I’ve come to think of the wineries in this area as something like the casinos in Vegas. Not only does each winery lord over a comfortable patch of land like a casino, but each uses the architecture of its buildings and as much of what it considers glitz to attract and entertain its guests. I’ve even nicknamed one winery with a large fountain out front “The Bellagio.” You might find your way into a stone manor, a wooden barn, a replicated Persian palace, a Frank Gehry creation, a crowded barrel room, or a makeshift outdoor bar with glasses lined up… When you’re at a winery, you’re brought into the world of the winemakers and the environment that they want you to enjoy their wine in. Sure, Napa is more genteel than Vegas, but really, you’re going to drink. And if you impulsively gamble when drunk, you also impulsively buy bottles of wine when drunk. Not that that’s bad.

Anyway, this is my state of mind when I visit a winery, and it helps me see how each of the hundreds of wineries performs the same basic wine tasting service in different ways.

On Saturday, we arrived at Mumm Napa to taste their sparkling wines. I’d first tasted Mumm a couple years ago in a wonderful chocolate truffle at Boule in LA, and I was looking forward to tasting it on its own.

I found that the clean, modest architecture mirrored the vibe at Mumm. Instead of playing up the glamorous image of champagne/sparkling wine (as Domaine Chandon does very well elsewhere in the valley), Mumm is a rather casual environment where you can relax and enjoy an afternoon on the veranda, inside or outside, with some bubbles. Tastings range btw $8-20, and their 12 selections of sparkling wines range btw a quite reasonable $18-25 for most bottles, and up to $55.

We noticed that there were complimentary tours given every hour btw 10-3 (no sign up necessary; they last about 50 mins), so we decided to go on one first. I’ve been on several winery tours in the area, and they’ve usually been well worth it. I also have a theory that the more one knows about gambling, the more one gambles. I think this applies to wine, too.

Maybe my time spent with breads has clarified some yeast and fermentation issues for me, but I found the tour at Mumm to be one of the best I’ve been on. Straightforward, entertaining, and informative, it goes through the entire sparkling wine process, complete with visits to grape vines, fermentation tanks, etc. They also play a couple silent videos that the tourguide narrates. It ends with a walk through a beautiful Ansel Adams collection, and a legends of rock music photo exhibit. My thoughts turned to the random-ness of Vegas again.

Incidentally, the tour guide did at one point extol the virtues of a sparkling wine stopper to preserve your opened bottle for a few days. We have such stoppers for wine, and so we bought a couple in their unassuming little boxes for $7.50/ea. When we got home, we found that they both are prominently imprinted with “Mumm Napa” on the top. I think that they’ll come in handy, and that we should stay away from infomercials.

So, finally, we were up for tasting. Many wineries have a tasting bar that you stand at and are poured one glass at a time, but Mumm has individual tables and servers. AND crackers. A small thing, but I wish all wineries understood the need for people to eat something… anything… while tasting. Our waitress was just as informative as our tour guide, and very personable. We decided to share two tastings, and so wound up with 6 glasses.

The first three were “The Classics” tasting. Their most salient feature to me was the fruitiness that they finished with. From the left, the 2001 Blanc de Blanc had Granny Smith apple notes, the Brut Prestige (their signature blend) had cherry (though they claim peach and pear; whatever you taste, exists), and the Blanc de Noirs had strawberry. They are not particularly sweet, but I just liked these hints of flavor at the end.

The next three were their “Reserve Selections.” The 1999 DVX had a satisfying nuttiness, and the 1999 Santana DVX was a little sweeter than the rest (a portion of the proceeds of this wine will go to the Milagro Foundation. That’s nice, but I still don’t understand why I would want to drink a wine partially designed by a random musician; and the sweetness comes from a higher % of sugar added in the dosage, after the dead yeast is removed from the bottle), but the find of the day was the Brut Reserve. It immediately hits you with an earthy apricot flavor that floats into a creamy finish. At first, it was such a strong and surprising flavor, but it came to be the favorite of both of us.

