Organic and Biodynamic Wineries in Kelowna

Organic wine is becoming more and more of a trend in the new world. It’s quite commonly found in Europe, but it’s still a rarity in Canada. Kelowna has several wineries that use some organic practices and that claim to be organic, but there are only two that are actually certified Organic, and one that has a Demeter biodynamic certification. We visited both of them, and loved our experiences at each! I’m pleased to share with you what we learned about their practices and what we thought of the wines at Summerhill Pyramid Winery and Rollingdale Winery. First, it will help to understand what makes a winery organic and biodynamic.

There are several reasons why people are growing fond of organic wines, such as their low sulphite content, and environmentally sustainable practices. Many wineries may use organically grown grapes, but as nice as this theory is, if the winery isn’t organic in the rest of its production, it’s not putting out an organic product. In order to be certified organic, there’s actually quite a process that a winery has to successfully complete. Each country has its own specific regulations for certification, but they all focus on producing the purest wine possible. Grapes need to be grown organically, with no chemical sprays used. The organic vintner doesn’t add commercial yeast, but rather, lets the natural yeast in the air and on the grapes do the work. Sulphur naturally occurs on grapes in small amounts, and it is often used to sanitize bottles, but an organic winery is not permitted to add sulphur to their wines to stop the fermentation process, and they have specified maximum sulphur amounts on reds and whites. This means that sulphites (the buggers blamed for those nasty headaches and hangovers) are going to be minimal compared to commercial wines. Many organic wineries often don’t do fining or filtering, which means they’re not putting animal protein by-products (like fish bladders or egg or milk proteins) into the wine to clear out the sediment; you’ll notice some chunks at the bottom of your bottle of organic wine. This is the leftover tartaric and other acids, dead yeast and bacteria. It sounds kind of gross, but this is part of the wine making process, and they’re in all wines during fermentation. Most commercial wines take them out using chemicals or all those animal parts I mentioned (the sediment coagulates onto them), so I’m fine with seeing the sediment in my glass to know it’s a cleaner product.

The biodynamic movement is gaining more traction as people are studying it and starting to notice positive effects in the vineyards and the wine. The movement basically involves using the lunar calendar to determine the best days for vineyard practices, as well as some other beliefs that certain plants and natural practices increase the overall health of the vineyard, and therefore the final product that it produces. Biodynamic wineries are always organic wineries first; biodynamics is a way of being even more environmentally friendly, and additionally, these types of wineries are usually paying attention to sustainable practices to reduce their footprint on the earth as much as possible.

Now, to the wineries!

Summerhill Pyramid Winery is located just outside of Kelowna on a hillside overlooking the mountains and Okanagan Lake. Summerhill is certified organic and biodynamic. All of their wines are organic, and two are biodynamic. They are a large winery with lots of room for tasting, special events, and enjoying the beautiful view from inside and out. They have a large patio area that is part of their restaurant. We started with a tasting of several wines before we made our way to the patio to relax with a glass.

We started with their sparkling wine, which is made from Chardonnay and tastes as similar to Champagne as we had in the Okanagan valley, anywhere. It is made in the traditional method, with a traditional Champagne grape varietal, and we were quite impressed with it. It has notes of crisp green apples and citrus, and a slight yeasty bready nose and flavour.

Their Viognier was also notable as it was quite floral and aromatic, and was a great expression of what the grape should taste like, as was their Alive Rose.

This is a benefit to organic wine, with little intervention; it can taste like what the grape actually offers, rather than what the winemaker did to it to alter the taste to what he or she believes consumers may want. We tried several more wines, and weren’t in love with all of them, but overall, we were pleasantly surprised. Our sommelier was an Italian man who recently spent some time in South America, and he had lots of experience and knowledge to offer about wine.

On the patio, we enjoyed Syrah and Merlot, two more that we felt were great representations of the grapes and well done. Our service here was also excellent!

Rollingdale Winery is special to us because we’ve gotten to know their wine maker over the course of our visits in which we’ve connected on lots of common ground. We therefore know even more about Rollingdale’s practices than we do about Summerhill’s. Rollingdale is certified organic, and is currently in process of becoming biodynamic. All of their wines are organic.

Rollingdale is set up in a very casual, minimalistic style. It’s rustic-industrial-chic, if you will! They’re using a shop as their winery and tasting room, and they don’t have a restaurant or a fancy patio, but visitors get the sense of being on a family farm, and that’s how they treat you there – like family. Everyone is so welcoming and friendly. They have a little cheese and cracker set up when you come in, and juice boxes for kids, and when they go through the wines, you can tell they’re passionate about what they do, not just punching a clock.

Our sommelier took us through several wines with an explanation of each, what they were made of and how, and a bit of the stories behind the names. He was knowledgable about the wines and the winery.

After our tasting, we ran into the winemaker who took us on a long walk through the vineyard and showed us where they were at in the season. He also explained how they’re in the process of getting their Demeter biodynamic certification. We went and took a look at the biodynamic block to compare the crop with the others, and it was immediately clear how much bigger, more ripe and abundant the fruit was. After going through the process, he really believes in the practices, now that he’s seen them for himself.

He has to keep a daily log of everything he does to those grapes and vines to get the certification. There are only certain days on which he can water and harvest, and he has to track exactly how much water the vines get. There are other days they’re permitted to prune and trim the vines. There are certain plants that need to be growing on the property to increase the health of the whole vineyard’s ecosystem. They have been taking measures to draw certain birds to the area to control pests naturally. They spray the crop with steeped teas of particular herbs and plants. There’s so much going into it, but it’s going to be worth it based on how those grapes looked yesterday! I’ll be excited to try their 2018 biodynamic Chardonnay!

(Pictured above: smelling hops, and taking a look at some of their fruit plants)

If you’re in the Kelowna area, and looking for a fabulous tasting experience, try either Summerhill or Rollingdale, or both! I highly recommend them, as you’ll be supporting more environmentally friendly wineries, and getting a more pure product in addition. If you have never tried organic or biodynamic wines, I encourage you to do so. See what you think of them, and how they make you feel.

Happy organic wine-ing!

How We Rode a Willy’s Jeep through the Vineyards of Chablis

We recently took a trip to the wine regions of Chablis, Bourgogne, the Cote Rotie, and Hermitage. We celebrated our 10th anniversary in Paris, and as my husband and I just recently took our WSET Level 2, he planned this nice, five-day wine tasting add-on as a surprise that I must say was very, very pleasantly received. Today, I’ll discuss one special tasting in Chablis.

First things first – the cutest little red and white Citroen!

Trains are a great way to travel around Europe; they get you easily out of and into the hearts of the cities. If you’re going wine tasting though, you need to have some method of getting into the wineries, which are often in small towns, or out of town. You have a few options of hiring drivers or signing up for wine tour vans and mini-buses, but we like to be independent, so we usually prefer a car of our own. We knew from research that the French don’t appreciate it if you swallow their wine at a tasting. “You taste wine with your mouth, not your stomach,” is a common French philosophy, and we get it. They’re pouring you some really nice wines, and if you’ve consumed the first five at their place, and who knows how many others at the place before, they know your palate isn’t exactly what it was when you woke up that morning, nor is your mental clarity. As we were clearly planning to befriend the spittoon at every facility, driving was not going to be an issue.

We flew from our small city in the prairies to Toronto in the afternoon, then took the red eye from Toronto to Paris, arriving around 8am. We had to drive through Chablis on our way to Dijon, the town we had our Airbnb booked in. I’ve travelled enough now that I know myself pretty well; I said to my husband prior to the trip that no matter how tired I’d be from flying, as soon as we got there, and were driving through Chablis (me saying, “oh my gosh, we’re in Chablis right now!” over and over), I was going to want to stop at a winery, or a chateau as they call them, and stat! I knew I wouldn’t want to wait a day, so we made a couple of bookings for Chablis before we flew out (more on bookings later).

