Develop A Taste For Napa Valley Winery Tours
Join a Napa Valley Winery Tour and you could finish feeling quite experienced in the art of tasting. Though palate is personal, some tasting notes are elusive until someone points them out or gives you a tip on swirling, smelling and so on. Meet others like you with limited knowledge while learning from more experienced tasters and drinkers. Soon, sticking your nose right in a glass and spitting into a bowl will seem quite natural.
You do not have to be a professional to enjoy yourself, however. A tour is one great way to learn about wine the right way. No matter how much you read about body, tannins and bouquet, nothing replaces sipping the real thing.
Explore various towns like Napa, Calistoga and Yountville, all well-supplied with wineries. If you need some guidance, book a limousine tour. Some specialize in this are a and understand etiquette, passing this important knowledge on to clients. Make this a little get-together with friends or join a larger group made up of some familiar, some unfamiliar faces. Make this the highlight of a civilized hen party or birthday treat.
Another stylish mode of travel is the Napa Valley Wine Train. Restored, vintage trains take customers through the valley drinking and eating. They operate special themed tours for special times of the year and book quickly, so make a reservation.
Get a bit old-fashioned instead. Board a buggy pulled by two beautiful horses. They make tours elegant and special, driving clients to boutique wineries. This means your tasting/shopping experience will involve vintages created in small batches and not available in most retail outlets. Bring a map and a picnic. You could be permitted to spread a blanket for twilight supper before transporting your treasure case home. On the other hand, several wineries operate restaurants serving fine food and their own wines, of course.
You may associate California with Chardonnay. If so, this certainly is a California favorite. Others include the peppery Sauvignon Blanc, complex Pinot Noir and sophisticated cellar-ready examples of Cabernet Sauvignon. Just keep an open mind: vintners love to explore new blends and alternative grapes while also trying their hand at environmentally friendly methods.
One special reason visitors arrive is to learn their winery alphabet. Starting from aeration and moving through to Zinfadel, they explore topics such as what it means to have mineral qualities, be fruit forward, or how tannins affect flavor. Several wineries host brunch, lunch or supper events themed around the bottles of a particular nation or to raise money for some worthy cause.
After you get the basics, try a food pairing course. This could be a good place to find out what goes with chocolate, types of cheese and lemon meringue pie. Explore the importance of stemware. Embark on a vertical tasting, sampling from several years of one wine from a single winery. These special courses cost money, but often wine tasting bars will allow several samples for free before you choose a bottle to purchase.
Looking for affordable yet exquisite Napa Valley winery tours, California ? Get the low down now in our guide to the best limo winery tour Napa .