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Tour Vin’s Inaugural Newsletter & 2015 Harvest Update

Published on: March 30th, 2015

The Roaming Vine

We are happy to report our inaugural newsletter, The Roaming Vine, debuted this month and received great reviews! In the upcoming issues of the newsletter, we will cover exciting events only known to insiders, including new wine and restaurant venues, as well as hotel and B&B packages offered throughout the year. Sign up for our next edition here (it’s free)! You can also review all of the newsletter online on our website.

We are very interested in hearing from you – what activities would you like to see covered in The Roaming Vine?

2015 Harvest Update

Early bud break and bright yellow mustard blossoms can be seen throughout Napa Valley. These cover crops add essential nutrients needed by the grape vines back into the soil and will be cut back and tilled under, used as food and energy to the vines.

Will harvest be early this year? It’s too soon to tell.

We suggest you begin thinking about a Napa Valley vacation now to confirm a “good seat” at harvest time. Tour Vin provides first class service to our clients and ensures your Napa Valley vacation will be memorable!

Cheers!

Ed Pollard
Tour Vin
Napa Valley Concierge

Tour Vin Scouts Out New Venues in Napa Valley!

Published on: February 23rd, 2015

We at Tour Vin pride ourselves in visiting all venues before we recommend them to our clients. This February, we spent a week in Napa exploring new wineries, hotels and restaurants. Here’s what we found!

Wineries: We tasted wines at six different wineries, all offering a unique wine tasting experience.

* Round Pond Estate – Located in Rutherford, this estate is surrounded by vineyards, gardens and orchards where you can enjoy a wine and food pairing, as well as an olive oil tasting. Great views!

* Del Dotto Vineyards – Located in St. Helena, this truly unique Venetian-themed winery offers a wonderful barrel tasting tour in their caves that is like no other. Their grapes are sourced from the well-known areas of Rutherford, Howell Mountain and St. Helena Mountain.

* Ovid Napa Valley – Atop Pritchard Hill, Ovid is known for their small lots of Bordeaux style wines. Their blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot is definitely worth the tricky drive to the top of the mountain.

* Tedeschi Family Winery – A small family style winery in Calistoga, Tedeschi produces old world style wines in the back of their home. As a guest, you are treated to a personalized tour and will learn everything from how to plant the crop to how to hand bottle the wine!

* Keith Webster Cellars – This winery offers a truly unique experience in wine tasting. We were fortunate to sit down with Keith and Chelli to taste Left and Right Bank Bordeaux style wines, as well as their Proprietary Blend. They also reserved space in a local restaurant just for us to enjoy a food and wine pairing.

Dining: We enjoyed two unique dining experiences while in Napa Valley.

* Ciccio – Located in Yountville, Ciccio is a family owned, Italian restaurant that features a dynamic menu of pizzas and Italian entrees all cooked in a wood fire oven. Plan to arrive early for your meal, as they don’t take reservations. The wine list features the excellent wines produced by Altamura Vineyards.

* Atlas Social – The newest restaurant in Napa, Atlas Social is known for their fresh, locally sourced ingredients. Small plates are the way to go here, unless you are in a large party, then order family style platters to share. Enjoy whole chicken, roasted crab, braised beef rib, smoked trout, oysters and, my personal favorite, grilled swordfish. The bar area is expansive, so stop by for a drink!

Hotels/Inns:

* Silverado Resort – If you enjoy golf, the Silverado is the place for you. Located in the middle of the wine country, the resort offers two championship golf courses and, for tennis buffs, there are also 10 tennis courts available only to guests. Newly renovated, the rooms are classy and well appointed.

* Milliken Creek Inn – If inns are your preference, try this location. Settled on the Silverado Trail in Napa and overlooking the Napa River, you will enjoy a five-star experience: great service and first-class style in a private setting. The gourmet breakfast in bed is out of this world. Not to mention, spa treatments and massage therapy are also offered on site.

Tour Vin is unique from other concierge services in that we plan trips to Napa Valley based on our clients’ preferences – no prearranged tours here! We also arrange all extracurricular activities, including hot air balloon rides and bike tours. Need a car service – we can arrange that for you, too!

With summer and fall right around the corner, don’t wait to plan your next trip to Napa Valley. Give us a call today and we can start arranging your excursion!