We rented the Citroen, and once we figured out how to change the GPS from German into English, we were on our way to Chablis! After filling up on baguettes and prosciutto from a grocery store off the highway, we arrived at Clotilde Davenne where we were in for a real treat. They recently began offering a Willy’s Jeep tour through the vineyards of Chablis, and we were their first customers to book the experience. We climbed up into the old Jeep, with Arnaud, the winemaker and owner’s son driving, my husband riding shot-gun, and myself in the back, hanging onto whatever I could find as to not fall over the side, and boy was it a ride! If you’ve ever seen pictures of Chablis, it’s not flat; I had some moments of sheer terror where I was bounced off the seat, or I imagined going over the edge or us rolling, but I was so thrilled to be riding in Chablis that I got over it pretty quickly.

First of all, this jeep was used in WWII to transport soldiers, and if that wasn’t amazing enough, we were driving between rows and rows of perfect Chablis vines, setting our eyes on the very slopes of the Premier and Grand Cru grapes of arguably the most reputable Chardonnay in the world, with a second generation French winemaker as our guide. “Here are some Premeir Cru plots, and over here are the Grand Cru plots…” If you wonder why Grand Cru is so expensive, it’s because out of the 6000 hectares of vineyards in Chablis, only 100 hectares are Grand Cru plots, meaning that only the grapes that come from those specific 100 hectares can be labelled as Grand Cru. The land is Grand Cru because of several reasons, some of which include the direction it faces which affects sun exposure, the slope of the hill affecting sunshine and water uptake, the soil make-up, the depth of the roots, the age of the vines, and the history that those particular vines have in producing the best quality Chablis. Arnaud took us to a viewpoint at which we could overlook the vineyards, and see a map of Chablis on a stone plaque that labelled all of the individual plots and their level of quality in an easy to read, color coded system.

Once we finished our tour of the land, Arnaud took us back to the chateau for a tour of the grounds, a history lesson on his family and how they started in the industry, and a tasting. He spoke fairly good English, which was great for us, as we speak little to no French. We began with about six wines on the table, and once he saw that we were spitting them out, asking detailed questions and taking the tasting seriously, we ended up with another four. We tried all four levels of Chablis: Petit Chablis, Chablis Villages, Premier Cru Chablis, and Grand Cru Chablis. These are all quality, Chablis Chardonnays, but they’ve been aged differently, and for different lengths of time, and they come from the specific plots of land that coordinate with their specific level of quality.

If you’ve ever had a bad Chardonnay, or heard the saying, “ABC – Anything But Chardonnay,” you’ve probably had experience with super oaky ones, or butter bombs, but Chablis is nothing like that. It’s crisp and refreshing at all levels, and the higher levelled ones are extremely complex, with multiple smells, and tastes that linger in your mouth and change over the course of the next 15 or so seconds after you’ve swallowed (or spat). You’ll get lemon, crisp green apple, citrus and floral blossoms on the nose, and there is a distinct minerality to it, kind of like a wet stone, limestone taste to Chablis that comes from the limestone soil the vines call home.

We also got to try some wines from other plots in the family that were really interesting, like some Pinot Noir Roses, a sparkling Cremant (made in the same way as Champagne, but wine can’t be called Champagne if it’s not grown in Champagne), and the Bourgogne Aligote, which is the only other white grape that’s allowed to be grown in the Bourgogne region, and is used often as a table wine or a blending grape. The most interesting wild card we tried was the Roman grape that Caesar used to drink, and was therefore named after him. This is grown in the Irancy region, therefore the wine is called Irancy, (regions are how France labels their wines), although it’s 10% Caesar and 90% Pinot Noir.

ALL of this – for the very reasonable price of €20 each.

Needless to say, we picked up a few of our favourite bottles to take with us, and gave Arnaud and Clotilde Davenne a spectacular review on Google. I would send anyone there, so if you’re ever in Chablis, look them up!

A note on bookings in France:

Always book ahead at the chateaus in France. The website that we used, ruedesvignerons.com, helped immensely. I did have a couple of glitches with their app when trying to cancel or change a reservation, so it’s not perfect, but it is a great starting point for booking. It shows which wineries are visitor friendly, because not all are open for tastings to the public. It also lists information such as the different times available, types of tastings, and the costs.

We found that when we showed up at most chateaus in France for our bookings, we were the only ones there. The families live and work on the property, and they’re the ones that run lots of the tastings and tours. They’ve got work to do; they’re not sitting around waiting for people to walk in the door. If you don’t book, there’s a chance the door will be locked, and nobody will be around. If you do book, they’ll be there waiting for you, having already learned your names and set up the tasting, just for you. Be sure to let them know if you need to cancel!

If you ever have the opportunity to taste in Chablis, or to taste anywhere in this world for that matter, go for it. You can meet some of the greatest people, and get to share in a small piece of their story, their craft, and their passion. Especially in Europe, it’s an amazing thing to be a part of.

Happy wine-ing!

A Penny Saved is a Penny Earned; Value Wines to Please Your Palate

Many of us enjoy wine for a variety of occasions. Sometimes, we want that special, expensive bottle, to celebrate a milestone or achievement, but sometimes, we just want a glass of red on the sofa while we read a great book, or a cool crisp white on the patio on a summer weeknight. Although these occasions are special in their own right, not all of us can afford to be cracking $50 bottles three times a week! Lots of us have also tried that $8 wine that looked oh-so-good in the packaging, with the fancy bottle shape and funky label, only to be let down by its lack-lustre or overbearing, unbalanced taste. Can we say “cooking wine”?

I used to wonder if it was even possible to spend less, and get more in a wine. The great news is, yes it is! You just have to know a few things. I realize that the $10 – $25 price range is the largest market for wine consumers, and I want to help you find wines you love for that price!

I gathered some friends together to help me give you the best information I can, and added our tips too. Specific wines are bolded throughout to make them easier to spot!

If you’re looking for even more specifics, a sommelier friend put together a list organized by price, specifically for you, my readers! Check out the list at the bottom.

The WSET Grad List

Ivy and Aaron are certified in WSET Level 2, just like us. They’re frequent hosts of wine tastings in their home, because they love sharing their passion for wine with their friends. They’re on a quest to try 100 grape varietals, and have reached the final stretches in that goal. They have an entire book shelf full of wine books (of which I’ve only yet borrowed one) and are pursuing further education in the wine industry.

“There are a few strategies that I use when purchasing value wines. Depending on what type or style I am looking for will determine which countries I will look for wines in. I love Riesling and in the Germany section you can get Rieslings under $20 that are a great value. If I am looking for a fruity and accessible red my go to is Beaujolais which is found in the French section. Beaujolais wines are the Gamay grape and one of my go to wine varieties under $25.” – Ivy

“When looking for value be sure to look at South America. Chilean Pinot Noir and Argentinan Cab Sav’s and Malbec’s. You can find inexpensive quality wines.” – Aaron

Great tips! They also include a category that I often don’t shop in because I don’t digest it well; however it’s widely liked, extremely popular and important to mention here – Sparkling Wine.

“One of my favourite tips for value is bubbly wines! I love my Champagne but don’t always love the price. Cava, which is from Spain, is made in the same style as Champagne but without the price tag. You can find lovely Cava under $25.” – Ivy

We met Sandra and Ian while they worked in the higher-ups of a restaurant we frequented. Over wine, we discovered we had more in common than we realized, and became friends. They’ve got ISG and WSET certificates between them, and Sandra has years of experience in high end service. Ian is the bar manager, and wine/spirits buyer, at one of our city’s most trendy, award winning restaurants, recognized as a top restaurant in Canada. (He also designs hundreds of spectacular, award winning cocktails!)

