Wine Blog

Tasting Room Adventures

Posted by: Trudy and Rob

Wednesday, March 5, 2008 7:55 PM

Our love affair with California wine country started in 1995, the year I met the guy who would become my husband. Rob had just returned from his first trip to the Napa Valley and I was about to make my first trip. He gave me many tips on where to go and taste. When I returned, we got together and compared wine tasting notes and if I remember correctly, we sipped a little wine, too. The rest, as they say, is history. We've been together ever since and we've enjoyed almost yearly wine adventures in various locals, but primarily in Napa and Sonoma.

My idea of a perfect day in the wine country is to do a little tasting, then a little shopping, then a little tasting, then a little shopping, well you get the idea. This works well if you can find a winery with a great gift shop. I wander around with my wine glass and see what wonderful treasures I can buy while Rob's doing his serious tasting and talking. This keeps me very patient when he starts exhibiting his wine geekiness and he's very compliant and patient with my purchases, all the more so as he consumes yet more wine! Works well for both of us, don't you think?

Even though I love to shop, I love to taste as well. Over the years, we've spent quite a bit of time in tasting rooms, and there is definitely an art to tasting room etiquette. We have found that most people working in tasting rooms truly enjoy what they are doing, particularly when they are pouring for people who appreciate good wine and have some knowledge about it. For example, Rob will be describing what he is tasting in that wine geek way of his and I'm listing to him and thinking, "Oh right, that's exactly what I was thinking - NOT!" I cannot distinguish all those things they talk about in the tasting notes, like a hint of vanilla followed by a nice finish of pencil lead with just a hint of charcoal. Give me a break! I just love the adventure of tasting, first enjoying the smell, then letting it sit in the mouth and then experiencing the finish. You don't have to be a wine expert to enjoy the process. Whether you talk the talk or not, the wine pourers are more than happy to share your pleasure and answer any question you might have. Don't be afraid to ask them for recommendations of other tasting rooms to visit. They are enthusiastic about telling you where they personally like to go and taste. Winemakers form a small community and are generally supportive of each other.

Don't be afraid to pour out wine or spit. I prefer the pouring to the spiting but that's because I'm a little more decorous than Rob. You can't possibly taste all day without pouring or spitting so it is expected of you. Now if you've seen the movie Sideways, you should know never to drink from the spit and pour buckets. That's the ultimate in bad tasting room form. If you haven't seen the movie, rent it. It's well worth your time and you can see what not to do.

The bigger wineries with the giant tasting rooms make it easier to walk away without purchasing, which we frequently do. However, on this last trip, we concentrated on small wineries and tasting experiences that were by appointment only. This is much more intimate and a little embarrassing if you don't like the wines. We were fortunate enough to enjoy much of what we tasted and purchased at least one bottle at each of those private tasting appointments. You meet so many interesting people who are small producers and who truly love what they are doing. To them, it's like producing a work of art with much intense labor and love of the product. When they are sharing this with you, it is easy to get caught up in their enthusiasm. They will often offer you to taste directly from the barrel, which is truly a wonderful experience. We tasted at Ceja, a Latino family owned winery in the Napa Valley, founded by Mexican-American immigrants. It was totally delightful, with members of the family hanging out in the tasting room. Siduri and Novy Family Wines was another fun experience. They are located in Santa Rosa, in Sonoma Valley, in an industrial park. The tasting room is just a table set up in their winery/warehouse. The wines are excellent and we heard a fascinating story of how a young, naive couple with no money became successful winemakers. (Often hearing the back stories of how people get started in the business is just as delightful as the tasting, another advantage when visiting smaller operations.) Siduri/Novy Family is a small producer, but their wines are available here in Illinois, so look out for them if you get a chance.

We would be glad to give you more of our favorites small tasting locations if you have plans to be in the Napa/Sonoma area. If not, there are some tasting rooms right here in central Illinois. If you haven't been to Alto Vineyards, you should check it out. First of all, it has a great gift shop with products unique to central Illinois and representing local artists. It's a lovely tasting room with friendly people who enjoy talking about their wines. While Illinois wines may not be quite the same as those of California, the tasting is still a fun experience and you may even be pleasantly surprised. We also understand there is a winery and tasting room near Oakwood that we have not yet visited, but hope to soon.

In a future blog, we'll talk about our own wine cellar and what we have on our shelves. I focus mostly on what I like to refer to as good value wines (instead of saying cheap wines). Good value sounds so much better. More on this topic from Rob and me later.

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