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We took a break from food for a wine tasting at Iron Horse Vineyards which is considered to be in the Green Valley region of Sonoma County.

For some reason, it reminded me of a cool rock band that I’ve just discovered, whose songs are beautiful and full of intricate surprises without showing off , and acts like they’re just doing what they were born to do. They made goodness seem easy. I have a feeling that there’s more going on with their wines than I was able to absorb at the first first tasting, and I’m looking forward to giving them another spin.

It was a thorough tasting — 12 wines, including 3 limited reserve wines, for $5. They claim that sales and tours are by appointment only, but we ascended the narrow and curvy palm tree-lined path up to their hilltop abode and were served without any question of a reservation.

They are especially known for their sparkling wines, which are all made by the methode champenoise, which is a certain way to make wine bubbly and was originated by Dom Perignon himself. To give you an idea about this detailed process, I found a website that cites the stylistic decisions within this method that are made by each producer: viticultural practices, cultivars, maturity, pressing vs. crushing, types of press and press pressures, press fractions, phenol levels, use of SO₂ and the oxidative condition of the base wine, yeast for primary and secondary fermentation, barrel fermentation and aging, fermentation temperatures, malolactic fermentation, post primary fermentation lees contact, age of cuvée, reserve wine, blending, time spent sur lie, nature of the dosage, and CO₂ pressure.

It’s awfully nice for them to go to such lengths to please even those who merely saunter in, reservation-free, to swig some. They have a beautiful outdoor tasting area. The counter looks like this.

The view looks something like this.

It was the Wine Country equivalent of a tropical bar set right on the beach.

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After Chad arrived on Friday, I let him in on my madcap scheme to do a day long Cheese, Wine, and Pastry Tour of Sonoma and Marin counties on Saturday. I’d spent an afternoon plotting out the stops and the route. We didn’t get to all of my 16 choices, but 11 was certainly enough–well, probably too much–for our brave stomachs. So, instead of one monster post, I think I’m going to have to parse this out over the week. Stay tuned.

COPIA is the American Center for Wine, Food, & the Arts located in downtown Napa. Yesterday, they had a free Wines of Mexico walk-around wine tasting. Paired with its free admission to COPIA for the month of January, it drew a large crowd, despite the persistent rains.The show featured the wine-growing region of Baja, California, which is comprised of three valleys near Ensenada, about 60 miles south of San Diego. Thanks to an Arctic current that pulls cold water up from the depths of the ocean to create a Mediterranean-like micro-climate in this area, it has become a wine growing region. Wine has been made their on and off for the past 300 years. Oddly enough, in 1905, it was a colony of Russians who had arrived and revived its vineyards, which have been producing and multiplying ever since.

The show was exceedingly well done. The tables were arranged on the perimeter of the room, so that all you had to do was walk up, wait for a few people in front of you, and then have a choice of about 4 wines to try. One table even had grappa. There were a few food tables and plenty of room. None of the wines were for sale, it was just a tasting. I have to admit, I felt like I was stealing–so much free stuff so graciously offered.

I wish I’d liked more wines, but I was jolted by a zinfandel with a syrupy sweet start…. a sour cabernet sauvignon…. a puckery syrah. I guess I like balanced wines, so if a strong flavor bursts out, I retreat. But I did enjoy the refreshing, crisp Chardonnay Reserva 2004 at Vinicola L.A. Cetta.

Cavas Valmar was my favorite, with its Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 and a smooth, subtly spicy Tempranillo 2003. I would have liked to buy a bottle.

Upstairs, COPIA has its museum exhibits about food and wine (including a wall of Julia Child’s pots and pans–soooo much copper).