Ian walked us through how he designs wine lists for his restaurants. His goal is to find wines that will pair with the menu, cover main regions and the grape varietals they do well, and be of value to sell to patrons, for example, Pinot Noir from Oregon, or Argentinian Malbec.

He also frequents industry wine tasting events and tries new bottles that reps bring to him on the regular, so he shows the value in trying new wines and producers.

He spoke highly of South African wines for value, while still being interesting to the palate, (look for KWV on the label for higher labour standards in South Africa), as well as one other particularly interesting grape, and left me with this hilarious, but true quote.

“Look for a good Petit Syrah; you’re going to enjoy the shiz out of that!” – Ian

Sandra’s value go to is the Santos de Casa Reserva Alentejano, retailing for $27. They’ve shared this with us before – delicious.

“I love a well paired bottle of wine, but sometimes you get home from work and you just need to unwind and have a glass of something and you don’t want to plan your meal or think too hard. This is the perfect go to for those occasions. It is smooth and neither too dry or too sweet and will appeal to the seasoned wine drinker and the person just getting into wine alike.” – Sandra

Ken

We were privileged to take our WSET Level 2 from this knowledgeable and intelligent man, who is well certified himself, and always continuing his wine education. He is currently researching and presenting on Biodynamic Wines in his free time, and is a University Professor by day. When I asked him for some tips for you, my readers, he shared some extremely valid points.

“It’s hard to say what a ‘good wine’ is for someone, so the answer for me is to drink more, and try everything!” – Ken

That is very well said. The wines my friends and I are presenting to you in this article are great to us, but may not be great for you. These are meant to be a starting point in your exploring. I must also note, that a ‘good wine’ to me 10 years ago, is not a ‘good wine’ to me now, because I’ve done more learning and exploring; tastes change, so try to hold an open mind and be discovery oriented. Don’t they say we should enjoy the journey, as well as the destination?

“One approach is to look for lesser known regions that are close to the ‘famous’ regions, for example, rather than Chateauneuf-du-Pape, try something from Gigondas, which is close, similar, lesser known, and provides a good value.

Another approach is to look for ‘lesser’ sub-appellations within regions, so for example, if a person likes Chablis, Petit Chablis, rather than Premier Cru Chablis. This doesn’t necessarily mean poorer quality, just different aging. The longer it’s aged, the more money the producer has tied up in it, the more they need to charge for the wine.” – Ken

He does realize that some of his suggestions require some background knowledge, but encourages readers to have fun exploring and experimenting. Plus, if you’re reading this, and have a more specific question about either of Ken’s approaches, you can leave a comment and I can help direct you.

Dawn

Dawn is certified in ISG and WSET Level 3, and runs the Tasting Room at our Coop Liquor. She is hilarious, kind, hospitable, a great chef, and extremely experienced and knowledgeable. That’s why the owners of Coop have put her in charge of choosing and buying every single bottle of wine that comes into that store! She works with wine producers all over the world, and here are her go to’s.

1. “Bodegas Laya from Spain . It’s a big, full bodied red that over delivers for the price.

2. La Vieille Ferme Rosé from France. It is not as dry as some of the rosés from Provence, but it is very well made and always quaffable. It is perfect on a summer patio day.” – Dawn

Our Tips to Affordable, Yet Still Great Wine

1. Find an affordable producer that you like. Chances are, if you really enjoyed one particular wine of theirs, you might also enjoy their other wines.

2. Shop lesser known varietals. You can find amazing value wine if you’re willing to step outside the Cab Sauv and Chardonnay boxes.

3. Avoid the mass production wines! These are the ultra-cheap, big name companies, that I won’t name, but you’ve heard of them. If they’re mass produced, they’re going to be a value, yes, but also boring and predictably not great. Look on the label for hints that they’re mass produced, like the non-specific region of “California,” for example, rather than “Monterey County.”

4. Shop in the European sections. Many of the most overpriced wines come from the USA. Canadian producers have high operating costs and small production, so they have to charge more. You can get really great wine, for under $20 from Europe. Our faves are almost anything from Italy or France, Riesling from Germany, Duoro from Portugal, Rioja from Spain. In the Italy section, if they have a ribbon around the neck that’s a blue/gray and says DOCG or DOC on it, you know you’re getting a quality controlled wine, and yes, they have these for under $20.

5. Shop in the South American sections! Carmenere from Chile and Malbec from Argentina, are great. It’s also worth trying the whites from these regions. Last week we had an Eco Chilean Chardonnay that was superb, and $13.

6. Be willing to take a risk! We had a Boutari from Greece last month that was $18. We were in Greece in 2015, and no wine grabbed us as “the best wine ever,” but we decided to give the Boutari a go (open-mind!). It was wonderfully crisp, with lemon and fresh herb notes to it that reminded me of being in Greece. You don’t know if you don’t try.

7. Keep a list of what you’ve tried, and write down what you like or don’t like. Have your “go to’s” for value white, red, sparkling or rose. I use the Vivino app to keep a running tally, and when I have time, I add my tasting notes.

A Sommeliers List – Available at the Coop Wine Spirits Beer store in Blairemore

Angela is the sommelier at the Coop Liquor Store and Tasting Room, she is certified in WSET Level 3, and is currently taking her two year Level 4 Diploma. She sent me a list of her favourite value wines, all available at our Coop Liquor Store! Upon getting to know her, I’ve discovered she’s passionate about interesting wines and discovering new, quality wines for herself and her customers. She’s not going to set you up with something run of the mill or boring, which I really appreciate about her, especially because she fills my wine locker every month! I’ve personally had all of the Under $15 wines, and they’re fabulous. I would also mention that any wine by La Vieille Ferme I’ve had has been affordable and tasty. Check out her list below. What do you notice about it?

Under $15

• Plantaze Vranac $13.99

• Claude Val Rouge and Rosé $12.99

• La Vieille Ferme Red $13.99

Under $20

• Gerard Bertrand Corbieres $17.99

• Henry of Pelham Baco Noir $15.49

• Glenelly Glass Collection Chardonnay $18.99

• Mediterra Poggio Al Tesoro $19.99

Under $25ish

• Ricossa Barbaresco $22.99

• Gray Monk White Brut Odyssey $25.99

• Chateau Pesquie Les Terraces $22.99

There may be a lot of grape varietals that you haven’t heard of before. Just because they’re not mainstream doesn’t mean they’re not flavourful, or a good value. A lot of them are also international. Hmm… I think I read that somewhere.

Remember, take a risk. You might not like all of these wines, but you might also love them. Now get to the store, find a value wine, and start popping corks, (or unscrewing screwcaps)!

A special thanks to all of my guests: Ivy, Aaron, Sandra, Ian, Ken, Dawn and Angela. You’re all wonderful for taking the time to contribute and I appreciate you!

Cheers!

Real Cork vs. Synthetic Cork and Screwcaps

Real Cork

Cork is a natural substance that has been used for thousands of years by multiple ancient civilizations. We now associate it mostly with wine stoppers, but I didn’t know how that usage came to be until I did some research.

“The most significant development occurred in the 1600s, when Dom Perignon, developed his methode champenoise. The wooden stoppers used to store still wines had considerable disadvantages when applied to sparkling wine. Dom Perignon successfully adopted cork stoppers and soon cork became essential for wine bottling.”[1]

Way to go, Dom!

