The Grape

There are over 450 wineries in the Napa Valley.  But only 4% of California's wine is produced there.  And that's just the Napa Valley.  California has five major wine regions, with the Napa Valley being in the North Coast region, along with the Sonoma Valley, Anderson Valley, etc.  Let's just put it this way -- there are a lot of grapes in California.  And considering that it takes about two-and-a-half pounds of grapes to make one bottle of wine, let's be thankful for California.

Lucky me:  I have friends who live in Napa and are connected to the wine industry.  No need to make a decision on which winery to visit . . . we went to three where the name Oggenfuss gets you some special treatment.  It was obvious that the people we met there love and respect Jurg and his son Chris.  We began at Odette, where the wines we tasted (from Odette, Plumpjack and Cade wineries) were poured from $100+ bottles.  Jurg taught us the "five esses": see, swirl, smell, sip and swallow (or spit).  Let it be known that I did not spit.  Not once.  Jurg's teaching also involved discerning the fruits and flavors that the wine brought to mind, but I failed miserably at this.  It all tasted like wine to me.  Apple?  Pear?  Oak?  I don't know, but can you pour me another, please?

At Domaine, we toasted with a glass of champagne.  What were we toasting to?  I don't know . . . Tuesday morning?

The drive up to Cade was beautiful.  As the tastings at Cade last about two hours, we opted instead to enjoy a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc outside with a spectacular view of the Valley.

The view at Cade Winery

We also drove up to the Castello di Amorosa.  This is vintner Dario Sattui's tribute to his Tuscan roots.  He had 170 containers of handmade antique bricks and tiles shipped over from Europe to construct the 107-room castle.  Ninety-seven of those rooms are dedicated to the wine-making, and the wine can only be purchased here at the castle.

Castello di Amorosa

All for the love of the grape.