Tasting Sweet Wines

Sometimes I get folks on tours who prefer sweet wines and would like to taste such on their visits. Their preferences range from White Zinfandel to German-style Rieslings and Gewurtztraminers. Tasting sweet wines can be tough in Napa and Sonoma Counties as these wine regions are best known for dry wines.

There are wineries that produce excellent dessert wines such as Van der Heyden, Dolce, Trefethen, and Artesa. Some wineries, including Prager Port Works, Imagery, Frank Family, and Merryvale, produce sweet, fortified wines. However, my guests are usually looking for sweet table wines to sip or to drink with a meal.

To taste such wines, visitors can go to Beringer and Sutter Home. Both wineries have inexpensive, sweet wines to taste including some that are only available in the tasting rooms. These wines are not made with grapes from the Napa Valley and the tasting experiences are nothing to write home about. Beringer, though, is in a beautiful, historic facility. It is the oldest, continually operated winery in the Napa Valley and offers an array of interesting tours that focus on the winery's history.

The Napa and Sonoma Valleys are generally too warm for German varietals such as Riesling and Gewurtztraminer. Trefethen does make a dry Riesling, but this is usually not sweet enough for the folks I am talking about. My favorite place to taste a sweet table wine is St. Supery in Rutherford. While best known of its Sauvignon Blanc, St. Supery makes a quality Muscato that is a well-crafted sweet wine; although, not from Napa grapes. The Muscato is so popular that the winery has a Muscato-only wine club. St. Supery also makes an array of dry wines including Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and both white and red Bordeaux-style blends.

One of the advantages of taking a private, custom wine country tour is that I can help you pick wineries to visit that are likely to have wines you will enjoy. If you would like to make arrangements for a tour in Napa or Sonoma, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Zin and Bordeaux Varietals in the Alexander Valley

When I take guests on tours of the Alexander Valley in Sonoma County, one of my regular stops is Stryker Sonoma Winery. This small winery produces about 7,000 cases a year. However, winemaker Tim Hardin is a creative soul and likes to make small lots of wine. Thus, the 7,000 cases of wine are divided among approximately 22 red wines and 4 whites, with lots as small as 100 cases. One of Tim's specialties is wine from Bordeaux varietals, including a good number of Cabernet Sauvignons, a few Merlots, and small amounts of Petite Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, and Semillon. Tim also loves Zinfandel, so he produces at least eight different wines from this varietal.

The winery is a sleek, modern building with floor to ceiling windows in the tasting room. Thus, you can gaze out at the vineyards while tasting Stryker's many wines. The tasting room staff are friendly and eager to tell you about Stryker's wines and the various wine regions from which Stryker sources its fruit.

The winery is located on Hwy. 128, north and west of the city of Healdsburg. The tasting room is open daily from 10:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. You may just drop in for tasting. Tours can be arranged by prior appointment. Stryker offers more than one tasting menu, so fees vary.

If you would like to take a private tour of the Alexander Valley that includes a stop at Stryker, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Picnic Supplies in Carneros

Carneros is a wine region that spans southern Napa and Sonoma Counties. It is the only wine region (American Viticulture Area (AVA)) in California that is in two counties. Being closer to the Bay, Carneros is cooler than the Napa and Sonoma Valleys and, thus, produces quality cool weather grapes such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

A drive through the rolling hills of Carneros is among the loveliest in Northern California. However, Route 121 -- the principal road in Carneros -- does not pass thorough any towns. Nevertheless there are two places that produce excellent sandwiches and salads for picnics. The Blue Tree Cafe in the Cornerstone Gardens serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. You can eat in the cafe or carry out sandwiches and salads to take to a nearby winery. Cornerstone Gardens is a walk-through garden with interesting landscaping and sculpture, as well as home to a few stores and galleries. It is located on Route 121, just north of the Schellville Airport and south of the intersection with Route 116.

The Fig Pantry in Sonoma is a short drive from Carneros. Located at the intersection of 8th Street East and Napa Street, the Fig Pantry has a coffee bar, wine store, charcuterie, and deli. You can easily pick up superbly prepared sandwiches and salads as well as cheeses and meats to make your own sandwiches. Then take your picnic supplies back to Carneros or to one of the wineries near the town of Sonoma. The Fig Pantry is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

If you would like to take a private wine country tour that includes a picnic lunch in Carneros or Sonoma, please feel free to call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.