Natural cork has its benefits. We know that it has good results with long term aging. It allows a very small amount of oxygen to slowly enter the bottle over the course of several years, helping harsher wines, with lots of tannins, to soften and become more easily palatable and interesting. Too much oxygen will ruin a wine, and quick. Think of it like The Three Bears scenario: too much is bad, but too little is bad – it has to be just right. It’s also a somewhat renewable natural resource. “Cork continues to re-grow after the bark has been harvested. However, it needs time, so the cork bark is only harvested once, every 9 years or so.”[2]

People also seem to love wine with real cork in it. It feels more authentic and traditional, and hints at better quality.

I found results to a study done at Oxford University that supports this argument. They found that wine tasted better to the participants if it had a cork, because they believed and expected it to be better, as opposed to a screwcap. The study tested 140 people that tried two similar wines back to back, one with a cork, and one with a screwcap. They then sampled the same wines again, without realizing it, except the tops were switched. Each time, they were asked which one tasted better. 113 of those people chose the wine with the cork, each time, even though the wines had been switched on the second round.[3]

The Professor who performed the study explained that “our senses are intrinsically linked – what we hear, see and feel has a huge effect on what we taste.”[4] This just goes to show that no matter the truth behind the wine closure, many people want a cork in their wine, because it enhances the experience.

I have to admit, upon first reaction, I like a real cork too, especially on an old bottle, when there’s a bit of fungus growing on top. It reminds me that the bottle has a history, and a story, and it feels real. I have to correct my reaction that seeing a synthetic or screwcap top on the bottle doesn’t imply the quality is less. Real cork just plays into the fanciness, and the classy feeling that uncorking a wine gives. It’s part of a ritual, if you will, when one wants to really enjoy a wine.

So if cork works, and people love it, why would anyone not use cork?

That’s where TCA steps in. Dun dun dun…play the scary music.

TCA stands for Trichloroanisole, and basically, it’s a compound that forms in natural cork, and ends up getting transferred into wine, through that cork. Terms such as “cork taint,” or a wine being “corked,” are referring to TCA. If you’ve ever had the opportunity of smelling a wine that’s been affected with cork taint, it’s really bad! The smell reminds me of an old church garage sale, or my grandmother’s basement storage room, that’s had a little bit of water in there over the years, hasn’t been dusted or cleaned out, and is probably growing mould. As you can guess, it has a similar, unpleasant taste, too.

TCA’s not going to kill you, and as far as we know, it wouldn’t even make you sick – if you could still stomach the wine. What’s likely to make you sick, however, is how your beautiful, expensive bottle of wine you’ve been anticipating is now effectively ruined.

You can find countless different statistics all over the internet on the percentages of wines that have been ruined by cork taint. There was a big surge of it in the 1990s, that got people looking for other methods to close their wines. On one of the wine tours we attended, the guide explained that they had switched to screw caps during that time, because they were finding that up to 10% of their wines were tainted. Other statistics claim it was as low as 1-2%, and I’ve heard up to 20%. There really isn’t an extremely accurate way of tracking this, and it differs from region to region. A certain batch of cork could have been tainted, or it could have been a poor winery practice that caused the taint in the wine.

The numbers have significantly dropped now, as the cork industry got on top of the issue. “Quality procedures have been overhauled, starting in the cork forests” with procedures to prevent the mould from getting into the cork itself. The storage has been improved with “new factories close to the forests…the bark is stored only on concrete or stainless steel, never touching bare earth.” The cork is also “rejected if [it shows] the slightest hint of a greenish stain,” and the bark is turned into corks by hand, “ensuring that the corks are taken from the best part of the bark.” Nothing is wasted, and all the unused material is recycled.[5] From the sites I referenced in this article, it seems to be that the percentages of cork taint have dropped significantly; the wine buyer at my favourite liquor store says that they hardly ever have returns anymore for this issue, and in all of the wines I’ve bought from them, and had in their tasting room, I’ve only ever seen one corked one.

Synthetic Cork

An alternative to real cork, is synthetic cork. With this, there is no risk of TCA. Synthetic cork can also be way more affordable for producers who are making inexpensive wines, meant for immediate consumption. We don’t see super cheap wines in Canada very often, but if you’ve travelled Europe, you know that you can get some wines for less than $5. Robert Joseph of Decanter makes an excellent point for why these types of producers may choose synthetic cork. “When you are earning €3 a bottle, it makes no sense to spend a sixth of that sum on a top-quality cork.”[6]

It may be more consistent, and cheaper than real cork, but it’s also plastic, and not natural. Jeff Leve explains that “the problems with synthetic corks is the lack of a perfect seal. In turn that allows more unwanted air into the bottle, causing the wine to oxidize. Worse, many of the synthetic corks have been known to impart a slight rubber or chemical smell, damaging the wine.” [7] I’ve heard several of my wine industry friends complain of this happening; they say that if they’ve aged a wine on its side, and the synthetic cork is touching the wine, it can taste like plastic, so they always store their synthetically corked wines upright. As for the lack of perfect seal, Jeff explains that some wine makers prefer this, if it can age their wines more quickly, to be consumed sooner. He says there are also many companies now that are coming out with synthetic cork that lets in a more controlled amount of oxygen.[8] There has also not been proof of how well it holds up for long term aging.

Screwcaps

The good old screwcap is another manufactured wine closure that is more cost effective, and less environmentally friendly, than real cork. It also eliminates the risk for TCA, or plastic tasting wine; however, as you read above in the Oxford study, it’s associated with cheap wine. Australia has put significant research into screwcap closures, as an article in the Sydney Morning Herald explains.

“The winemakers worked with the Australian Wine Research Institute, which over a 24 month period conducted trials that tested nine different closure methods (including natural cork, synthetic cork, technical cork and screwcaps. After nine months under screwcap, each bottle of the same wine tasted the same… but the same wine under eight different cork closures all varied in taste.”[9]

I like some good research to back any fact, and I am impressed that there has been significant testing done on this issue. Taylors Wines was the first winery to bottle every wine they make with a screwcap closure, in 2004, even though they risked what people’s opinions of the quality would be. Now, 98% to 99% of Australian wines are bottled under screwcaps.[10]

Unfortunately, using a screwcap doesn’t guarantee a perfect seal. There are some screwcaps that have been designed to allow slow amounts of oxygen into the wine, so that it can get some aging benefits, but it’s very possible that when the cap is getting attached to the bottle, it might not seal correctly. I’ve had this happen to me before, (once) and had to send wine back to a winery because of it. A wine expert taught me a good way to test this; when you’re buying a screwcap bottle, gently try and twist the closure under the lid, to see if it will rotate around the neck. If it’s stuck to the neck and doesn’t rotate, you’re good. If it does rotate, the bottle has not been sealed properly, and you could find that it’s been oxidized.

New Zealand launched their initiative to use screwcaps on even their top quality wines in 2001. The initiative aims to “encourage and facilitate the use of screwcap wine seals by New Zealand wineries,”[11] and basically also to research them and make them super awesome! Excellent! You go, New Zealand! Maybe they’ll find a solution to ensure even more bottles are sealed tightly. They do believe that screwcaps can be guaranteed to age well for considerable time, which is another plus for them; I’ve heard up to 10 years or more. The founders of the initiative believe that cork taint is a considerable problem, and should no longer be tolerated, and seeks to find new and better ways.

It seems to me that our opinions of quality, based on a judgement we make on seeing the wine’s closure, may be preventing us from enjoying actual quality in some wines.

Didn’t anyone tell us not to judge a book by its cover? In my opinion, those who judge all wines by their screwcap ‘cover,’ are missing out on some of the best wine ‘stories’ out there. For example, I continue to buy Australian wine, even though it’s closed with a screwcap, because one of my favourite wines of all time is Penfolds – screwcap tops, amazing quality.

