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...
Somehow we’ve all grown up with images in our heads of the ancients stomping grapes to produce wine. Well, now you too can have the pleasure. According to USA Today, it’s not just us wild and crazy Californians who indulge in this; it appears that folks across the U.S. crave the feel of grapes between their toes. From Northern California’s wine country to SoCal’s Santa Barbara, north to Oregon and Washington and east to New York, Virginia and North Carolina, harvest festivals are in full swing including some that feature grape stomping contests. And by the way, we’re celebrating our own harvest season. No,...
Last week was a exciting time for Snob Free Press: Constellation Brands, which owns Robert Mondavi Winery purchased books for many of its locations! While you have likely heard of the iconic Mondavi brand you may not know that Robert Mondavi is considered the visionary behind a shift in Napa Valley to world-class wine making in the last half of the twentieth century. His wife Margrit, also an inspiring leader, was recently honored for her contribuiton to the arts in the area. How Mondavi Got his Start Emigrating from Italy, Robert’s family settled in Minnesota, where Robert was born. The family later...
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...
If you’re like many Bay Area residents, you may be surprised to learn that Livermore, for many years a sleepy remote rural area off of Highway 580 in San Francisco’s East Bay, has not only grown up to become a full fledged suburb, it now hosts a growing array of wineries. Here’s a quick summary of how to enjoy yourself in one of the Bay Area’s up and coming wine tasting areas. The Wine Institute in an online article in October, 2014 provides these great tips for making the most of your day. Livermore Valley Wine Tasting by Foot, Bicycle or Train First-time...
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...
Snob Free Wine Tasting Companion, Wine Smart in a Day, Napa & Sonoma Ediion You are of course starting to scratch your head and maybe even wring your hands. “What am I going to get my sweetie for Valentine’s Day?” you ask. It won’t surprise you that we have a great idea for you! Order your Snob Free Wine Tasting Companion, Wine Smart in a Day now and you can both enjoy wine tasting on an outing to a winery or at home. If you’re thinking of adding wine and chocolate to your book gift, go for it! It’s truly...
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,...
Cheers! After over a year of arduous work, Snob Free Wine Tasting Companion, Wine Smart in a Day, (Napa & Sonoma Edition) is available for sale. We’ve acknowledged numerous folks in our book who were so very helpful along the way however one person who simply must be thanked here is Lynda Banks, our book designer. Without her…well, you’ll see. Her talent shapes every page. The first hundred copies have sold and we’ve gotten great feedback about the humor and ease of reading. Three of our friends said they read the whole book in one sitting and discovered a lot they didn’t know about...
