Often times I spend a few minutes explaining "How the valley works" to my clients that are visiting wine country for the first time. I thought it might be useful to put a few of these tips into my blog for anyone interested in learning about how the industry operates. This is fundamental to planning a successful trip as there are a few things we do here that are not universally understood.
1) Why Do Wineries Exist? Its easy to get the impression that wineries are bars. That is not the case. Wineries are agriculture producers, and as such in an agriculture preserve like Napa Valley, are grandfathered the right to an educational purchase opportunity. In other words, almost all wineries want the same thing - to sell wine. So, in short, you should consider purchasing wine at the wineries you visit. If you intend to visit a winery that sells a bottle of wine for $250 and you wouldn't pay more than $50 for a bottle, you should not waste the wineries time. That is like trying on Gucci sunglasses on a Ray Ban budget. 2) Should I use a 2 for 1, the priority pass, or free tasting pass? Wine educators (the ones pouring the wine) make sales commissions on the wines they sell. Coming in with a coupon for a free tasting is like wearing a sign that says "I am not here to buy wine". So naturally, your experience suffers because the wine educator is going to focus on the customers that are more willing to spend the money. Further more, many tasting room managers direct the wine educators to pour smaller pours for those with 2 for 1's. Often times, the money you save, are just corner that are cut out of your experience. 3) How do I get the best deal? Lets face it. Whether you are rich, poor or somewhere in between - everybody wants a deal. The best way to go about this, is to come in with the mindset that the tasting fee doesn't matter because you wont be paying for it anyway. You see, the tasting fee is going to be your bargaining token when the tasting is coming to a close. After having tasted all the wines, focus on which were your favorites. Tell the wine educator how much you liked those wines. Often times they will mention the purchase incentives but you can also ask what they are. Use these to wheel and deal with the educator, with the understanding that the educator wants you to leave with wine, not just pay a tasting fee. As a rule of thumb, 3 bottles waives one tasting fee, 6 bottles wavies two, and a case (12btls) waives four tasting fees. Final note; All in all, don't be scared to cut through the bullshit and tell the educators what you want. They are there to serve and sell you wine. They will probably appreciate you being upfront about your intentions so they do not have to tip-toe around guessing what you are thinking. Thus making them more comfortable being themselves around you, which will lead to more generous pours and better deals.
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The pace of the Napa Valley is a bit slower in the springtime. The mustard flowers are plentiful, the hills and valleys green with life. The weather typically ranges between 60 & 75 degrees, some would say its paradise! Two recent clients visiting from Canada were even wearing short sleeves this weekend!
You need to know how to make the most of this time of year. With fewer visitors, it's easier to secure boutique winery reservations, and your tasting host will be able to spend more time personalizing your experience and show casing their wines. You might even get a barrel tasting. Let us plan a vineyard tour during your visit. This is a great time to walk through a vineyard just as it is awakening from its dormant stage. You’ll experience the buds breaking, the cover crop blooming and the birds singing. It will be the perfect time to knab that quintessential “spring” selfie. This is a great time to take advantage of our other featured services: mountain biking, paddle boarding or kayaking, and wine and wellness treks. Our VRBO's are offering off-season rates for their accommodations as are most Airlines. So give us a call to save money, drink wine and frolic in the mustard while all of your friends and family are shoveling snow back home. It's been more than a week since the fires broke out on the hills overlooking The Napa Valley. You've heard the media stories, now its time for a local to break the myths and set the record straight on what happened, how it happened, and what we as a community are doing to move forward. It was 9:30pm on Sunday, October 8th when I was taking the trash out at my home in North/West Napa proper. The wind was blowing so hard that a canopy in my backyard caught a breeze and started lifting off of the ground. After securing it back down, I thought about the precarious tree that my company vehicle was parked underneath at my parents house off of Dry Creek road. So I quickly drove over to move it.
Driving north on dry creek road the houses turn to vineyards as you pass Alston park. It was at that moment that I saw the orange glow at the top of Atlas peak (9:45pm). As I pulled into our driveway looking east across our vineyard and into the valley, I jumped out of my truck and yelled to my father "Whats up with that Fire?" To which he replied "What Fire?". This was rather unusual as my Dad enjoys listening to the police scanner and is typically the first to know what's going on. I checked the scanner, it was quite. So I scanned through Facebook (As we all do now) and saw nothing on the community Police & Fire pages. I was stunned, no one knew this fire was going on. In that few minutes, I watched the fire grow 3 times its size as the flames started coming down the mountain. We began calling everyone we knew on that side of the valley and telling them to get out now. This included alerting my clients from earlier that day who were staying at the Silverado Country Club. The scanner soon blew up with calls and Facebook was alive with panic. All I could do was watch in horror as this turned into the most incredible display of wildfire intensity I've ever witnessed. As the wind stoked the fires and the flames grew to the size of Costco buildings - I could see bright flashes of blue light blinking from all corners of the valley. Transformers blowing as the trees fell across the power lines. The scanner buzzing with new fires popping up all over the valley hills. One of which was on Deer park road near my girlfriends parent's house. We jammed up-valley to help evacuate if needed. It felt as if we were driving through a post-apocalyptic movie. People were driving erratically, sirens were everywhere, fire could be seen stretching down the east part of the valley and word that a fire was now affecting the North part of Calistoga too. It is the closest experience I could relate to a war zone. Arriving at Deer Park road, we realized they had contained the fire quickly and decided to head back to Napa. As we started driving south, our worst fears came true. Fire was now coming over the hills to the West of the valley threatening my parents home and vineyard. We were driven by adrenaline, driving as quickly