Let’s not be so hasty in our judgements anymore, wine drinkers! Have you had a poor quality wine with a screwcap? Yeah. Have you had a poor quality wine with a synthetic cork? Yes. How about with real, natural cork in it? Uh huh – me too. I’ve also had great bottles with all three closures. There’s so much more to what’s in the bottle, than what’s on top of the bottle.

There are no guarantees that every single bottle coming out of production is going to be perfect when it’s opened, no matter the type of seal. There is always that small risk that it’s going to be corked, or oxidized. That’s why in a restaurant, when you order a bottle, they allow you to taste it before it’s served; you’re checking that the quality is acceptable. Luckily, most wine stores and producers understand that a percentage of damaged wine is part of the process, and I’ve never had anyone refuse to refund or replace my corked or oxidized bottles.

In the end, wine producers need to weigh their options and determine what’s going to suit them best. As a buyer, knowledge is power. It’s good to be aware of the pros and cons of each wine closure, and to eliminate misconceptions as much as possible. When you’re purchasing a wine, and you’re looking at the closure, think about what that wine’s purpose is going to be for you. Keep an open mind. Who knows, maybe in a few decades, the sound of a screwcap seal breaking will have a friendlier association… we can hope!

Happy wine-ing!

Special thanks to Chad for asking me to write this article, which required the most research I’ve done since being in University… I guess we do learn to cite things for an applicable life reason. 😉

[1] Unknown. “History of Cork Usage.” http://www.corkqc.com/pages/history-of-cork-usage.

[2] Leve, Jeff. “Wine Corks Everything You Need to Know About Wine Corks.” https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-topics/wine-education-articles/wine-corks-everything-need-know-wine-corks/.

[3] Yorke, Harry. “The Great Wine Debate; Corks really are better than screw-tops, Oxford study finds.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/09/27/great-wine-debate-corks-really-better-screw-tops-oxford-study/. (September, 2017).

[4] Yorke, Harry. “The Great Wine Debate; Corks really are better than screw-tops, Oxford study finds.”

[5] Bird, David. “How the Cork Industry is Fighting Back.” https://www.decanter.com/features/which-cork-is-best-246798/

[6] Joseph, Robert. “Which Cork Is Best?” https://www.decanter.com/features/which-cork-is-best-246798/ (January, 2009).

[7] Leve, Jeff. “Wine Corks Everything You Need to Know About Wine Corks.” https://www.thewinecellarinsider.com/wine-topics/wine-education-articles/wine-corks-everything-need-know-wine-corks/.

[8] Leve, Jeff. “Wine Corks Everything You Need to Know About Wine Corks.”

[9] Bliszczyk, Aleksandra. “Australia’s wine screwcap revolution.” https://www.smh.com/au/business/australias-wine-screwcap-revolution-20170628-gx0e3l.html (June, 2017)

[10] Bliszczyk, Aleksandra. “Australia’s wine screwcap revolution.”

[11] www.screwcap.co.nz

Wine Tips for Beginners: Pairing Wine with Food

Anyone that’s ever experienced a perfect pairing between wine and food can tell you that it’s like magic in your mouth. Good food + good wine = an explosion of flavor. In my quest to answer more questions for wine beginners, I think a brief article on food pairings is an important topic of discussion! (Memes from someecards.com)

You don’t have to drink white wine with chicken; it’s a myth and it’s been busted. I love a great Pinot Noir with my chicken. There used to be so many rules about always pairing white wine with fish, and red wine with red meats, but what if I want to eat fish AND drink red wine at the same meal? Now I’m forced to choose, and that’s just not going to do. Forget the rules. Rules make me cranky sometimes. White wine with fish doesn’t taste bad, but there are so many more options!

So, you ask, how do I drink wine, and eat food, without it being a complete disaster in my mouth? Trial and error always works for us! Take a look at some tips below, and maybe you can save yourself some of the error.

From our WSET course, and years of personal experience, we’ve learned some basic tips. There’s so much more to be said on this topic, but here’s a start, including some quotes from my husband, Greg:

1. Unlike in people’s personalities, salty and acidic qualities seem to be the easiest to pair. It’s a lot harder to go wrong with a wine when ordering or serving these types of dishes. This is because salt and acid in food make wine seem sweeter and less acidic by comparison.

Greg’s food suggestion: “A well seasoned piece of meat – it could be anything, ribs, steak, whatever, you need to put the seasoning to that meat – and a Montepulciano, Shiraz, or a strong Cabernet Sauvignon.”

2. Fatty foods pair best with acidic wine; this is likely due to how refreshing a crisp wine can be in comparison.

Greg’s food suggestion: “A great juicy burger and fries, or pork side ribs and a beer! If you’re drinking wine though, most wines are acidic; try a good Italian wine like a Chianti, or a big bold Chardonnay. You’re eating a burger and fries. You’re thirsty. You want a crisp, cool wine.”

I also love these types of wines with a cheesy pasta dish. Yum.

3. Sweetness and certain savoury foods can bring out bitterness in wine, making sweeter foods hard to pair. If you’re as sweet on sweets as I am, and you’ve ordered something with sweetness to it, pile on the sweetness with an even sweeter wine.

Greg’s food suggestion: “If you’re having something with a sweet and savoury sauce, like a candied salmon or reduction-type sauce, get a Gewürztraminer or Riesling for white, or Gamay, Malbec, Shiraz or Zinfandel for red. That does sound good…let’s have that.”

4. Try and match intensities of foods with wines. If you have a really acidic dish, a more acidic wine will pair nicely; just make sure the wine is more acidic than the food, or the wine will fall flat on it’s face.

Greg’s food suggestion: “Pasta sauces, like tomato sauces need an acidic wine, like Italian ones, because tomatoes are so high in acid.”

Whites generally have more acid than reds, like New Zealand and Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc, or German and French whites. Italian wines are often high in acidity, and some great, easy to find reds are Chianti, Sangiovese or Valpolicella. Most restaurants should have one of these on their menus.

5. Bitterness leads to more bitterness, just like in a bad relationship. Keep all those bitter family members away from each other to avoid a brawl. No heavy reds with mushrooms and asparagus, or anything soya saucy or Asian! You’ll want a crisp white for those dishes.

Greg’s food suggestion: “I eat noodle bowls and sushi, and ginger beef. A crisp white wine would go well with these.”

Many crisp whites have been listed above!

6. Spicy food will have an extra mean kick if you’re matching it with heavy, high-tannin reds. That high alcohol level will add to the burn! Keep the wine on the fruitier, sweeter side, with lower alcohol levels.

Greg’s food suggestion: “Spicy ribs or chicken wings, with a low alcohol Riesling will go well because of the sweet sauce and the spice. The low alcohol won’t enhance the spice flavour, and the sweetness should take away from some of the spicy sauce.”

7. “What grows together, goes together.” – I’m not sure who first said that, but it’s true! If you’re eating Italian, get Italian wine. French food, French wine, Asian food, Asian wine? So it doesn’t ALWAYS apply, but when it does, it works. Almost like the foods and grapes that grow in the same soils and climates might have something in common…

*Remember this: the wine must always be sweeter than the food!

Dessert

Red wine and chocolate is a popular pairing misconception. They’re actually not that good together – try it for yourself and see. This is a shame, I know. As red wine and chocolate happen to be two of my most favorite things to consume, I just do it anyways. So you can be a food pairing rebel, like me, or you can save your chocolate for once you’re done your glass of red, or vice versa.

This all means that for dessert, a dessert wine must be served if you want a successful pairing. Look in the dessert wine section at your store for Icewines (more expensive), late harvest wines (a bit more affordable) or try something interesting like Tokaji (Hungary) or Muscat de Beaumes de Venise (France). The question about Muscat de Beaumes de Venise is the one we both got wrong on our WSET exam; we won’ t be forgetting that wine ever again! It’s actually really tasty.

