“Taming these savage hillsides is folly and all we can do is hope to coax a little civilization out of them. This is man working with nature at its glorious best.”    Mike Brunson, Winemaker & Vineyardist. Michel-Schlumberger Winery

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Sciandri Family WInery

Many visitors drive through Napa, see the large corporate/investor owned wineries and think this is Napa. If you’ve already been to these wineries or it’s just not your cup of tea, it’s time to discover alternatives.

Here are three fabulous, unique and intimate experiences that I highly recommend.

Sciandri Family Vineyards. (Pronounced She-an-dree) Located behind the city of Napa (northeast edge of the valley), you wind through Wild Horse Valley to an area called Coombsville (soon to be its own AVA) and park in front of the Sciandri’s house and tasting room. The vibe at Sciandri is relaxed and welcoming; their daughter tells a  fascinating story of how the family starting making wine just a few years ago, how her hard working parents came to rebuild an old house and pursue a dream that would ensure that their family stayed close.  Call for an appointment to sip their Bordeaux-style Cabernet Sauvignon with a nice plate of Italian Salumi while pretending you live there for an afternoon at least. (Every appointment is a private tour and tasting, and groups from 2 -12 people are welcome.)

Black Cat Vineyard.  This must be the smallest winery in Napa. One woman does it all, and I mean everything.  When you visit Black Cat Winery, leave the cell phone, camera and video recorder in the car. Be in the moment and soak up Tracey Reichow’s massively intelligent and fascinating wine knowledge.  The view is outstanding, but her explanation about the Coombsville region being “wine mecca” makes it unforgettable. I love her Syrah & Cabernert Sauvignon; gently & lovingly crafted, a beautiful alternative to in-your-face big, bold “Napa” reds.

Casa Nuestra.  This winery is on the Silverado Trail on the farthest northern edge. When you drive up, you’ll see an unpaved driveway and a little yellow house.  It’s tiny, yet behind the scenes, they are making approx. 15 different wines!  This is one of my top ten wineries; I always find something I like and the people at the winery are sincerely welcoming. (It doesn’t seem right to call them staff because they are such an integrated part of the experience.)  A VIP Pass for a private tour and tasting is included in my guide.

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I bought this fun dress at Wildcat in downtown Napa.  It’s a small shop with vintage-style new and used clothing for women and men. The jewelry is from Accent’s, a fabulous boutique in downtown Novato (& Petaluma).  Hubby bought me this Aquamarine necklace & matching earrings for Christmas.  Here’s  some fun “facts” about the stone.

Traditionally seen as the birthstone for March, Aquamarine stone gets it’s color from iron ferrous and has been known since ancient times as a stone of hope, happiness, good health, fidelity, eternal youth and lasting love.

Aquamarine stone cleanses and aligns the chakras and the etheric and mental bodies. It helps you to reduce fear and communicate with those around you in a loving and compassionate way, all the while it is flushing out your lymph system.

Aquamarine stone attracts friends and friendly people to you. People you can trust and that show compassion for you. It is often used to calm disrupted situations with it’s ability to bring harmony.

Aquamarine crystal help facilitate communication and is especially good to help couples work out their problems in a friendly and peaceful manner. (Source)

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Visiting the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (St. Helena) makes me happy.  I love the old stone building and knowing that there are aspiring chefs on the 3rd floor while I dine in the restaurant.  I like the service, the decor, the reasonable wine mark ups and the artsy, interesting food.

When it was announced that the 17th annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival’s kick off party was going to be held at CIA, I immediately bought tickets.  I’ll be posting lots of pictures this week. Bobby and I had a fantastic time, but my absolute favorite part?  Eating in the chef’s kitchen.

Napa’s famous restaurants (Bouchon, Brix, etc) served small bites in the wine tasting room, but we headed straight for the kitchen.  Guests picked up a plate and went through a double-sided buffet flanked by chefs standing next to their stoves offering osso buco, polenta, mustard greens, Italian wedding soup, breaded shrimp with fruit dipping sauce, blood red orange salad, cioppino and more.  We sat family style at a long table in the middle of the kitchen.  For me, it was a once in a lifetime experience.  There are plenty of parties where I can walk around balancing a plate of small bites while drinking wine, but the opportunity to eat in the CIA kitchen…priceless!

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It’s rainy this winter.  My friend, Amanda, has come from North Carolina to visit her beloved wine country.  I believe this is her 23rd visit.  She’s not letting the rain get her down though.

Wine country (and California) is wonderful year-round.  Many wineries have fireplaces, the tasting rooms are quiet and staff is eager to bring out all kinds of wines for you to try.  You get in your rental car (or hire a driver), go to the places recommended in my guide (I’m telling you, you’ll love them) and then come back to cozy, welcoming luxury at the White House Inn & Spa (my favorite B&B in Napa).  Housed in an old mansion right around the corner from the trendy new Napa River Waterfront district, you’ll find great restaurants, Silo’s Jazz Club and tasting rooms close by for your evenings.  (No driving all the way to Yountville or St. Helena and back for dinner.)

