Day 26: Napa Valley

This installment is dedicated to those friends and family members whom I know are wine lovers. Today was spent driving through the Napa Valley region, otherwise known as wine lover’s heaven. As I write, I’m sipping on a glass of St. Clement Chardonnay.

In a perfect world we would have stopped at every winery, tasted every wine and bought a sample of every tasting. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t be concerned about over imbibing, or drinking and driving. In a perfect world, a limousine would have pulled up to our hotel and whisked us away to enjoy the fruits of the Napa Valley. But, the world’s not perfect and neither are we. So, our aim was to select one winery, enjoy a tasting, and buy a bottle or two if so inspired. So, we drove north on highway 29 passing acres of vineyards, supporting dozens and dozens of wineries. Most appeared to be espaliered with some close pruned into perfect rows and dark purple clusters hanging off the bottom of each row, while others were propped up on their wire supports with vines hanging haphazardly hiding the grapes from passersby. Apparently, most of the whites have been harvested, except for the Chardonnay and the reds will be harvested in the next week or so. We felt somewhat privileged to be visiting the wine country of the US during harvest season.

The first winery we visited was V. Sattui, just south of St. Helena, which came recommended by a volunteer at the tourist office in Napa (the city, not the valley) and is celebrating its 125^th anniversary. Besides the usual tastings of their boutique wines, V. Sattui offers to put together a picnic lunch selecting from over 200 varieties of cheese, sausage and wine to be enjoyed in their garden picnic area. The building was beautiful, the grounds were beautiful, the weather was beautiful but it was insanely busy. The tasting room was huge and packed with giggly samplers. The gift shop had unique items, albeit somewhat pricey, but the crowds made it difficult to shop comfortably. It was all a bit too claustrophobic.  We left without sampling or buying but would definitely consider returning on a non-Columbus Day weekend.

A little further north along the highway we stopped at St. Clement Winery. A short climb uphill from the parking lot brought into view a Victorian style home with a wide veranda. Cozy couples and small groups sat casually around the treed yard sipping on glasses of red or white; the occasional full bottle anchored a romantic couple to a bistro table overlooking the valley they were apparently ignoring. The whole scene was the antithesis of the Sattui vineyard and thus perfect for us.

We engaged in a sampling of 5 wines, 2 white and 3 red. However, I didn’t want simply to enjoy the wine itself, I wanted to learn a little about how to properly taste wine. It seems that it involves “S’s”. (My apologies to my sommelier friends who could not doubt explain this in more eloquent terms). First, you “swirl”. Swirl the wine in the glass to open up the vapours; then “sniff”. Inhale through the nose with your mouth slightly open to evoke the anticipated taste of the wine; it’s similar to smelling baked bread before you eat it. You’re already enjoying it. Then, “sip”. Toss the wine around the inside of your mouth so all your taste buds get a sample. This is where you can pick out the various elements or flavours (berries, pepper, vanilla, chocolate, etc.). Then “swallow”. This is the ultimate satisfaction; it also grants a bonus in the finish or lingering aftertaste. Wow, a sip of wine can be enjoyed for a long time.

The winery rep that directed our sampling was very knowledgeable and patient with all my questions. But, we also met a couple from Texas who really knew their wine. They have been visiting the Napa Valley and St. Clement Winery in particular for over ten years and generously imparted their insight on wine tasting including how to properly aerate wine.

We left with a bottle of Chardonnay – not my usual choice for a white wine. But, in the tasting, there was a slight, well balanced oak flavor that I found pleasing.  I thought that if the tasting was good, the bottle would be great. I enjoyed it, and I hate to seem inflexible, but my next bottle of white will probably be one of my usual favourites of Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. Sorry, Chardonnay, but I tried.

Until tomorrow. . . .