To Sum Up

If you are ordering for multiple people eating different things, good luck. It’s not an easy task, but the safest choices are neutral, un-oaked whites, or light body, fruitier reds, examples below.

A white wine that pairs well with almost any meal is Italian Pinot Grigio. Pairing well with most meals are unoaked Chardonnay. For a more interesting choice, try Chenin Blanc from South Africa or Albarino from Spain.

Red wines that pair well with almost any meal and are usually a safe bet: Beaujolais (the “hot dog wine” from the Somm movies), or Pinot Noir. These reds can stand up to red meats, but also won’t overpower a fish or poultry dish.

You can Google specific food pairings online if you want to be precise. Some reputable websites for wine information are www.winefolly.com, or www.jancisrobinson.com. For example, check out Madeline Puckette’s wine and cheese pairing information here: https://winefolly.com/tutorial/6-tips-on-pairing-wine-and-cheese/.

Wine Folly | Learn about Wine

www.winefolly.com

Wine Folly is the best place to learn about wine. Browse our visual wine compendium or our playful weekly articles. Start your wine education today.

6 Tips on Pairing Wine and Cheese | Wine Folly

winefolly.com

Armed with the right information you can create amazing wine and cheese pairings on your own. Here are several classic pairings and why they work.

(All of my suggestions for resources are my own opinions. I have not been paid to recommend these resources. I truly find them to be written by some of the most knowledgeable and accurate wine professionals out there, and I have invested in purchasing their books for my library.)

Sonoma Valley, Napa’s Not So Similar Sibling

Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley almost come hand in hand as a wine travel experience. People ask if you’ve “done Napa and Sonoma,” and they roll off the tongue as though they are one in the same, but they’re actually quite different. We visited Napa Valley first, and then went touring in Sonoma Valley. We were shocked at some of the differences. I believe our shock came from simply being misinformed, and setting false expectations for Sonoma, based on our experience of Napa. If I had read an article like the one I hope to provide you with now, I believe I would have experienced a better appreciation for Sonoma at the time.

Let me first clarify that when I say Napa and Sonoma are different, I don’t mean that either one is better or worse; different means different, and that’s it. Some might say that Napa is superior to Sonoma. Few might argue that Sonoma is more personable or friendly than Napa. My stance remains that they are both great in their own right, and they each have much to offer.

There are some things Napa and Sonoma have in common. They both represent well known growing regions in California. They share the Mayacamas mountain range running between them, and both have excellently warm weather, breathtaking views, and are blanketed in wine grapes! They each have a main highway that runs through them, leading tourists and wine experts alike down a trail of near endless exploring from one wine estate to the next. Wineries offer tours and tastings, and have vast, stunning estates for their guests to enjoy.

There are many things that are different about Napa and Sonoma Counties. On our visit, we were educated about how the Mayacamas Mountains, standing between Sonoma Valley and Napa Valley, actually block some of the cool current winds that come off of the San Francisco Bay area from reaching Napa Valley. This keeps Napa’s climate slightly hotter than that of Sonoma’s. With more of the cooling winds able to reach Sonoma Valley’s vineyards, the grapes are subject to a bit of a cooler climate, which in turn affects their development. You may be thinking that’s a bit ridiculous, and how much of a difference could a slight breeze really make from that far away? Well, in the world of wine, it’s a big difference. Believe it or not, grapes can actually change in taste from one owner’s plot to the next door neighbours, even within the same small region.

All of this means that certain grapes will not grow as well in Sonoma as in Napa, and vice versa! It can also mean that the same grape will taste different if it’s grown in Sonoma rather than Napa. The winemakers in each region have been at it long enough to have figured out the exact climates and micro-climates of their particular vineyards, and they seem to be doing a fabulous job! Remember, neither is better or worse; it’s a matter of preference to your tastes, whether you like warmer or cooler climate styles of each grape varietal. Enough about all of that for now. To sum up, the wines from Sonoma Valley are going to taste different than the wines from Napa Valley.

Another difference I wish I had been prepared for was the type of experience we were going to have in SOME Sonoma wineries. After coming from Napa wineries, I had some expectations in my mind regarding curb appeal, staff dress, staff language and overall etiquette on the grounds. I must make this clear; one winery we visited, which will remain un-named, certainly does not represent all Sonoma Valley wineries, but it was found among them. The place was difficult to find, and we had to drive down a long, windy dirt lane. When we pulled up, we weren’t even sure we had arrived at the right spot. Upon going in, we discovered some of the staff to be dressed in dirty, very casual clothes. One of the men had his socks pulled up to his knees inside of his sport sandals, underneath poorly fitted denim shorts. There were dogs running around though the tasting area. Once I heard the word “butthole” come out of one of the staff’s mouths during a tasting, I knew this particular winery wasn’t within my preference.

We finished the tasting, and made the most of it, but I wouldn’t recommend that particular place to just anyone. If you desire a very casual environment where you can bring your dog into the tasting area, and you’re looking for more of an affordable, weekend cook-out style of wine than the expensive, 100 point stuff, the wineries you’re looking for are not found in Napa Valley. I do believe there IS a place for every type of winery in the market though, and Sonoma definitely has more diversity in its estates. If I had known what I was getting into, I could have come with the right mindset, and enjoyed it for what it was – it may not have been my preference for language and dress, but it was a casual and relaxing environment, where anyone would be warmly welcomed.

I will note that we also visited some very high-class, professional, gorgeous estates in Sonoma Valley, which exceeded our expectations and delivered a five star experience, at a more affordable price than the Napa Valley wineries. For example, B.R.Cohn, and St. Francis were both exceptional tours that I would highly recommend to anyone and everyone! Domaine Carneros sits in between the Napa and Sonoma Valleys at the south end, and has exceptional reviews; we didn’t get the chance to visit it ourselves, but it is well known and reputable. If you enjoy sparkling wine, I would take a chance on saying it’s the place to be.

The price differences compared to Napa Valley are something you’ll notice right away once you get into Sonoma Valley wineries. Don’t let the comparatively lower price of a Sonoma bottle fool you into thinking it’s not as good as one from Napa. Price per acre of land in Sonoma and Napa Counties in general is very high, and can range up into the millions; however, Sonoma price per acre does tend to be a bit less than in Napa. Hence, Sonoma wineries don’t need to charge as much. They also don’t have quite as much prestige behind their name as their neighbour, which is all the better for us consumers! We get amazing quality wine, and I would argue that it’s just as amazing as Napa Valley wine, but at a lower price point. Some of our favourite wines are from Sonoma; they do an exceptional job at making the grapes they grow into amazing, award winning wines that score very highly with countless sommeliers.

“Pretentious” is a word used by some to describe Napa Valley. A dictionary would tell you that this means Napa is attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed” (dictionary.com). I wouldn’t go so far as to say Napa doesn’t actually possess its importance, talent, or culture; Napa Valley vintners have invested in their prime location for grape growing, developed stunning estates, acquired a vast knowledge, and have developed an expertise. They produce a quality product. However, in the grand scheme of history, European countries have been producing wine for centuries, and Napa was only put on the map in the 70’s; it’s a baby still, yet it’s competing with the Grandparent wines of the world, and breaking all of their rules on top of it.

Napa Valley wine IS expensive, and is highly raved over by certain wine-lovers, simply because of its name, before they even know what is inside the bottle. Some would argue that it doesn’t warrant its price, but I won’t discuss that here. Napa wine is often very full bodied and bold, and has specific taste profiles. If that profile isn’t someone’s taste, they’re not going to think Napa’s is the greatest wine in the world. It would be a fair guess that most of Europe would hold that viewpoint! Sonoma produces a quality product as well, but has a more approachable atmosphere for a wider range of people.