as possible back to the house. I started calling friends on the west side of the valley to wake them up. It seemed as if no one was safe. Needless to say, nobody slept that night as the fire was spreading rapidly with 35+ mph winds pushing it forward and dispersing embers. The next day didn't get any better. Most of the power grid in the valley was down, and even worse - several cell towers were down, halting almost all communication. The smoke was thick and intoxicating to the point where special breathing masks were needed. The fire was not slowing down and calls were in for massive reinforcements to help gain some control. Over the next week, thousands of homes were lost, a handful of businesses (including a few wineries) and several lives as the fires kept getting taunting us, creeping closer. After a week of living in fear, these fires had tallied up a total of 136,081 burned acres in the three fires that affected Napa county (Atlas, Partrick/Nuns, Tubbs). Keep in mind all three fires have crossed county lines so the acreage is not inclusive of Napa county. We have about 4 casualties in Napa County (sadly, expecting this number to rise now that we are going back to investigate those still missing). Overall the containment level is about 70% and we are looking safe from the fire's path at this point. So how did it happen? Well to fully understand how this happened, you have to rewind to last winter where we saw the most rainfall we've seen in 20 years. This gave way to an explosion of vegetative growth this past spring. After 6 months with hardly any rainfall this vegetation turned into fuel like most plants do when you do not water them for 6 months. Right around the onset of Fall every year the humidity begins to dissipate and the moisture is evaporated by the late season sunshine. The last piece of the wild fire puzzle are the winds, and with gusts up to 50 mph on that Sunday night, it didn't take long for trees to start falling on power lines. It was the combination of the arching and transformers blowing up that sealed the deal. Although the cause has not been determined yet, mother nature is the prime suspect. After all, it is wildfire season in California. By far this most detrimental part of this natural disaster was the media circling the innocent. Despite the headlines, Napa's ~45,000 acres of vineyards were largely untouched. This fire was a natural disaster - devastating the hills surrounding the valley but not the valley itself. The fire burned hot and fast, clearing most of the underbrush but leaving many trees intact. The wind has blown our smoke south and rain at the end of the week will clear the rest. Napa is still here and the strength and resilience of our community has made it more beautiful than ever. It's a bit more "quiet" than what you'd expect at this time, and that means what we need most is you. That's right, you can help by visiting Napa valley and better yet, drinking through your wine cellar to make room for more wine! At this point many of you are wondering, when it will be safe to visit Napa valley again. The answer is now. This is the best time to visit, the leaves are changing colors, the last bits of fruit are picked and the smell of fermentation lingers in the air. Wine tasting, hot air balloons, mountain biking, fishing and hiking are a few of the activities that are all taking place over the next month but only until the cold of winter settles in. Time is of the essence, take advantage of the smaller crowds, better hotel rates and wine sales benefiting the community. In the meantime, we rebuild as a community. Shelter those in need, feed the hungry and finish out the season #NapaStrong. The Napa Valley grape harvest season begins at different times depending on the progression of the growing season. During harvest, the valley is teeming with excitement and urgency as growers rush to pick each vineyard at their peak ripeness.
This year, crush will begin mid-August. This is a time full of calculated hard work, reward, and celebration. Many wineries offer special tours, tastings and harvest themed experiences. Upcoming Special Activities: To join in some traditional Grape Stomping, visit: Schweiger, Grgich, Peju, and Valley of the Moon Vintage Festival. Wine production tours will be offered at the following: Frog’s Leap, Bell Winery, Inglenook, Mondavi, and Clos Pegas. When visiting the Napa Valley during this busy season, it is key to plan ahead to ensure an unforgettable experience. Here are some ways that Napa Native can help you when planning your Harvest experience: Provide designated driving: Many visitors to the valley under value the importance of hiring a designated driver. Remember that you’ll be visiting multiple wineries, and it’s likely you won’t want to opt out of the tastings. Personalized concierge service: Whether you want to avoid the crowds, or immerse yourself in the energy and excitement of harvest, your trip is tailored to your interests and needs. Get the local experience: Let us take you through the day in the life of a local, whether we are mountain biking through redwoods, paddle boarding the Napa river, or hiking to outstanding views of the valley – you’re sure to get the inside scoop and a more intimate look at what our Valley has to offer, besides our delicious wine and decadent cuisine. Acting as a time machine, a farmer’s market takes us back in time. It used to be
common for families to own land that was worked and raised products that supported the family and the community. Generations have past, and our connection with our food sources and procedures have quickly subsided. The need to mass- produce has overcome the desire for quality and natural products. Avoiding processed foods or chemically modified foods is easy when shopping at local farmer’s markets. It also allows us to support local famer’s directly, and both parties benefit. Locals receive the most flavorful and fresh food, typically with organic options. Farmers are able to get the most for their dollar by cutting out middlemen, and help to build a community by connecting with their consumers directly. By knowing where our food products come from, and creating relationships with local farmers – we can strengthen our local economies and maintain healthy and happy communities. Farmers markets are not only a portal into the past, but also serve as a portal into the future. Our future needs to include more people making choices that support local economies, farmers, and families in order to rebuild the culture of community and unity. Luckily, Farmers Markets are not hard to find in Napa Valley. April through November you can catch one in Napa proper on Tuesdays & Saturdays. If that doesn’t line up with your schedule you can find on in St. Helena on every Friday, May through October. Calistoga hosts one year round every Saturday. For more information, including times and vendor lists check out our events page at www.NapaNative.com/Events |
Napa Native BlogWords from a local on the ground floor in wine country, with insight and tips for making the most of your visit. |