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by Richard McKay A week in the California Wine Country sounds like heaven. With some planning upfront, you can create a memorable vacation. Here’s one foodie’s guide to doing it right.
Harvest is typically in September. If you’re there in early September you may catch the vintners preparing for harvest in several places you visit. I find this to be the most interesting time to visit. There is a palpable anticipation in the air as the vintners check the sugar levels (Brix) of the berries to find that optimal picking point for each varietal. At this point they’ve got a good idea of the quality of this year’s fruit and they’re ready to get it on to the crush pad. Once the harvest starts, the winery is a flurry of activity. Don’t be surprised if they have little time for you. The first order of business is to get a copy of Wine Spectator. If possible look for an issue that showcases California wines. Make a list of what they rate the highest. Take that list to your neighborhood wine shop. Why the wine shop? Most of the owners have been to the wine country numerous times. They also know quality wines. Who better to guide you? They may even be able to give you a name to use when you call. What are they drinking? Who do they feel has the best tour? Get a list going. If you have more than one wine merchant in your area, go talk to as many as you can. Soon you’ll start to see some commonalities among all of these sources. That’s good because at this point you’ll probably have a list approaching 50 wineries. Another question to ask is whether your state allows wine to be shipped directly to you. If the answer is yes, you’ll travel much lighter during your trip. If not, you’ll have to decide whether it makes sense to purchase wines at the winery or wait until you return. I look for reserve wines that aren’t sold in stores or for wines that are much more expensive back home. There are packing boxes with foam inserts that you can check like luggage. Ask for these at the larger wineries. While you’re at the wine shops getting all this free advice, you should pick up a few bottles. You’ve got to start training your palate. Select some wines from places your interested in visiting. Have some friends over for a tasting party or two. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to help you out. You’ll want a method for collecting your thoughts and impressions on what you taste. I recommend getting a wine album to record your impressions. Or you can make up your own form. What you want is the winery, type of wine and the year. I usually write down the price as well. Then you need a rating system for appearance, aroma, and taste. I leave a little room for notes as well. One tip on tasting, each person should use one glass and don’t rinse it. Water in the glass kills the next wine you pour. Also, typically start with the lightest wines and progress through to the more complex ones. A great Sauvignon Blanc will rate poorly after a good Zinfandel. Also, ask everyone to hold comments during the tasting and comment only after everyone’s had time to formulate their own thoughts about the wine.
Of course this is a short list. There are many others and new ones opening all the time. The thing to remember is that everyone wants to get into the best of these restaurants so the reservation list fills up months in advance. I am not joking about this point. If you want to eat at French Laundry, you should call them now and ask exactly when (Month, Day, and Hour) you can call to get a reservation for the dates you want. If you miss it by an hour, you’ll probably be eating elsewhere so plan well ahead. I recommend a few light meals added into your week. All that heavy eating can wipe you out after a few days. There are many wonderful places to stay during your visit. You can find them in any travel guide. What’s important is that your location is central to the wineries you intend to visit. I generally move camp after I leave an area. I try to select a place in Yountville or Napa and one in Healdsburg to cut down on the driving. Again, call well in advance. So how many wineries can one see in a day? Probably six, but you won’t have any idea what you’ve tasted after the third one. A comfortable pace is three or four a day: two in the morning and one or two in the afternoon. Yea, I’m disappointed, too. Don’t be intimidated by the wineries that list “Tours by appointment only”. That’s just what you want and they want to show off their facilities. Call them up and get an appointment. Bring your blank note sheets if you have any notion of trying to remember what you tasted by the end of the trip. You’ll get a little more cordial greeting from the staff in the tasting rooms if they see you’re not just hopping from one winery to the next belting down wines.
Of course you will have to experience for yourself what this new skill does for enjoying food. Suddenly salads are compositions of distinct lettuces balanced with complex oils and tart dressings. Subtleties in apple versus mesquite wood used to grill meats and fish become apparent for the first time. Heightening these senses may be the greatest memory and the one that most affects your life once you return. Hopefully, my observations and experiences will help you get more out of your next vacation in the California Wine Country.
Writer Richard McKay can be reached at richardmckay@rcn.com.
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Summer
is the optimal time to visit Northern California. The area’s lush
produce is at its peak and the grapes are maturing on the vines.
Early summer is much quieter and cooler, but as the heat picks
up so do the crowds. Weekends bring tourist busses and day-trippers.
It’s best to avoid the larger and more popular wineries on weekends.
Save that trip to Mondovi until a Tuesday morning and you’ll get
a more personalized experience. 
Of
course, the other component to your wine trip is the food. In
the last ten years, the Wine Country has developed into a culinary
Mecca. Most sources credit the French Champagne house Chandon
(1973) for bringing fine cuisine to what they must have considered
the pedestrian grape farmers north of San Francisco. In 1996,
the Culinary Institute of America opened a west coast branch at
Greystone Castle further demonstrating that good wine needs good
food to show it off. These days there are great restaurants throughout
the wine country. French Laundry, Bistro Jeanty and Mustards are
standouts in Yountville. While Charcuterie, Tra Vigne, and Bistro
Ralph top the list in Healdsberg. Sonoma Mission Inn offers a
Spa menu for a satisfying light meal as well as a great café for
burgers and shakes. Oakville Grocery, which has several locations,
is the spot for picnic fare with a large selection of half bottles
to go with their excellent sandwiches and salads. 
Surprisingly,
I find that the very first winery, at nine or ten in the morning,
is usually the best experience of the day. Having rested the nose
and palate from the previous day, you’ll be ready to go first
thing in the morning. You’ll notice that your senses get built
up like muscles. They also get fatigued especially your sense
of smell. By the last winery on the first couple of days, you
may have trouble with the aroma portion of the tasting. However,
by the end of your trip, you will have sharpened your senses to
the point where anything you eat or drink takes on new meaning.
At one winery during my last trip, I smelled the Sauvignon Blanc
and declared that it smelled of tacos. My father smelled it and
decided it must be cheddar cheese. Just then the person who had
poured our round came out from the back with a bag of Nacho Cheese
Doritos. We were a little annoyed with this faux pas but were
also confirming that our noses were getting better at discerning
subtle aromas.