most important grape is Merlot. The other Bordeaux grapes grown in St.Emilion are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Merlot is the predominant grape in the wines made in St. Emilion. In contrast, wines made on the Left Bank of Bordeaux are mainly Cabernet Sauvignon. The harvest appears to be excellent for 2016. We shot this photograph the day after a night of heavy rain. This is exactly what the vineyard growers were hoping for. The last two months have been dry and very warm. In all of Bordeaux,  irrigating the vines is not allowed. The grape clusters at this stage are in need of a good dose of water. The rainfall will plump up the individual grapes and ultimately provide more wine juice.  The wine growers are expecting dry days ahead until harvest. This rainfall will turn the grapes into “liquid gold.”

St. Emilion Merlot

Ominous clouds in St. Emilion

This is a landscape view of Merlot vineyards, with the hilltop town of St. Emilion in the background. Later we went into St. Emilion and strolled the many wonderful wine shops. Our favorite wine shop was  Ets Martin. Ets Martin has an incredible collection of Bordeaux wines. One can taste several wines in various price ranges. Wine shipments can be arranged to the United States.

We hired a driver to take us from the city of Bordeaux to St.Emilion. We asked him to drive through the backroads of the vineyards outside of St. Emilion. What a joy to view beautiful vineyards on this spectacular cloudy day! You can also take a 25-minute train ride from Bordeaux to St.Emilion.

Veraison Pinot Noir Grapes

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Pinot Noir grapes undergoing veraison

Pinot Noir grapes undergoing veraison – beautiful work of nature

Veraison Pinot Noir Grapes in the Russian River Valley

Nearing the end of July in a normal climate year, veraison is underway in the vineyards of Northern and Central California. Veraison is a French term and means the onset of ripening. Veraison is an important event in the growing season of a vineyard. Excitement reigns among vineyard growers and managers. Veraison signals the anticipation of harvest in about one month’s time. Our Wine Country Photo of the Day shows a cluster of Pinot Noir grapes in the Russian River Valley. The photo was shot at the Benovia Winery.

Pinot Noir Wine Glasses in the Russian River Valley

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wine glasses pinot noir

In the Russian River Valley Pinot Noir wine glasses

Pinot Noir Wine Glasses in the Russian River Valley at Benovia

I shot this photo at the Benovia Winery in the Russian River Valley. These are Pinot Noir wine glasses most likely made by the Riedel Wine Glass Company. The Russian River Valley is famous for Pinot Noir, a grape that requires cool climate but enough sun to bring vitality and life to one of the hardest wine grapes to grow. Benovia is one of several producers in the Russian River Valley that makes high quality Pinot Noir wines. See the Russian River Valley Wine Route for a list of wineries making great Pinot Noir and other wines.

CALIFORNIA WINE COUNTRY REGIONS:

Carneros • Livermore • Lodi • Mendocino • Monterey • Napa Valley • Paso Robles • Santa Barbara County • Santa Cruz Mts. • Sierra Foothills • Russian River • Sonoma Valley

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