The Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association hosted their 2013 Barrel Tasting event two weeks ago, and that was followed by a day trip to Napa to visit friends. So D’Aun and I went through a three day stretch of wine tasting.
I’m perfecting the art of not drinking the wine — just a sip for the taste, then it gets poured out. Healthier, smarter, and far fewer problems this way!
In Livermore we visited Charles R Vineyard, Wood Family Vineyards, Eagle Ridge Vineyards. Nottingham Cellars, Occasio Winery, and Longevity Wines on the first day. It sounds like a lot, but most of them were near each other.
The second day included Rodrigue Molyneaux and Crooked Vine.
What always strikes me about the wineries in Livermore is how family oriented they are. These are small outfits. For instance, Charles R served the barrel samples himself. Each of the wineries had the owner present and they were actively involved in hosting and educating their guests. You won’t see that happen in other wine regions.
By the way, we bought wine at Wood Family, Nottingham, and Rodrigue Molyneaux. Let me know if you are curious about what we brought home.
Then on Monday we had a very different experience in Napa. We met our friends Bob and Dana, who have a strong family connection to the Napa Valley. They took us to a small house near downtown St. Helena where Handwritten Wines is located. The whole theme of the brand is the handwritten note, a lost art in this technological age. The setting, wines and theme all had a classic elegance.
Handwritten does the tasting right. They seat you in one of the beautiful rooms in the stately older home; the wine glasses are Riedel, the napkins are embroidered, and the host remembers your first name. We sat at a large table in the dining room, with six glasses for each of us.
Each pour was a different and unique taste. And how good was their Pinot? I actually bought one. The first Pinot I’ve purchased in years. The Chardonnay was delicious, the Three Words red wine was probably my favorite, and each of the Cabernet Sauvignons were outstanding. It all concluded with a nice dessert wine.
What I loved about this three day weekend was the variety of experiences. In Livermore we were often driving down dusty roads to taste wines straight from the barrel served by an owner who wore a cowboy hat. Or we parked near an industrial park that had a couple of wineries. Or we did the tasting in a run down old barn filled with the trappings of a farming life. It all had a homey, comfortable feel.
Whereas in Napa we had a gracious host seating us in an elegant home serving us premium regional wines, bringing us cheese and crackers as we shared stories about upcoming book signings from famous authors. It was a completely different experience!
That’s part of the fun of wine. It’s an expression of the region. It’s a story of the people, land, and place. In this way, wine is a story of culture.
And reflecting back on our three day weekend of wine tasting, the cross-cultural differences were a great deal of fun!