Don's Gillette's Weekly Wine Blog
Weekly musings from our store's resident wine guru
Don has over thirty years experience in the wine industry. For the last eighteen years his attention has been focused on the growing local industry. Don has a large following of customers who search out his opinions (never in short supply!) on new releases and on what's currently most distinctive on our shelves. Others seek his insights on wineries and trends that are still under the radar. Check back here each week for Don's latest thoughts on various wine-related topics. Read Don's full bio...
Email Don directly with your wine-related questions.
So foul and fair a day...
According to the weather channel, this coming week will offer brisk, cloudy days; alternating with periods of quiet rain and occasional sunshine. The nights will be cold, but not freezing. This prediction, which extends from San Francisco north through the Napa, Sonoma and Mendocino wine countries, is a typical one for the early months.
The forecast sounds, on the face of it, somewhere between dull and downright unpleasant. Wine lovers should take a second look however, as days like these often prove memorable ones for winery visits. January and especially February are rainy months in Northern California, but most wine country roads are easy to navigate, unless things are outright stormy, and there are plenty of cozy stops on the way.
If you are used to the frenetic pace of wine touring in the summer and fall, the winter months may prove a refreshing and delightful surprise. Not only does the press of traffic evaporate, but the pressures that harry winemakers and staff diminish as well. It is the time when they taste and evaluate their new barrels and when they are most available to the public.
I learned long ago that this was the best chance to chat directly with winemakers and winery principals. Rain can even prove helpful, postponing some tasks and driving staff indoors. Questions that might have seemed an annoyance during the fall often become cause for introspection and good conversation under these conditions.
During this period, winemakers are still exploring their own new wines, and an aware and interested consumer is often welcome company in the barrel room. I have seen many such encounters stretch into lunches or dinners, as new friends were made.
The restaurant scene is also amazingly different, as even perennially frenetic tourist stops can change into quiet, comfortable places of refuge. In Napa and Sonoma, the amazing profusion of fine wine country eateries guarantees that "shelter from the storm" is always handy.
For retailers, this is a wonderfully relaxing time to tour. Sometimes, an even greater pleasure may be found in the gradual uncovering of the secrets of the new harvest. Bye the way, everyone seems to think that the 2007 crop will be something truly special, so its time we got up there ourselves.