Ever Wonder - Are the Wines Really Difference Between Napa and Sonoma Valley?

The wines of Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley are some of the best in California, the United States and the world. They are both in northern California and located right next to each other. So, you might ask “Is there really a difference between these two wine regions?” In a word, yes.

Napa is world famous for its wines and excels in Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Merlot just to name a few. Napa is the smaller of the two valleys, is typically more expensive and gets more traffic and congestion. Napa is located more inland than Sonoma so they don’t get the same cool ocean breezes. Some of the major AVAs in Napa Valley include, Oak Knoll District, Rutherford, St. Helena, Stags Leap District and Yountville.

Sonoma is certainly more expansive being nearly double the size of Napa. So, it’s more spread out, has more small and family-owned wineries and seems to have a more casual feeling. In general, you’ll find more reasonably priced wines in Sonoma. Sonoma grows so many grapes it’s hard to list them all, but they excel in Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Syrah, and Sparkling Wines. What Sonoma has that Napa does not is the ocean. The western part of Sonoma sits right along the Pacific coast which means that they get cooler ocean breezes that help in the growing of certain grapes, such as Pinot Noir. Some of the major AVAs in Sonoma are Alexander Valley, Russian River, Dry Creek, and the Sonoma Coast.

It’s really hard to compare and contrast these two amazing wine districts and their incredible wines in a couple of paragraphs. So my advice it try them both! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Halloween Candy and Sherry!

Well, it’s Halloween time and that means candy. Lots of candy! And I suggest pairing that candy with Sherry. So, I gathered up three nice bottles of Sherry and a bunch of candy and went to work!

First was the Harveys Bristol Cream ($20). It’s the number one selling Sherry in the world! It’s crafted from four different styles of Sherry (Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso and Pedro Ximexez) and aged between 3-20 years in the traditional Solera system. The result is creamy-smooth sherry that can be served chilled or over ice.

Next was the González Byass Alfonso ($25). This sherry is made from 100% Palomino. This sherry has a beautiful mahogany color with a wonderful walnut aroma. This is not a sweet Sherry. It’s dry with great nutty flavor and a long smooth finish.

Finally, was the González Byass Nectar ($25) that is made from 100% Pedro Ximenez. It has a deep dark mahogany color. And, oh my! It’s rich and sweet and velvety smooth with flavors of caramel, dried fruits, figs, mocha, nuts and spices. It’s dessert in a glass.

And pairing these wonderful bottles of Sherry with Halloween candy was a joy. It was hard work, but here are the winners…

The Harveys Bristol Cream was excellent with the Baby Ruth bar, the nutty Alfonso was a hit with the Crunch bar and, my favorite was the Butterfinger with the deliciously rich Nectar!

It was a lot of fun tasting my way through all three of these great Sherry offerings from González Byass. And, I’d suggest you do the same with all that Halloween candy that’s going to be around the house. Happy Halloween and cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Donna White, Donna White Communications

Behind the Cork™ - La Scolca Gavi dei Gavi Black Label Bianco Secco

2019 La Scolca Gavi dei Gavi Black Label ($39)

Gavi is the name of a little town in the Apennines mountains, located in the Piedmont border to Liguria, from where the famous white and dry wine has taken its name.

Thanks to La Scolca® who began production of Gavi 101 years ago, Gavi obtained DOC in 1974 and later DOCG (Denomination of Origin Controlled ano Guaranteed) in 1998.

Gavi dei Gavi® has been a registered trademark in Europe since 1969 and in the US since 1971, and is best known as "Black Label".

This La Scolca Black Label is produced from 100% Cortese (kort-tay-zay) grape. It is pale gold in color, has delicate citrus and floral aromas, hints of Honeydew melon and peach. On the palate this Black Label Gavi is very delicate and light. Its subtle flavors are enhanced by its very rounded acidity that results in a light finish.

Last time I described my first experience with Gavi and stated “I can tell you that La Scolca has done an extremely nice job of capturing the essence of this wonderful Cortese grape.” With their Black Label, La Scolca has gone above and beyond…this is a really nice wine! And yet another wine that fits right in as a Behind the Cork™ wine of the week. Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Sample Provided by Camilla Fondelli from Making Business Happen USA, Pr&Global Brand Communication & Marketing of La Scolca, Gavi, Italy.

More on Learning About Wine

Last time we looked at how to get started in learning about wine. And, the best way to learn is by trying. Sure, you could pick up a book or a wine magazine, but those will tell you about wines that others like. The first thing you need to do is to start by discovering your palate - your individual likes and dis-likes.

It’s amazing how many times I come across a real wine lover or wine enthusiast that will only drink white wine, or will only drink red wine or who will only drink a single varietal. And that’s just fine. They’ve found what they like.

But I’m the type that can’t wait to try something different. Just for the experience. Just for the learning experience. So, I say, start tasting wines. And taste lots of them.

When you’re just getting started with wines don’t expect to be able to distinguish subtle aromas or nuances in the wines. Just taste them and give them a thumbs-up or a thumbs-down. And keep some type of records of your tastings. On down the learning road, you’ll actually be able to use your “class notes” to find other wines you might enjoy. Especially if you have a great wine server or a knowledgeable friend. With your notes you can say “I really like Pinot Grigio” and that can open up a whole new set of wines that you’ve never heard about that you just might enjoy.

Learning about wine is a journey and it takes time. So, be patient. Your learning will never end. Mine hasn’t!

Ever Wonder How Best to Learn About Wine?

People have asked me “How did you learn so much about wine?” The simple answer is that I’ve been at it for years. But, for those who are new to wine, I suggest the following:

Reading — Sure, like any subject, you can learn by reading books and magazines. But, I actually suggest holding off on the ‘classroom’ learning and start immediately with a ‘lab’ class. That is, learn by doing.

Wine Tasting — There’s no better way to learn about wine than by tasting. Realize though, you can’t take a crash course. It takes time to learn about wines and to learn your personal preferences. And, for a lot of people who may be used to sweet cocktails, wine often doesn’t taste very good to them at first. So, I suggest starting with sparkling wines or light white wines. But don’t think that a really expensive wine is the best place to start. Start with a pink sparkling wine, a Prosecco or a Cava. Or, a light white wine - a Chenin Blanc, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Grenache Blanc, or a Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris. And, ideally, try more than one wine at a time for comparative purposes. That’s when you can really make headway on the differences in wine.

Splurge on a ‘Good’ wine — Many people who are new to wine tend to look for the $5 bottles of wines. And, there’s nothing wrong with them. But, you’ll also want to periodically wander into the $10 wines and the $15 wines. Again, for comparative purposes. When you are getting started don’t immediately expect that a really expensive wine is going to taste better. Save those for the advanced lab classes.

Continue Expanding the Wines You Taste — After you’ve tried a few light white wines, venture into some more medium-bodied whites: Viognier, Un-oaked Chardonnay, Sémillon or Marsanne. These are going to have a bit bigger flavors. Then, you can expand into a richer white wine such as an oaked Chardonnay.

There’s so much more. So, we’ll continue with more next time. But for now, simply relax and enjoy wine tasting. And remember, there are no wrong answers in wine when it comes to your personal preferences. Cheers!