Can we take a few moments to discuss my spur of the moment, Monday afternoon, high speed trip to Napa?
Napa seems to be in a perpetual state of sunshine. ย It’s absolutely gorgeous. ย There are grapes everywhere. ย If not actually growing from the earth, then engraved into the side of a freeway overpass, or painted on…. um… every available space in Napa. ย Turns out they’re really into grapes.
Can I be honest? ย Napa was a little too uppity, snootypants for my taste. ย I know just enough about wine to make my way through a conversation about tannins and acid, grape varietals, oak aging and whatever other terms wine people drop…. but I don’t think good wine should be all about the secret, and unapproachable language of wine.
I discovered, in these few hours in Napa, that the beauty of wine is all in the land. ย See, it’s the land that creates the beautiful grapes. ย It’s the land that’s beautifully adored and so carefully tended. ย It’s the careful love of soil that creates such beauty up in wine country. ย The care is evident in the carefully places acres and rows of grapevines. ย It’s lovely to see the earth adored for what it can produce. ย I feel like the story should be about the people and the land… not about fruit forward mouth feels… or whatever.
Here’s the deal:
The looking. ย The strolling out in the sun. ย The lazy walks through the tall grass of the vineyards… that’s free.
The tastings and the wine… so very far from affordable. ย Do I sound like I’m looking for a free ride? ย It’s not that, it’s just that a $65 bottle of wine is outside, way outside, my wallet’s comfort zone. ย Fact.
I need your help. ย I need your wine country guidance. ย Where’s the wine with spunk? ย Where’s the wine with story? ย Where’s the wine that will make me want to give three cheers to Napa. ย Let’s go there this spring. ย Seriously, we’ll make it a party!
51 Responses