There was also an exhibit of art made from recycled materials/junk for some reason. Outside there is an Edible Garden that I didn’t see because of the rains. Its restaurant, Julia’s Kitchen, looked like rather superb fine dining.So, is COPIA worth its regular $12.50 admission? Maybe its the modern architecture that makes it seem like there isn’t much there for the large space (although it is beautiful), so my advice would be to go when there is an appealing event. If it’s as classily done as the Mexican Wine Tasting, it’s a great value and a lot of fun. And luckily, they have events going on all time. But no matter when you go, there is wine tasting included in your visit–for instance, even yesterday, in addition to the profusion of Mexican wineries, Sonoma’s own La Crema was featured at the Wine Spectator Tasting Table.

Now, the idea of my reviewing wine is a little absurd. I could live on Charles Shaw alone, or at least, instead of wines up to $12. But I’m in wine country. And my comments aren’t so much reviews as guides.

Our 10:30am reservation for an in-depth tour at Cakebread turned out to be brilliant. By the time we had our tasting at 11:30am, it felt kinda normal to drink. Note that the winery is by appointment only. Cakebread was started 30 years ago, and today remains a family business. Our friendly tour guide, Todd, certainly acted like a proud member of a happy family, and by the time we tasted, I was ready to buy myself a bottle full of their good life. The 2004 Sauvignon Blanc hit us with its oaky, smoky notes; non-fruity wine lovers were smitten. The 2004 Chardonnay, though mellower, also downplayed its sweet notes, but in favor of a mineral finish. The 2002 Merlot charmed with its vanilla and plum flavors, probably the most fruity that we tried. The 2003 Pinot Noir started off with a cherry-ness that turned into a tea-like finish. The 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon continued to dry out the mouth with its acid strength. The wines seemed geared to a very certain kind of palate–the drier, less fruity palate, which, unfortunately, is not mine. I left empty handed…. but toasted.

In an adult version of my drunken Burger King runs in college, we went to the Oakville Grocery. Free samples…. Sweet! Steak chimichanga shaped like a burrito…. Perfect! Yes, warm it up! We’re in a rush to get to our next tour appointment, so we’re going to eat in the backseat of our friend’s car…. Mmmm…. Steak chimichangas are hot and juicy! Nice car!

I love Frog’s Leap (so will you if you go the website: you get to catch flies). Our affable, organic-vibed guide started us off with wine as we sat at a table on the second story of their barn. As we walked around she checked our glasses and filled us up for our next taste when it felt right. Brilliant. The particulars of the wine are a little hazy. I liked all of them — Zinfandel, Sauvignon Blanc, Rutherford, Syrah… Mellow flavors, yet often just skirting a fruity fullness. The Rutherford, my favorite, was $65 a bottle. I whispered it goodbye. My boyfriend and I couldn’t quite agree on another varietal. In their grand tradition, we all took a shot at their crooked basketball hoop with an under-inflated ball. Add my twice-over tipsiness, and you bet I made it. Granny-style. I am now the proud owner of the best ever winery poster, which will be framed and prominently displayed in my new apartment.

We then went on to Pina Cellars. They only make cab’s. One very good cab available to taste. Served atop a barrel in their, um, barrel room. Our pourer also graciously sucked their soon to be released cab from a barrel, with a device that would probably work just as well extracting gas from a car. It had depth, though I think it was too refined for my wine-soaked mouth. I put down half the glass, and was almost knocked over by my friends’ eyes that bugged out. So, I finished it.

Then to the fourth winery. St. Supery. They sold no solid food–and I looked everywhere–but their wines were quite charming. It was the biggest, busiest one we had been to all day. We were momentarily stunned when the pourer said that they no longer honored our friends’ lifetime tasting cards. We were stumped…. a lifetime means… a lifetime…. Then he laughed at us, and we were off and drinking. I ended up buying the 2000 and the 2001 Dollarhide Cab. I’ll have to drink them again to remember how they differ…. and next time remember to pay the same attention to detail at the end of a wine tasting day as at the beginning…. And for goodness sake, eat breakfast and let middling wines go unfinished.