Good food, Good wine, Great new friends. Twenty inquisitive
souls conquered Napa Valley in early November. It was a perfect week to visit
Napa; after “the crush”. The weather was crisp & clear, and the wineries were
not crowded, therefore the wine tasting bar attendants were generous with
their time and their wine tasting pours.
Our first
evening in Napa everyone gathered for an appetizing dinner in a private,
fireplace lit room at the restaurant Cuvee. The next morning found us
gathered at Copia (The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts), for a 10am
Wine Tasting 101 class. After the class we had a few hours to explore the
exhibits at Copia before boarding our 20-passenger Limousine Coach. The
chauffer driver, champagne laden Limousine delivered the group to three
wineries over the next five hours. We started with an extensive tour and
private tasting at Beringer. Next we were on to Merryvale, and finished at
Peju. The Limousine tour was a definite bonding experience.
On Tuesday
morning 12 adventurers were on bikes by 10am. Starting in the quaint town of
Yountville the group began a quest to cover 4 wineries. The first stop was at
the Baldacci winery, followed by Regusci. The road up to the Regusci winery
is at a slight incline, so try to imagine having sipped some wine and riding
at a fast speed down the road when departing. Unfortunately Carla
Constantino took a hard fall. But Carla’s a trooper, she climbed in the
van and met up with us at Clos Du Val where the bike company had a picnic
awaiting us in the vineyard. Kevin Simmons treated the group to a
couple bottles of wine for us to enjoy in the beautiful setting. The last
winery on our bike tour was a visit to the Domaine tasting room; a perfect
finish for the afternoon. In case you’re wondering, 6 riders finished on bike
and 6 finished in the van.
Wednesday
the group was at a wine tasting by 10:30am at the Wine Train Depot, then
escorted to the Vista Dome Car for a 4-course luncheon. The Wine Train starts
in Napa, goes north through the valley and turns around near Calistoga. Just
before our departure for lunch we were all informed that Jim Biggin
proposed to Becky Miller while dining at Auberge du Soleil the previous
evening (she said YES).
Our evenings
were purposely left without group activities so we had ample time to explore
on our own. I was very impressed to see Steve & Lorraine Totty’s list
of planned winery tours. While my husband Bill Smoak, along with
friends Douglas & Margo Morrison were touring Castello di Amorosa we
happened upon Carla, Kevin, Linda Breyer and Nicole Bernhardt in
the tasting room. Renie Sams, Effie Piscapo, Pat Bouchard and Joan
Myers experienced lunch at Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.
Marc and Patty Bordelon enjoyed the wines at the Andretti winery so much
that they joined the wine club. Glad & Nunzio Galli were the official
photographers for the group.
Traveling with the ski club to Napa was a great way to
experience culture, food, wine, and to just have fun!!!
Trip Leader:
Lisa Smoak
