What to Drink Now: Napa Valley, For the Stories

Richard Ward (Left) of Saintsbury and Bruce Cakebread of Cakebread

There are many reasons to love wine beyond its luscious taste.  A big one  is that every wine has a story.  From growers to producers the people behind the wine, who are producing the fastest growing beverage in the country, each has interesting, fascinating and meaningful stories.  A study came out last week putting America ahead of the French in wine consumption, interesting as many French enjoy wine like water and include it in almost every meal.  Though we may not be a society that pours a glass over lunch every day, we are a society that enjoys the beauty of a glass and celebrates the flavors and foundations of how a wine is made.

Over 400 wineries in Napa Valley, often referred to as birthplace of wine in the United States, participated in the Auction Napa Valley last weekend, each one with a story.  You don’t meet a lot of wine makers or vintners that are doing what they are doing to earn a paycheck, often they are involved for no other reason than passion.  Though the need to make a dollar is obviously important, the joy found in working in a vineyard, walking the vines, creating a stunning bottle of wine and introducing it to people often overshadows the basic financial aspects of the industry.  Impressive since it is an industry, especially in areas like Napa, that has had a big change in the past few years due to the financial issues in the country.  Wine that may have gone for $200+ now brings in around $100-$150 a bottle, or something that may have sold for $100 may now sell for $40 or $50.  But as I have heard many times, to make a small fortune in wine you start with a large fortune, however many started simply with a passion and hopefully people who believed in them.  Continue reading "What to Drink Now: Napa Valley, For the Stories"