Today I took a wine tour into Napa Valley. The great part about taking this tour was that I was able to ride just about everywhere and partake in as much ‘tasting’ as I wanted.
The tour picks you up in front of the Ferry building, whisks you across the bay for a quick tour of four different wineries. You drink, you eat, you make whatever purchases you like and then a jet boat ferry ride back across the bay. All in less than nine hours which is pretty good when you consider that the vineyards are about 75 miles from downtown San Francisco.
I took the tour on the recommendation of Tracey, who came to Wyoming to hike and backpack with me earlier in the trip. The idea being that I could learn something, which I certainly did. And get to tour Napa Valley without having to bother with a map or worry about finding my way. I am by no means a wine expert, but I do have a much better idea of what is going on.
So, what did I learn? Wines in the states are named after the grape, whereas in Europe they are named for the region where the grapes are grown. (I kinda of knew this already but had not really put it all together in one statement before now). Roses are grown at the end of each row of grapes and are used as a bellwether for the grower to anticipate problems before they impact the grapes, as the roses will show signs of pests and molds before they grapes will and they can then take the appropriate corrective action. This is much the way that miners used canaries back in the day. I also learned that Brian can drive incredibly fast when he has 65 minutes to get us to the ferry and it’s a 70-minute drive. We made it in 60.
I decided to highlight only one of the wineries in the photos below as some of them were just a little on the industrial side. The Andretti Winery was very intimate, and had an old country look and feel as the Andretti’s are very Italian. We had a private tasting here, and while I liked one of the lighter wines, the darker reds (which I seem to prefer usually) were just okay. I understand that the owner may have dabbled in racing in a former career and has won a Formula One championship, the Indianapolis 500 and even a NASCAR race or two.
So, as Tracey would say, Salute’. Or in my own unique way, ‘Warm and Sunny, Baby!’
One Last San Francisco Sunset . . .