by Wine Dog – Bob Ecker

Fortunately for West Coasters, this time of year is already proto-spring unlike many parts of the country. The birds, bees, and flowers all get active as nature – including us dogs and humans – get urges. Maybe it’s no surprise that Valentine’s Day comes about in the early spring, to stimulate our thoughts and bodies with the ones we love. (Or are hoping to love, if we’re lucky). Wineries, hotels, and food specials abound to entice us, delight us and get those sensual juices flowing.

Ah love, wine, art, and money. The preeminent Clos Pegase Winery in the northern portion of Napa Valley contains it all. Clos Pegase features absolutely stunning wines, gorgeous views, world class art, classical artifacts, and important architecture. Plus, in 1989 Jan Shrem did a very romantic thing – he gave his wife Mitsuko a lovely vineyard in the Carneros region. Known as Mitsuko’s Vineyard, the area is a tidy 365 acres, one acre from Jan for every day of the year that he loves her. It’s a wonderful story and the wonery produces some stirring wines; my favorites continue to be Clos Pegase Mitsuko’s Merlot and Chardonnay. This year marks the 20th year of the winery and the 40th year of their marriage. How’s that for romantic?
www.clospegase.com

Napa’s relatively new Round Pond Estate offers a few amazing gift packages. Their wines are truly exceptional and some of their great Valentine’s gifts include the fun Citrus Syrups and their rich and unctuous premium Olive Oils. Another smart V-Day gift is the exceptional Round Pond 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon. It comes in a gift box with a box of four Round Pond Truffles.
www.roundpond.com Do visit if you’re up in Napa. 

Up in Calistoga, Bennett Lane Winery’s is also doing a Valentine’s Day special by pairing their 2005 Maximus “feasting wine”, along with a sample of their signature chocolate sauce – made partly with the Maximus wine. This sauce is perfect for ice cream and other sinful pursuits. The Maximus is a sure sock knocker – notes of tobacco and chocolate with elegant hints of stone fruits.
www.bennettlane.com

Another fine winery is Napa’s O’Brien Estate, and it always brings a smile to Valentine’s Day. They offer a sensual, Romantic Portfolio (a five bottle gift box of wine), with each wine representing a phase of a relationship. These include: Flirtation, Attraction, Romance of the Heart, Seduction, and Reflection. Beside the concept these are worthy wines.
www.obrienestate.com

The unique Charbay Winery & Distillery in St. Helena has just released a very interesting Pomegranate Dessert Wine. What makes Charbay stand out (awesome Blood Orange Vodka) is that they use real, local, fresh fruits in all their products. “The pomegranates we use for our vodka & aperitifs are so fresh that we brought in extra to make a port-like dessert wine,” says Marko Karakasevic, Charbay’s winemaker & distiller. “We distilled our own brandy to arrest the pomegranate fermentation.” This wine combines a balance of sweetness, acidity and a clean, light palate; it’s among the best California dessert wines to date. www.charbay.com

Of course, hotels around Wine Country offer plenty of V-Day options including, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn which is featuring a delectable “Couples Wine and Roses” spa treatment. Couples get to splash around in an oh-so-special bath sprinkled with rose petals, while toasting each other with sparkling wine. After the bathing preliminaries are over, side-by-side rose and grape seed oil massages help restore the body, perhaps leading to greater romance. Staying in Sonoma itself is another fun part of the package. www.fairmont.com/sonoma

Over in Healdsburg – the fabulous Dry Creek Kitchen will be offering an ‘Aphrodisiac-Inspired’ tasting menu. Throughout history, certain ingredients have been said to aid in the hormonal arts, such as oysters and pine nuts; each contain high levels of zinc, producing higher levels of testosterone. Saffron is purported to stimulate properties within the female erogenous zones. One dish on the tasting menu combines poached lobster tail and seared Wagyu beef with coriander butter and smoked potato puree. Besides sounding exceptionally delicious, the use of coriander is also considered a potent male stimulant. Dry Creek Kitchen is located in the swanky Hotel Healdsburg.
www.hotelhealdsburg.com

Get out – enjoy the burgeoning sun, each other, and share a glass or two with someone special. Remember, drink what you like and like what you drink.  Share this story with your friends:

]]> http://www.hmonthly.com/2009/02/09/valentines-napa-2/feed/ 0 http://www.hmonthly.com/2009/01/06/napa-for-the-holidays/ http://www.hmonthly.com/2009/01/06/napa-for-the-holidays/#comments Tue, 06 Jan 2009 08:31:25 +0000 Administrator http://hmonthly.com/blog/?p=352 words by Wine Dog – Bob Ecker

Napa’s Signorello Vineyards, out on Silverado Trail, has a unique program, “Kobe & Cabernet Club,” sent directly to you in special freezer packs. The holiday package includes a Waygu rib-eye roast that serves ten, paired with three bottles which includes the Estate Cabernet, the Padrone Reserve Cabernet, and the club-exclusive Meta (a 50/50 blend of cab and syrah). “Signorello Vineyards is proud to be working with Snake River Farms whose philosophy is similar to ours,” said Ray Signorello, Jr., Proprietor and Winemaker. “Kobe and Cab is a natural pairing, creating the ultimate luxury food and wine experience.” I’ve have always enjoyed this Stag Leap winery quietly producing excellent wines. Incidentally, The Stags Leap District is celebrating its 20th year in 2009 and their superb V2V event takes place in April. If you enjoy Stags Leap wines, you must take part in V2V.
www.signorellovineyards.com/wine-club-kobe-cab.html.

Another of my local faves – Duckhorn – has great wine gift packs. Check out their Portfolio Collection. Duckhorn’s chic Paraduxx winery is offering a new blending seminar, complete with delectable bites, in their barrel room. “The Blend Experience” is by appointment Thursday – Sunday.
www.paraduxx.com

The always enjoyable Peju Province winery offers complementary open houses every weekend in December that includes goodie bags from the Peju kitchen. (www.peju.com) And the estimable Groth Winery has begun an elegant Reserve Tasting. Mondays and Thursdays at 11am, by appointment. Groth is understated and very “Oakville”. www.grothwines.com

Mustards Grill, Cindy Pawlcyn’s landmark Napa Valley restaurant, is celebrating its 25th year and to share in the festivities they have started a winter special with a Thursday night dinner series. I experienced the first Great Mustards Pour Off-Pair Off featuring Cindy’s famous Wood Fire Grilled Pork Loin paired with an unctuous Maremma Super Tuscan. Delish. The best part is diners don’t have to select every recommended pairing –  they go the mix-and-match route instead. I highly recommend the amazing duck breast with chili and pineapple. Always enjoyable and non-fussy, Mustards remains a consistent winner.

Chef Michael Chiarello

Here’s a great Bubbly class to consider. The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) has a wonderful program called Champagne in Depth (with the next program December 18th.) Attendees will sample Champagnes side by side in a one-day workshop, learning to evaluate the nuances of Champagne, food pairing, and more. Taught by Karen MacNeil, author of “The Wine Bible”, this program also includes breakfast and lunch in the Institute’s fascinating teaching kitchens. Contact: c_hatley@culinary.edu for further info.
www.ciachef.edu/california

Meadowood Napa Valley is gearing up for a massive holiday event, “The Twelve Days of Christmas”. This incredible culinary event benefits Share Our Strength^®, an organization striving to wipe out childhood hunger in America. From December 9th through the 24th, 12 exclusive culinary events will bring world-renowned chefs together with extraordinary Napa Valley vintners to create unique holiday feasts each night. Not inexpensive mind you, but this will be the hot ticket in town, and certainly for a good cause. www.meadowood.com

The splendid subterranean Spa Terra, entirely within a cave, has a number of stress releasing holiday specials, like its chocolate wrap, worth exploring. (www.spaterra.com). The Taste Napa Downtown card program is a great way to sample the many wine collectives and tasting rooms, all within walking distance in the City of Napa. Lots of other perks come along with this incredible bargain. www.napadowntown.com

By the way, I just read “The Devil’s Food Dictionary” by Barry Foy. Foodies, winos, and others who consume may enjoy this funny (often fictional) mix of culinary and kooky definitions.

Travelin’ note – I recommend flying in and out of Sacramento, it’s easy and it’s a faster commute to Napa than the other Bay Area airports. Also, Horizon Air now flies directly from LAX to the “new” Sonoma County Airport, not too far from Napa. There are plenty of other events, wineries, and fine places to enjoy here too. Drink up, have fun, and happy holidays.