Thursday, June 24, 2004
Winery Stop - Napa - Sterling Vineyards
Laura and I went to this vineyard last summer on a suggestion from a guidebook. The biggest draw: a spectacular tram ride up the side of a "mountain" whose final destination is the winery at the top of the hill. It's $10 per person, but that includes a free tasting and self guided tour at the top. The free vintages we tried weren't outstanding but decent. Because of the construction that was going on at the time, we were offered one of the higher quality wines. The wine was a little better, but not worth the price.
The Tour: Self guided and not all that exciting. The building is quite pretty though and, as I said earlier, they've done some remodeling.
The Wine: Pretty average fair though we only tried one of the higher end vintages. Not that great of a value. The Chardonnay was good.
The Grounds: Almost as pretty as Benzinger; better in some places. Again, camera worthy.
Unique: The tram ride, of course! You and your friend will be treated to some very pretty views during your slow ascent and descent. (There's a 2/1 coupon for the reserve room tasting.)
The Tour: Self guided and not all that exciting. The building is quite pretty though and, as I said earlier, they've done some remodeling.
The Wine: Pretty average fair though we only tried one of the higher end vintages. Not that great of a value. The Chardonnay was good.
The Grounds: Almost as pretty as Benzinger; better in some places. Again, camera worthy.
Unique: The tram ride, of course! You and your friend will be treated to some very pretty views during your slow ascent and descent. (There's a 2/1 coupon for the reserve room tasting.)
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Winery Stop - Sonoma - Benziger
My Mom told me about this winery a few years ago. The place is gorgeous; and the wine ain't bad neither. If you're into 100% biodynamic growing, fruity wines and a tractor powered tour this is the place to go.
The Tour: I remember the tour cost around $7-$10 per person which included about a half-hour tour of the grounds powered by a tractor. The family dog might come a long for part of the ride. Really, the tour is more for the pleasant ride through this beautiful place than it is about learning about wine. At the end, you get to try one or two vintages.
The Wine: Very good for the price. Be sure to try a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Laura and I did the $20 "upscale" tasting after the normal free (I think it's free, could be $5) tasting and were pretty happy though I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Remember, most places don't mind if two people share a tasting.
The Grounds: Did I mention how pretty this pace is? Be sure to bring a camera. After you go there, you'll wonder why anybody would want to live anywhere else.
Unique: They have their own insectory where they grow "good" insects that eat the "bad" insects which means they don't need to use pesticides. Be sure to check out the flora from different parts of the nation.
The Tour: I remember the tour cost around $7-$10 per person which included about a half-hour tour of the grounds powered by a tractor. The family dog might come a long for part of the ride. Really, the tour is more for the pleasant ride through this beautiful place than it is about learning about wine. At the end, you get to try one or two vintages.
The Wine: Very good for the price. Be sure to try a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Laura and I did the $20 "upscale" tasting after the normal free (I think it's free, could be $5) tasting and were pretty happy though I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Remember, most places don't mind if two people share a tasting.
The Grounds: Did I mention how pretty this pace is? Be sure to bring a camera. After you go there, you'll wonder why anybody would want to live anywhere else.
Unique: They have their own insectory where they grow "good" insects that eat the "bad" insects which means they don't need to use pesticides. Be sure to check out the flora from different parts of the nation.
Sunday, June 20, 2004
Travel to Tuscany
JP told me about this place a couple of weeks ago. Laura and I went there on Saturday for lunch and loved the place. They make fresh made-to-order Italian style pizzas, sandwiches, salads, coffees and many side dishes. They also have a wine tasting bar in the back. Basically, pay a buck or two for a taste of wine; their delivery system is ingenuous. It's a little out of the way, but I highly recommend it as a great stop before a picnic; a nice place lunch and a very convenient place to do some high-falutin wine tasting.
Friday, June 11, 2004
German Spam
I got this bit o' spam at work as well. Unfortunately, the babelfish.altavista.com translation didn't do it justice. Something about wailing women and poop videos.
Monday, June 07, 2004
Wine Country Reviews
For all of those planning trips to the California wine country this summer, I wanted to put together a quick series of posts highlighting some of my and Laura's favorite wineries.
Some quick pre-requisites:
1. You'll need a car. There is really no other way to see the wine country aside from getting a driver. Convertibles are nice and there are some great roads around like Oakville Grade/Dry Creek Rd which connects, rather circuitously, Napa and Sonoma.
2. You'll need some patience. Traffic in the summer can be pretty bad on the small roads and some of the out of way wineries aren't the easiest to find without a good map.
3. You'll need some money. Though many wineries offer free tastings, every year I visit more and more are charging small tasting fees; especially true when sampling the higher end vintages. Also, tours usually have a small charge.
4. You'll need some sun block. And water. And shades. It's sunny and dry but thankfully, no where near as hot and muggy as Austin.
5. You'll need some preparation. Many of the wineries close on Mondays or Tuesdays completely and on Sunday early. Make sure that you find out when your favorite winery is open and if you need reservations for tours. Most wineries now have websites so check them out.
6. You'll need a camera and something to write with. One for the beautiful scenery, the other to help record the wines that you truly enjoy.
Once you have most of the above you're ready to enjoy the wine country.
Keep checking back for some tips on tasting, buying, shipping, eating and where to visit.
Some quick pre-requisites:
1. You'll need a car. There is really no other way to see the wine country aside from getting a driver. Convertibles are nice and there are some great roads around like Oakville Grade/Dry Creek Rd which connects, rather circuitously, Napa and Sonoma.
2. You'll need some patience. Traffic in the summer can be pretty bad on the small roads and some of the out of way wineries aren't the easiest to find without a good map.
3. You'll need some money. Though many wineries offer free tastings, every year I visit more and more are charging small tasting fees; especially true when sampling the higher end vintages. Also, tours usually have a small charge.
4. You'll need some sun block. And water. And shades. It's sunny and dry but thankfully, no where near as hot and muggy as Austin.
5. You'll need some preparation. Many of the wineries close on Mondays or Tuesdays completely and on Sunday early. Make sure that you find out when your favorite winery is open and if you need reservations for tours. Most wineries now have websites so check them out.
6. You'll need a camera and something to write with. One for the beautiful scenery, the other to help record the wines that you truly enjoy.
Once you have most of the above you're ready to enjoy the wine country.
Keep checking back for some tips on tasting, buying, shipping, eating and where to visit.
Lightning Bolt!
I like the applause at the end. Thanks to Scott-D! for the link.
Amazon, delivered today.
I agree, Amazon just gets it. They offer the best of both worlds for delivery now. If you're willing to wait, you can get most items delivered for free. Though most times I only wait a few business days even for that. But now, they're testing same day delivery of orders; that's just sweet.