The best way I can suggest you determine which place you like, is to visit both of them. They’re so close together geographically; it’s quite easy to do on one trip! Go into both experiences with an open mind, and maybe you can enjoy them equally, and soak them in for their own personalities and styles; they both do offer so much style. Either way, you’re going to be served excellent wine, in an exceptional setting, hopefully with the ones you love. Happy wine tasting!

St. Francis Winery, Sonoma Valley – A Visit to Remember

Exactly one year ago today, we visited St. Francis Winery in Sonoma, and it was incredible. St. Francis Zinfandel was the wine that introduced us to this particular producer, some years ago, when great friends shared it with us. We loved it, of course, and shelved the information in the back of our minds. Those same friends invited us to spend a weekend at their cabin the following summer, and we were to bring wine for a meal. We browsed the isles at the liquor store, and picked out the St. Francis Zin, not remembering its significance. When we served it, our friends exclaimed in excitement that this was from their favourite winery, and they had been to visit! We asked them to tell us the story this time, and determined that if we ever went to California, we were going to St. Francis.

Fast forward two years, and we made our way to California for a wine-tasting adventure. I made sure to book a tasting at St. Francis well before embarking on the trip, and it’s a good thing I did, because they book up fast! For a standard tasting, guests can walk in with no appointment and approach the bar. We wanted the full deal, and I booked our lunch tasting months in advance. Upon booking, I discovered that St. Francis was the highest rated restaurant in all of the USA that year on opentable.com. I was impressed! The price was $72 per person, for a five course meal with wine pairings, seating only 16 people at once to facilitate an intimate and personal setting. For those not interested in a meal, St. Francis offers several other events at which to experience their winery, such as art festivals, concerts, outdoor movie nights, and even an annual Blessing of the Animals. Information on the wine, winery visits and the event schedule can be found at www.stfranciswinery.com.

St. Francis Winery & Vineyards – Sonoma, CA

www.stfranciswinery.com

For more than four decades, St. Francis Winery has consistently produced luscious, elegant, fruit driven wines that best interpret the richness and distinct varietal characteristics of Sonoma County’s unique, diverse terroir.

We arrived at St. Francis early to enjoy the grounds before our tasting began. We were greeted by a very friendly face, who in realizing we had a while to wait, offered us a complimentary glass of crisp white Sauvignon Blanc to enjoy in the hot weather as we walked the grounds. It was perfect.

The grounds are big and beautiful, and surrounded by the vineyard. There are charming benches to sit and relax, a calming fountain, gardens full of flowers in bloom, streams of lights decorating the spaces, and statuesque art acting as centerpiece to a lush lawn area. The gift shop is full of practical wine tools, artistic home décor pieces, and cute wine themed souvenirs. The tasting bar is long and grand, with plenty of room for tasters to make their way through their desired flights.

Once it was time for our booking, we were welcomed into the luxurious tasting room. Our two hosts explained the wine making process, educated us about the grape varietals, and gave tasting notes for each of the 4 wines that went with our dinner courses, and the 5th wine, specially paired with dessert. In a traditional pairing situation, the food is the star, and the wine is selected to enhance the meal, but at St. Francis, the chef has done the opposite. He has designed a well thought out menu to showcase the specific taste profiles of each wine, and very successfully so. He greeted us after the meal to personally answer our questions.

Upon finishing the tasting, my husband and I began to make our selections for purchase. As participants in the tasting, we were given an additional 15% off of our purchases, which turned out to be a pleasant surprise. St. Francis has a large selection of varietals and blends to choose from, and they kindly allowed us to taste some additional wines that hadn’t been a part of our lunch pairing. We found their prices to be reasonable, and left with a full case of some of our favourites, and a special gift for our friends who introduced us to St. Francis in the first place.

Our visit to St. Francis was a highlight of our trip, and I would recommend the investment of time and money there; it doesn’t disappoint!

Visiting Napa Valley; Helpful Tips to Plan Your Trip

If you’re a wine enthusiast, California is a must see destination to expand your understanding of one of the most well known wine regions in the “New World” (not Europe). It can also be a bit overwhelming to visit if you’re like most travellers who have only so much time and money. How do you choose what you’re going to enjoy the most, and what’s worth every hard-earned dollar? My husband and I visited several California wine regions in the summer of 2017; hopefully our experience can help you make the most out of your trip.

Napa Valley is world renowned for producing some of the best wine, and most expensive wine, in the world. I won’t get into specific wine details in this article, but instead, will focus on the travel aspects of a trip to Napa Valley. So get your palates prepped, pack some chic, warm weather clothes and shoes, and get your wallets ready for Napa Valley exploring!

We drove from Canada, with our travel trailer, down the Oregon coast, and through the Northern Part of California. It took us two days to reach our first destination, the Napa Valley Expo RV Park. The RV Park is located right in the town of Napa, which is a great town to be based out of to explore this region. If you enjoy RV-ing, I would recommend this park. The staff was friendly and helpful, and even gave us a coupon for some 2-for-1 Tastings and winery recommendations. It was clean, and had full hook-up sites for a reasonable price. It was also within easy biking distance of Napa’s downtown, and close enough walking proximity as well. If you’ll be staying in a hotel, there are many to choose from near Napa’s downtown.

I would highly recommend staying in Napa; we felt we were central to so many different areas. Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley run parallel to each other, divided by a mountain range, and Napa is at the bottom, so it’s a great starting point to go up either valley from bottom to top. San Francisco can also be reached by car in less than an hour and a half, as another sight seeing option. Napa itself has much to offer, with a beautiful and quaint downtown alongside a river. There are several restaurants and shops, and so many tasting rooms! The town offers a tasting card that can be picked up at one of its two Tourism offices, that allows you to taste at a discount in several tasting rooms, all within walking distance of each other. It can also be ordered online at donapa.com. This is a great way to cover more ground in a shorter time if you’re curious to expand your palate, and you need a break from driving. We only had the later half of an evening to spend doing tasting rooms, so we chose not to purchase the card, but if we had more time, it would have been worth it to buy. More information on the tasting card and the town of Napa can be found at donapa.com.

If you’re flying in, there are a few different airports you can choose from, with different shuttle or car rental options. Information on airports can be found at napavalley.com. Depending on your budget and comfort level behind the wheel, having a car is great when you’re touring wine regions. That being said, you will want to think about how much wine you’re planning to be consuming. As I’ll discuss in greater depth later, they’re not exactly under-pouring in Napa and Sonoma, and you could easily be over the legal driving limit after your first winery stop if you’re consuming everything you’re poured. If the spittoon is your friend, you’ll find you get to taste a lot of great wine without over-indulging. If you’re thinking, “what’s a spittoon?” then you’ll want to explore other options than driving yourself.

If you have someone in your group that’s okay being a designated driver, then a car rental is the most budget friendly way to see Napa and Sonoma. You have so much more freedom when you’re in your own vehicle to enjoy the days at your desired pace, rather than waiting on the rest of a tour group, or facing the opposite problem of being rushed away from a place when you’re not done there. If you’ve got no DD, there are a few options you can use to explore the Valley. There are multiple tour options, depending on the wineries you want to see, how long you want to be out, how many people you’d like to share a ride with, and what your budget is. You can choose to hire a driver for the day, and still enjoy your privacy, or you can choose to go with the tour group route. A Google search for “Napa Valley Wine Tours” will lead you to several companies to choose from, with customer reviews. The same options are offered for Sonoma Valley as well.

