travel

Valley of wine
Rajnish Wattas

The landscape of Napa Valley is a mesh of straight-lined, symmetrical rows of grape vines, embroidering the valley floor and the gentle hill slopes The Robert Mondavi winery has features of Spanish architecture

Anyone who has seen the famous Hollywood films Bottle Shake and Sideways would recall the enchanting world of chardonnays and pinot noirs, lush-green vineyards, old wineries and tasting sessions set in California, USA. All this becomes possible in real life if one visits the famous Napa Valley. It is located close to San Francisco, just 50 miles northeast of the city, enabling a convenient day trip. The origin of the valley’s name ‘Napa’ is from the language of the native Americans, which means ‘plenty.’ And it truly is a cornucopia overflowing with grapes and lot of other fruits.

The drive is panoramic, meandering through gently rolling hills of Mayacamas and Vaca mountain ranges, dotted with vineyards all along. It is a misty land, laced with wineries of all scales — historic, big, famous, small and boutique. The landscape is a mesh of straight-lined, symmetrical rows of grape vines, embroidering the valley floor and the gentle hill slopes.

The Napa Valley, running North-South, is endowed by nature with a unique, micro-climate. The coolest, southerly zone, where fog from the bay settles down, is therefore, particularly suitable for delicate wines like pinot noir and chardonnays. However, in the upper regions of the North, where the fog arrives later in the afternoon, is ideal for famous red wines like cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel, merlot and petite sirah, which gain ripeness in the strong sunshine of the upper valley.

Wine making in Napa Valley had modest beginnings. The Charles Krug Winery, set up in 1861, was its first commercial venture. Soon the number grew to nearly 140 by the end of the 19th century and included names like Beringer, Beaulieu, Mayacamas, Far Niente, and Chateau Montelena, which are quite famous. Today, it nearly has 450 wineries that produce world-famous wines, even, challenging the supremacy of French wines.

A good stretch to cover a lot of famous wineries is to drive through the St Helena Highway.

The Robert Mondavi winery located there is visible from a distance with its distinct architecture, inspired by the Spanish missions, with a horse-shoe arch and a vertical campanile that towers over it. The wine tour begins with a basic introduction to the wine-making process by a peppy and knowledgeable guide, and you are led into series of huge halls with controlled temperatures and humidity settings. First, the grapes go into gigantic stainless steel tanks, where the first fermentation and settling takes place, and then these go into huge oak wooden barrels, especially imported from France for ageing. There the latent, rich woody flavours and aromas of the wine open up.

Above: A wine-tasting session at V. Sattui winery; and (Below) French oak wine barrels for ageing at Robert Mondavi winery Photos by the writer

From there, you are taken to a high terrace commanding a sweeping view of Mondavi’s own sprawling vineyard with an endless horizon of grapes dangling in green and dark red bunches mouth-wateringly. Although each season has its own magic in Napa, the most popular tourist time is September to October. This is the season when the grapes are plucked in the vineyards in the early hours of the morning, while it is still cool, so that the fruits are not damaged. During the fall, the whole valley seems awash with tints of yellow and orange, as the leaves change colours.

Finally, it’s time to taste the ambrosia that is produced at Robert Mondavi, and you are taken to an elegant wood-panelled, well appointed tasting room.

At a short distance from the Robert Mondavi winery is the legendry: Domaine chandon winery, which also conducts excellent wine tours. A little further up on the St Helena Highway is another very old and good winery V. Sattui. It has an 180-year-old ivy-covered, masonry stone winery building, cellars for ageing, and also a very famous wine and cheese shop. The winery also has lush green lawns and shaded arbours, for tourists to pick up wines and food from the famous shop, and settle down for a picnic.

Most wineries are also popular venues for social events and weddings. At the V. Sattui winery, tourists can even run into a bride in all her finery awaiting the bridegroom...!

Indeed, a good choice for the young couple to begin their new lives ... May their romance flow and age like the heady Napa wines. Cheers!

FACT FILE

How to get there: Rent a car from San Francisco or take a coach. Mini-van tours are also available which provide pick-and-drop from the hotel. You can also take the famous Napa Valley Wine Train, which organises select wine tours en route. It also serves exquisite cuisine and wines on board.

Where to stay: There are a large of hotels/cottages available with a variety of tariffs suiting your pocket. Bookings can be done on the net.

What to do: Take the wineries tour and other conducted tours in the valley. You can also play golf and visit the numerous spas in the valley.

Where to eat: You can pick up food from gift shops of wineries or market eateries for a picnic. The valley has many restaurants. A must try is cheese and local wines.

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