Many of Andy’s wine tour guests at Platypus Tours have asked the question, “Will the fires that hurt Napa and Sonoma affect the wine produced in the region?” The short answer is “no”. Here’s the longer answer: More than 90% of the grapes had been harvested by the time the fires hit the region in early October. So in the universe of grapes that might be used to make wine here, only 10% remained on the vine during the fire and might have suffered what’s referred to as “smoke taint” which produces noticeably smokey aromas or flavors in the wine....
Contribute to Sonoma Fire Victims. Though the wrap up of the tourist season in Napa and Sonoma has seen an uptick in visitors since the fires, that catastrophe has left thousands of families displaced and in need. For every Snob Free Wine Tasting Companion book purchased now through the end of November, we’ll donate 100% of the proceeds to North Bay Fire Relief, administered by the Redwood Credit Union in partnership with the RCU Community Fund, Inc., The Press Democrat, and Senator Mike McGuire . This local group pledges that every penny donated will go to those in need. Purchase at...
You’re in the Bay Area for the Super Bowl, but that’s not all you hope to indulge in while you’re here. You also want to take advantage of your proximity to California’s premier wine country in Napa and Sonoma. Of course you could just get in your car, set the GPS and start driving but you know enough to realize that there is more than one fabulous area for wine tasting near San Francisco and you have only so much time to squeeze in all you want to do. To help you choose where you’re going, plan the timing and...
The countdown is on; Thanksgiving is two days away. If you haven’t given any thought to the wine you’re serving or bringing to a Thanksgiving dinner now would be the time to get your act together. Here’s a quick reference to ease the pressure in making your decision, based on a review of articles written by people a lot smarter than us about food and wine pairing. High-Level Guidelines If you’re the one doing the entertaining, it’s nice to have both red and white wine available to accommodate guests’ preferences. However that doesn’t mean you have to go crazy with...
If you’re looking for a great outing in the Bay Area wine country, consider the Wine and Food Affair in Northern Sonoma County on November 7th and 8th. Similar to other such “wine road” or “passport” events, participants purchase a ticket that provides them a glass and entrance to multiple wineries on a given route. In this case, you select one of the over 100 participating wineries to start your day’s journey which appears to avoid overcrowding at any one place. In addition to the wine tasting at each winery, one thing that looks great about this is that each location will...
WIN YOUR SNOB FREE HOLIDAY STOCKING STUFFERS EARLY! Our readers are in widespread agreement; they love reading Snob Free Wine Tasting Companion (Napa & Sonoma Edition) AND it’s a great gift item. We’re giving away 3 complimentary books (over $60.00 in value) and a bottle of great Napa or Sonoma wine (if you are 21 or over and in the U.S. in a state that allows shipping wine) to one lucky Snob Free photo contest winner. Here’s how to play: 1. Post a photo of yourself on THE SNOB FREE WINE TASTING FACEBOOK PAGE showing your Snob Free Wine Tasting Companion book...
Pagani Vineyards in Sonoma, CA We got to see some fabulous oldsters this weekend in Sonoma . That is vineyards with some gnarly old vines (see photo). Fitting since it was Andy’s birthday! To give you some perspective on the impact of vine age on wine, it takes about 3-to-4 years from the time a vine is planted until it bears mature fruit for use in wine. Until then, any grapes produced are discarded. When a vine is about five years old, it can produce what is considered a full crop. From then to about thirty years, the vine is...
It’s a misconception that screw caps go with cheap, poor quality wine albeit a hard one to overcome since Baby Boomers associate these with the cheap wine of their youth. Actually, there is no technical reason wines with a screw cap won’t age as well or better than those with a cork. Needless to say, the cork industry and those wine producers that use cork in their bottling process would like consumers to believe otherwise. According to the Press Democrat, a Sonoma County paper, Northern California Wine Country wineries conducted a “…$300,000 campaign on local radio and Facebook where area wineries such as...
As with most of our food and drink, we buy it at the market with little to no thought about how it got there. It’s been interesting for us to understand wine as an agricultural product; grapes grown in vineyards that are planted, tended with care, harvested and then taken through a process that culminates as the wine you enjoy in your glass. If you visit the wine country this time of year, it’s glorious. While vines have been pruned in January, so are generally still without leaves, in between the rows of vines are beautiful colors of green grass...
Napa, California, Wine Country, Napa and Sonoma counties in Northern California are the hub of wine making in the U.S. Considered part of the San Francisco Bay area, Napa in particular, with roughly 500 wineries, is a destination for four million visitors a year. Though many visitors – whether from the surrounding Bay Area or from out of town – may like to be spontaneous in their excursions to wineries, it pays to give some thought ahead of time to which wineries you’re going to visit. Based on his experience as a tour guide in Napa and Sonoma, Andy Hyman,...
