Back in New Jersey, John and I moved into our first home and decided to celebrate with one of our California wines. We opened a bottle of Christian Brothers port and paired it with a cheese platter of a few really strong (and stinky) cheeses as instructed by the nice people at the CB tasting room. I knew that port wine was called a fortified wine, but didn’t know that because of its high sugar and alcohol content, we should be sipping instead of slurping. With its deep hue and mouth-watering flavors of dark berry and plum, the wine paired so well with the cheeses – we couldn’t stop. We finished the cheese plate AND the bottle of port. The next day I suffered the consequences of over-indulgence, but my love affair with wine was just beginning.
In 1996, we moved to California and visited wineries in Mendocino, Sonoma Valley, Napa Valley, Livermore, the Santa Cruz Mountains, Carmel Valley and Paso Robles. For three years, I volunteered in the tasting room at Picchetti Winery in Cupertino, CA. I got to meet people from all over the world, educate them on the history of the winery and its vineyards, and pour great wines – plus, I got paid in wine. My husband also worked at the winey as an assistant winemaker, so I got to help out with harvest every year. I did punch downs, cleaned tanks, painted barrels (with wine) and tested barrel samples. Very unglamorous, but so much fun.
Friends and family always ask, "Which wineries should I visit?" That's such a difficult question to answer as everyone has different likes and dislikes (reds, whites, sparkling, dessert, big, fruit-forward, dry, sweet and so on). I make my recommendations based on the wines and the tasting room experience. A winery can produce phenomenal wines, but if they don’t treat you well, it’s going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. The tasting room is often your introduction to a winery and it needs to make a good first impression. The tasting room personnel should make you feel welcome. They should help you explore and enjoy their wines. They should want you to love their wines as much as they do.
This blog is about my experiences at tasting rooms. I’ll share my feedback on first impressions, friendliness and knowledge of the tasting room personnel, variety of wines on the tasting list, tasting fees, tours and other interesting facts or tidbits. Rather than go from memory of previous tasting room visits, I’m starting from scratch and will add wineries as I go. If you’re on your way to Wine Country and need a recommendation, feel free to email me and I’ll point you in the direction of my favorites.
Happy Tasting!
