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Itinerary for Cencibel Goes to California
April 25-29, 2001 |
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Herbert Engelbert, Wine & Food Tour Consultant
email: herbeng@earthlink.net |
TENTATIVE ITINERARY
(December 2000)
(Changes are likely, depending on the winemakers.)
Wednesday, April 25 - Depart 5:40 pm from Philadelphia International Airport on USAir Flight 67 to San Francisco, arriving 9:03 pm. Dinner will be served on board. After arriving in San Francisco, we will board our deluxe motorcoach for the trip to the Napa Valley Lodge in Yountville, our base for the next 4 nights.
Thursday, April 26 - After fortifying ourselves with the Lodge's Champagne breakfast, we will start our educational immersion in wine at St. Supery Vineyards and Winery with Michaela Rodino, CEO. St. Supery has an excellent demonstration vineyard and a Wine Discovery Center with a unique "SmellaVision" device that defines individually some of the aromas and smells found in wine. Michaela is co-founder of Women for WineSense and is the developer of a seminar program "Women and Wine List Survival." After this grounding in the senses, we will move on to Trefethen Vineyards, where Janet Trefethen will greet us and provide a tour and tasting at the historic winery, where we will also have an informal lunch. After lunch, we will visit one of the basics - barrels! French barrel maker Sequin-Moreau opened a fabrication facility in Napa in 1995 and has become a major presence in the U.S.A. Although this is not a woman-based operation, it plays such an integral role in winemaking, no "winey" education would be complete without the in-depth overview we will be given into how pieces of wood formed into barrels influence the flavor profile of many wines. Finally, a winery established on the grounds of a frog farm, whose motto is "Time's fun when you're having flies." Mindy Kearney, manager of Frog's Leap will lead us through a tasting of their excellent wines (which can be identified by the brand on the cork: "Ribbit"). You are free this evening to rest, shop and eat on your own.
Friday, April 27 - An early start this morning for a packed day - we are going over the mountain into the Sonoma Valley where they are fond of telling you that "Napa makes auto parts, Sonoma makes wine." Christine DeLoach and Mary Young will welcome us at DeLoach Vineyards in the Russian River Valley district. Started in 1969, DeLoach now have over 800 acres of vineyards. We will receive a private "showing" of the winery and the wines that reflect each of the microclimates in which the grapes are grown. Blending Burgundian traditions with creativity, Chalk Hill Winery produces complex, rich wines which owner Peggy Furth says reflect the vibrant and diverse character of the Chalk Hill Estate, which has its own (Chalk Hill) appellation. We will visit and have lunch at this elegant facility. After lunch, we will adjourn to the "J" Winery, where Judy Jordan will introduce you to the "marriageabiltity" of her wines with a "snack" tasting paired to "J" sparkling and still wines. Finally to cap off the day (stay with us,) we will have a very special visit to one of the most exciting estates in California, Gallo of Sonoma. Gina Gallo will conduct a private seminar for our group on the Components of Wine, followed (or preceded) by a vineyard and cellar tour. We will conclude this exciting day with dinner at the estate's Frei Ranch House overlooking the vineyards.
Saturday, April 28 - This morning, we will head north up Howell Mountain to visit Delia Viader of Viader Vineyards, who produces a single cabernet franc/cabernet sauvignon blend that is rapidly achieving cult status. Born in Argentina and educated in France, Delia is obsessed with making one world class wine (in the image of Chateau Cheval Blanc of St. Emilion in Bordeaux,) although she has recently planted an experimental plot of Syrah, the first on Howell Mountain (an American Hermitage?) Tasting her wine while gazing over the entire Napa Valley from her estate makes her wine all the more impressive! Our next stop is Pine Ridge Winery in the Stags Leap District. Nancy Andrus (with husband Gary) and winemaker Stacy Clark are making world-class wines from 16 estate vineyards in Napa Valley. Their cellars are dug into the hillsides behind the winery and they will the the venue for today's lunch. After lunch, we will take a short break back at the Napa Valley Lodge to get our breath and energy for our visit late this afternoon to Domaine Carneros (owned by Taittainger Champagne, France) where winemaker and general manager Eileen Crane will explain how those delightful bubbles get into the wine, and we will have ample opportunity to sample the results at our final, farewell dinner in the winery.
Sunday, April 29 - Today (after our Champagne breakfast) we bid goodbye to our vineyard sojourn and return to San Francisco airport for USAir flight 82 to Philadelphia, departing 12:10 pm, arriving in Philadelphia 8:26 pm.
Contact Herb Englebert directly ( herbeng@earthlink.net ) to register for this event and to receive the full information package including registration form and terms.
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