Napa is close enough to Kenwood (Sonoma County) that you can easily stay in downtown Napa and spend a lazy afternoon in Kenwood.  I recommend starting at Kunde (wine & cheese in the Kinneybrook Room) then having lunch at The Vineyards Inn Bar & Grill.  (Enjoy a free seasonal Tapa named after me and a glass of owner’s Steve Rose’s vino.)  After lunch, go visit Chris Loxton, an Australian winemaker who makes suburb reds, whites and rosés.  He’s enthusiastic, welcoming (and his accent is lovely to listen to).  If it’s not raining, plan on doing a Walkabout With the Winemaker Tour.

Downtown Napa & Kenwood have a lot to offer. If you’ve “done up-valley Napa”, do something different next time.  It’s an insider’s secret, and now you’re in on it!

All the places and activities mentioned here are in my guide, purchase a guide and all tastings & tours will be free to you.

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All over Northern California, wild mustard starts to bloom in January. It’s such a wonderful thing to see that 17 years ago someone came up with the idea to turn it into the Napa Valley Mustard Festival.  There are lots of fun activities that come with a significant ticket price, but guess what?

You can see the wild mustard for free, get away from the crowds in Napa and the wineries are really quiet.  (There’s still lots of local nightlife too!)

I’d love to show you around. Or just pick up my guide and get going.  If you have any questions about visiting wine country, just ask!

PS: Did you know that most of the Dijon mustard in the USA is made from mustard seeds from Canada? (wikipedia)

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I have always been in awe of winemakers.  Amateurs making their own blends is an industry trend, e.g., Crushpad in San Francisco is very successful. Until now, I’ve happily sat on the sidelines (drinking fab wine).

I finally poked my beaker into the bottle so-to-speak at a corporate event where I was VIP Hostess.  The client had already chosen the wineries so I used my insider persuasion to organize the various events, get discounts and keep everyone on schedule.  We started at Ravenswood with Peter Griffith’s Blending Seminar. The guests learned the basics about acidity, sugar and tannins.  I helped translate that into “taste the three wines in front of you, decide what you think about them, then start mixing and tasting until you come up with your favorite”.

The group had a blast. They used every last minute to pour, play and taste.  When the time was up, Peter quickly bottled, corked and even hot waxed each guest’s personal blend to take home.

**(That’s me in the hat.)

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Recently, I got a last minute call to help a wine country visitor with his marriage proposal.  I picked them up at the Farmhouse Inn (Russian River) and drove them to Michel Schlumberger’s.  Rob was looking for a grand view with a little privacy.  M-S was having their employee party that afternoon so everything was beautifully decorated for the holidays.  However, the tasting room was off-limits, so Rob & Christine got the VIP private tasting in the kitchen. The kitchen has a reputation among long-time M-S fans as the insider’s room.  While they were busy tasting Cabernet & older vintages brought out special for them, I did “recon” & quickly ruled out the adorable little bench up on the hill due to the wetness of the ground.

Off to Hawley, an intimate little spot up a winding back country road.  Rob nervously whispered, “is this the place”.  I replied, “let’s see”.  They were so impressed by the experience and the wine, they signed up for the club.  But the view wasn’t quite right for me so I sneaked outside and called my friends at Bella Winery & Caves. Ross & Leigh Ann eagerly agreed to take us to the top of Lilly Hill in a comfy oversized ATV.  After tasting some wine in the cave, I casually suggested a drive up the hill. Ross had planted a bottle of Lilly Hill Reserve and two glasses in the back of the ATV.  Once we got to the top, Ross said he couldn’t drive any further but perhaps they wanted to walk aways. Rob put his arm around Christine and they walked to the edge of the hill.  Next thing I know, Chris is laughing and crying and jumping up and down. I’ll never forget the way the sun came out while they were standing there.  It was shady on the way up the hill, and shady on the way down.  But for that moment, the sun was perfect.

While they bought wine at Bella (including a case of Lily Hill), I secretly called my friend Peggy at Sbragia, and told her we were coming.  She set up a congrats sign and a fabulous cheese tray to go with their tasting.

It was a precious, sweet & lovely experience to be a part of this couple’s special day.

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It seems like I have the best job in the world (I do); but sharing my experiences with my readers is something that I actually take pretty seriously.  For this reason, I generally prefer to visit wineries by myself (less distractions).

I usually make an appointment for a tour and a tasting, bring my camera, my red leather mini-notebook & my groovy leopard pen. I make sure I have plenty of time to hang out. Many times, I have never tasted the wines prior to visiting.  This makes it awkward if I don’t like the wines; but its only happened a handful of times.  Sometimes though, I discover wines & people that become my favorites.  Here’s a pic of my review of Michel-Schlumberger  posted in their tasting room.

(An Insider Pass to Michel-Schlumberger is in my guidebook.)

Come visit me & I’ll introduce you to them!

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I often get requests from readers to help them with their wine country itinerary. My readers also refer their friends to me.

The places I recommend consistently treat people like welcome guests, offer something more then a belly-up-the-bar wine tasting, make fabulous wine or food, and meet my criteria for a wonderful place to stay overnight (cozy, comfortable luxury).

In ensure that my friends & fans get the same “insider” treatment that I do, I asked my favorite businesses to be part of a very special project,  Alana’s Insider Picks & Tips, Get the Inside Scoop & Save $700.  Each business provided an Insider Pass in my new guidebook.  I added tons of tips to best enjoy a day trip or a vacation in wine country.

Now you can get my recommendations plus Passes to the VIP experiences that I enjoy as an insider.

I can hardly wait to share these fabulous places and adventures with you! Learn more by going to the Guide page.

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