Some wineries have histories that are more... what's the word?... colorful than others.
A case in point: Jackse Winery in the Napa Valley town of St.
Helena, which was founded in 1905 by an Austrian immigrant named
Stephen Jackse.
During Prohibition, surreptitious winemaking continued at a number
of estates, even though the law technically prohibited production for
anything other than...
You could visit Las Vegas a hundred times and never know that a medal-winning winery was less than an hour away.
That's certainly understandable, considering the sand-swept,
cactus-studded Nevada desert doesn't exactly evoke images of "wine
country."
But just 55 minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, in a town whose name
sounds like an excerpt from "The Little Drummer Boy," you'll find a...
Napa Valley is sprinkled with stunning architecture, ranging from
classic to ultra-modern, but there is no structure in the valley more
iconic than
the Rhine House at
Beringer Vineyards.
The 17-room mansion, built by Frederick Beringer in 1884, is a
replica of Beringer's childhood home in Germany, and had been
undergoing extensive restoration since 2007.
Last February, that project was completed. Now, the Rhine House has been recognized with an award from the...
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Growing grapes and making wine in the Stags Leap District of the
Napa Valley is the vinous equivalent of being granted a license to
print money.
It's not quite that simple, of course, but nobody would say that
Stags Leap is a challenging place to farm exceptional grapes.
Obvioisly, Mother Nature gets the final word each harvest season, but
it's no mere coincidence that many of California's greatest wines come
from this area - the home of
Chimney Rock Winery.
The district's name is derived from the legend of a nimble stag,
said to have escaped a hunter by making a fantastic leap from one of the...
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The Napa Valley has turned into a world-class travel destination,
offering 3-star resorts and Michelin-recognized restaurants to
complement its acclaimed wine estates.
But there's another side to Napa that only in-the-know... or
extremely lucky... visitors ever encounter. It's the less pretentious
side of the valley, and it's embodied by a winery in St. Helena that is
celebrating a very special anniversary in 2010.
It's
V. Sattui Winery & Italian Market, which is about to turn...
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In 1881, Warren Dutton purchased 200 acres of land in the Sonoma
County community of Santa Rosa. Joined by his brother Reed, the Duttons
planted their property to the best varieties of French prunes, a hot
commodity at the time.
For many years the family business prospered on prunes, with
forays into pears and hops. Warren Dutton Jr., great-grandson of Reed
Dutton, grew up picking prunes and hops on the farm. In 1964, young
Warren and his new wife Gail bought their first 35 acres west of the
town of Graton. Their original family home now serves as the current
Dutton Ranch offices.
Unable to sell their fruit through normal distribution channels,
Gail and young sons Joe and Steve peddled pears, prunes, apples, dried
fruit and gift packs to...
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Chateau Montelena Winery has been welcoming guests since the late
1800s, when founder Alfred L. Tubbs built one of the first traditional
old-world chateaus in the Napa Valley upon his return from Europe.
More than a century later, the winery continues its forward
thinking, seeking out ways to improve and perfect every aspect of the
estate. Refusing to rest on its laurels, Chateau Montelena has recently
enhanced its grounds and redirected guests upon their arrival, ensuring
a stunning view of the dramatic stone facade.
Refreshed landscaping, new signage and walking paths, a
self-guided tour and even a reconfigured bocce ball court have been
strategically...
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As usual, the Vinesse wine finders were ahead of the curve in uncovering a great wine from a great wine estate.
When Vinesse discovered and then offered the 2000 Audelssa Cabernet Sauvignon, the wine sold out very quickly.
Now, the San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate online community has
voted
Audelssa Estate the top Sonoma winery in its Wine Country Getaway
Poll. More than 1,600 consumers cast their votes between August...
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If you are of a "certain age," you undoubtedly recall watching
Mario Andretti driving fast cars, often on ABC-TV's "Wide World of
Sports."
These days, Andretti is living life in the slow lane - or, at
least, a slower lane - as the owner of Andretti Winery in the
world-famous Napa Valley. And although Highway 29 is a far cry from
"The Brickyard," he has settled into his second profession quite nicely.
Andretti says he doesn't actually remember the moment he fell in
love with wine; it just happened over a period of time. It no doubt
began while growing up in Italy, where...
Richard Nixon had just been sworn in as the 37th President of the United States.
"Midnight Cowboy" was paving new ground in American cinema.
The New York Mets -- miracle of miracles -- won the World Series.
And a bunch of musicians got together for a festival...