When I first glanced at the Napa Valley tourism map we picked up at our RV Park, I remember feeling overwhelmed. There are over four hundred wineries in Napa Valley alone. Highway 29 runs from the top of the Valley, down to the town of Napa. There are wineries the entire distance on both sides, and then there are more behind those, with access by side roads. We only had three days to spend in Napa Valley, and had no idea how long to expect to be at each place, or which ones were going to be good. I had purchased a Priority Wine Pass at prioritywinepass.com that allowed us 2-for-1 Tastings at several wineries, so we highlighted several of those on the map as a start. We then looked into the opening and closing hours of each of them, and planned to start at the bottom-most one we wanted to see, and work our way up the valley. We had the benefit of driving through the Valley on our way into town, so we had been able to get a feel for how long it actually is from top to bottom, and the whereabouts of certain wineries we wanted to visit. It took roughly 30 minutes, dependant on traffic, to drive the entire length of the Valley.

We had heard from people that you can’t do more than three wineries in one day. We did six on our first day in Napa. We’re probably more on the extreme end of the spectrum; I don’t think most people would do that many in one day, but we started right at 10am, and went till 6pm, with a quick stop for lunch in the middle. We also didn’t do winery tours on that day; if you’re doing a tour, you can expect to spend an additional hour at each place.

Most wineries open at 10am, and close at either 4pm or 5pm, but some are open later. We had looked into this ahead of time to plan accordingly. We also spent more time at the wineries we really enjoyed, and made a couple of quicker stops at the ones we felt we had seen enough of. Your start time, end time, and pace is really going to determine the amount of wineries you can see. We are also extreme wine enthusiasts/wanna-be sommeliers, so we have a high stamina for tasting wine and visiting wineries, and we’re accustomed to using the spittoon. It may not be enjoyable for you to see more than three in a day, so take your personal and group interests into consideration when planning. Some wineries do tasting by appointment only, so you need to look into this if you want to visit any of those. My advice is to choose a few that look interesting to you, and visit their websites. Napa Valley wineries are in the business of tourism; they expect visitors on a regular basis, and are set up for visits and tours, so they have great websites with all of the information you need to know to help you plan your visit. Investing some time to explore individual wineries online will prepare you for when you arrive.

Budget is another consideration when planning your winery visits. Take a look at websites to see what their tastings are offered for. If you have the Priority Wine Pass, the 2-for-1 Tasting option can save you a lot of money. If not, you can expect to pay anywhere from $20 per person up to $50 per person for a tasting, or more depending on the level of prestige of the winery you select. Tours, of course, come at an extra cost, but many tours will come with a tasting at the end. What do you get for that price? Each winery does it a little bit differently, but basically, you can expect a flight of 3 – 6 wines, at roughly a 2 oz pour each. If you do that math, you’re getting 6 to 12 oz of wine for the price you’re paying. I found that the prices we paid were similar in comparison to what we’d pay in a restaurant for a serving of that quality of wine. In addition, you’ll receive the experience of knowledgeable sommeliers to guide you through your flight. They will teach you about the history of the winery, the region, the specific grapes you have in your glass, the process used to make the wine, what you might notice about it, and they can answer a variety of other questions you might have. They also don’t rush you! You can choose to stand at the bar if you wish, or you can choose to take your wine out onto the patio, where you can relax at a table in the sun or shade, and take in the view of the vines that grew the drink you’re currently enjoying, and the multi-million dollar estate (I recommend this option)! I also recommend taking pictures of the wines you’re trying as a catalogue. The wine estates are so beautiful, that you may want to take photos of the buildings, which could be considered art, the landscaping, scenery, and some of yourselves while you’re there too! Once you’re done, there’s no pressure to purchase wine, as you’ve already paid for your tasting. If you like it, buy it; if you don’t, don’t! Before you leave, take a swing through the gift shop to look at the souvenirs and wine swag, and then you’re off to the next one.

Wineries I would highly recommend visiting:

• If you want well known places, visit Robert Mondavi and Beringer. They have wine in stores all over the world, but this is not the stuff you taste at the wineries; when you’re on site, they’ll pour you award winning wine that’s made in smaller quantities, specifically from Napa Valley vineyards. Expect it to cost a lot more (and taste a lot more complex) than the “Woodbridge” by Mondavi and Beringer wines you find in your local liquor store. No appointment necessary for tastings; tours are offered. Check out their websites for details.

• For a more affordable winery, visit V.Sattui. They only sell from the winery, and this allows them to have smaller price tags than many of the others.

• For a piece of history, visit Grgich Hills Estate. This is a smaller place, that isn’t as flashy as some of them, but it’s a great one to visit because of whose winery it is! Mike Grgich was the winemaker for Robert Mondavi when his Chardonnay won the Paris Tasting in 1976, putting Napa Valley officially on the map as a reputable wine producing region. It’s thanks to those two men that Napa Valley was finally given some credit by the European winemakers of the “Old World.” Oh, and their wines are fantastic! No appointment necessary here.

• For a luxury experience, visit Opus One! This one was out of our budget. Make sure you look into making an appointment here.

• Hall Wines and Alpha Omega also gave us great wines, and great experiences! They both have beautiful grounds that you can sit and enjoy while you taste. They served us a variety of wines, and let us choose the types we wanted to try. We got to taste some of their highly awarded, prestigious bottles, included with our tasting fee, regardless of bottle price. Having only done tasting in Canada before this trip (where tastings are free, but they never let you try the really good stuff) we were pleasantly surprised to get to try the best of the best.

On a final note, a great highlight of our trip was our lunch on the Napa Valley Wine Train. The company offers a variety of services for a range of budgets and occasions, including dining journeys, special events, and day trips, where it will stop at several wineries for the patrons to have a visit and taste before getting back on the train. As promoted on their website, the train is “part distinctive Napa Valley fine dining restaurant. Part museum, it’s made up on exquisitely and faithfully restored vintage early 20th century Pullman cars… You get to sit back, relax, and savor every delicious bite, every bit of extraordinary scenery, every taste and tour” (winetrain.com, July 23/18). Having ridden the train ourselves, we would agree fully with these statements. The food was delicious, and they were excellent with catering to my food allergy. The cars were beautiful and comfortable. The service was top-notch; not only were they attentive and timely, but they were friendly and very knowledgeable about the Valley, offering interesting information about significant landmarks as we passed by.

The staff of the Napa Valley Wine Train have this experience fine-tuned to give their guests a memorable and smooth ride, pun intended! The train station is in downtown Napa, and was easy to bike to from our RV Park. We arrived early to present our tickets, and then were invited to wait in the large, comfortable lounge, with the option to purchase pre-boarding drinks. Once it was time to board, we were assisted in finding the right car and table. Every table is a window seat. Wine is offered by the glass, or the bottle, and they have several selections if you’re going with the bottle option. We were served our dinner courses while riding up the Valley for the first hour and a half, at a comfortable pace. The train stops at the top for the engine to move from the front to the back, something we went to the back to watch! On the return trip, we were seated in a different car, on the opposite side of the train, in order to see the scenery on the other side of the Valley. We had dessert and after dinner drinks and coffee on this side. There was plenty of time in between dinner and dessert for us to explore the train. They have open air cars where you can get some fresh air and have an even better photo opportunity of the wineries and vineyards. As I mentioned before, this was a highlight of our trip, and as they have so many options to choose from, I would try another type of journey if we were to return to Napa. Expect to give a couple hundred dollars for your ticket, but in return, you’ll get over three hours of fine dining, grand service, a museum experience, a guided tour of the Valley, breathtaking views – oh, and of course, you’ll drink Napa Valley wine. You’re not driving either; no spittoons here!

No matter how much time you spend in Napa, there is never enough time to see and do it all. It’s a warm weather and wine-lover’s paradise, and I would be thrilled to go back.