Vineyard Views

After the harvest has been picked and gone through its primary and secondary fermentation, it is now time to transfer the juice into oak barrels, stainless steel tanks or whatever vessel the winemaker chooses to complete the process of creating a wine. These oak barrels contain precious Pinot Noir...

One of the final steps for a winemaker before bottling his product is the final blending process. Wine from different barrels, vineyard rows, vineyard sites and different varietals are brought together, blended numerous times, with varying amounts in each sample. Seemingly endless tasting and testing sessions occur until just...

On a trip through China some years ago, it was not easy to find a drinkable, yet affordable wine during my stay. French, Italian and American wine prices were astronomical, unless you wanted to take out a 2nd mortgage. Thus, to quench my wine palate, I did as much...

Germany, France, England? No sir, Castello di Amarosa sits in the heart of Napa Valley near the northern city of Calistoga. The castle was a pet project of Dario Sattui who made his fortune with his V Sattui Winery. Construction began in 1995 and welcomed its first guests in...

Well before grapes are picked and years before put into bottles, it’s the chemistry side of wine making that is most important to a classic vintage. I learned first hand at Scott Harvey and Jana Vineyard Wines that samples of grapes picked day in and day out before harvest...

It’s that time of the year once again in the Northern Hemisphere where wine grapes are ripe for the picking. As vineyard workers harvest this years crop, they fill bins that are transferred back to the winery where they get crushed, their juices extracted, and the process of winemaking...

Showing life in the vineyard, this photo is part of the Public Works of Art Project in San Francisco’s Coit Tower painted back in 1933.  The murals that surround the first floor of the tower, which are free to view, were done by a group of 25 artists, most...

These one of a kind bottles depicting cult figures and war time hero’s were found in the city of Riomaggiore, one of the 5 cities in the Cinque Terre. Located along the Italian Riviera in the Luguria region of Italy, each of the cities is known for their specialty...

Call it whimsical, call it eccentric but this art and architectural beauty in Napa Valley is one hidden gem. Located off the Silverado Trail in the Stag’s Leap District, not only do they produce some of the most sought after wines in the valley, it should be a must...

Ripe and ready for harvest, this Pinot Gris cluster gets an inspection from an unlikely source. After giving her final approval to begin picking, just hope this ladybug will be around in another 16 months when the juice has fermented and is ready to be bottled....