Ed Pollard
Tour Vin
Napa Valley Concierge

Tour Vin – Wine Tasting Tips

Published on: January 27th, 2015

There are many options when it comes to choosing a favorite wine, dining establishment or hotel/B&B. In this blog, we will cover a few wine tasting tips that will enhance your wine experience while travelling through the Napa Valley or at home! Here are some handy tips to keep in mind:

1. Taste as many different wines as possible. Wine making techniques differ from vintner to vintner, so if you don’t like a particular varietal at one winery, give it a try at another. Remember, all Cabernet does not taste the same!
2. Some wines are better with food while some can be enjoyed without food. Give your wine a chance and try both options.
3. Judge your wine after the second or third taste. Your tasting experience can vary depending on what you just ate or drank.
4. Never wash out your glass with water between tastings. Rinse your glass with a small amount of the wine you are about to taste next (swirl in glass, pour it out, then pour your wine).
5. Our tastes change over time. If you didn’t particularly care for a wine varietal last year, try it again this year. It’s fun to compare and contrast!
6. Try a blind tasting at your next party. Cover the bottles with brown bags, take notes and discuss what everyone liked or didn’t like. You may be surprised to see what you’ve chosen!

Remember that when visiting the Napa Valley on your next vacation, it’s the place to experiment and enjoy new approaches to wine tasting. Enjoy and have fun!

Cheers!

Ed Pollard
Tour Vin
Napa Valley Concierge

Tour Vin’s 2015 Preview

Published on: December 30th, 2014

There are many exciting events planned in the Napa Valley during 2015 that you really don’t want to miss. We will, of course, keep you updated throughout the year, but here is a sample of events planned for the upcoming year:
• Bottle Rock Napa
• Napa Valley Film Festival
• Flavor! Napa Valley
• Napa Valley Festival del Sole
• Napa Valley Jazz Festival

Also, don’t forget to check out Carpe Diem Wine Bar’s new location in downtown Napa. After the recent earthquake, they relocated to Ox Bow Market Place and will complete their rebuild in early 2015.

Did you hear about the French Laundry’s new payment plan – you can now pay in advance for your dining experience when you book a reservation. What do you think about this? Regardless, you will continue to enjoy great food and wine!

Do you enjoy great musical performances while dining? Check out City Winery Napa! This is a one of a kind performance venue that also offers a great restaurant and wine bar experience.

Finally, don’t forget to submit your entry for our contest to name our inaugural Tour Vin newsletter (click here for more information). A library wine goes to the winner!

Contact us to help plan your next trip to the beautiful Napa Valley!

Happy New Year to all!

Ed Pollard
Tour Vin
Napa valley Concierge

Win a Bottle of Wine From Tour Vin’s Library Wine Cellar!

Published on: November 25th, 2014

In 2015, Tour Vin will launch its first monthly newsletter featuring Napa Valley wine tasting events, new dining hot spots, unique places to stay and exciting activities usually only known to locals. Tour Vin prides itself on helping Napa Valley vacationers plan their trips based on individual preferences – we only recommend venues we have visited! And yes, we’ve visited many wineries, hotels, B&B’s and restaurants, so there are many options for us to recommend.

Please help us NAME our monthly newsletter! In order to win an exceptional bottle of wine, submit your suggested name through our website www.tourvin.net or email us at ed@tourvin.net by December 31, 2014. Include your name and email address – that’s it! The winner will be announced in January 2015, posted on our Facebook page. All entries will automatically be included on our monthly mailing list.

If there’s a favorite venue you would like Tour Vin to highlight in upcoming newsletters, please also include that information in your email.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. By the way, if you are wondering which red wines will go well with the turkey, stuffing and trimmings, try a Zinfandel or Pinot Noir!

Cheers!

Ed Pollard
Tour Vin
Napa Valley Concierge

Tour Vin Wine Tasting in October

Published on: October 29th, 2014

Wine tasting during this year’s Napa Valley Crush was once again amazing! An incredible time was had by all of the Tour Vin guests during a weeklong wine tour in the Napa Valley.

After landing in Oakland, we began our trip with a luncheon at Chez Panisse in Berkley. The food was, of course, outstanding! Our next stop was wine tasting and dinner at the famous Mustards Grill. A special request by one of our guests, this venue offers truly amazing cuisine options and, again, the food was out of this world.

The next few days of the trip included wine tastings at Palmaz Vineyards, Failla Wines, Shafer Vineyards (with an introduction to owner Doug Shafer), Anderson Conn Valley Vineyards, Luna Vineyards, Vineyard 29, Raymond Vineyards, Carter Cellars, Odette, Realm Cellars and Robert Biale Vineyards. One of the most unique wineries we visited was Palmaz. This included a wine and food pairing in addition to a two-hour tour featuring the winery’s state-of-the art, gravitational flow, technological advanced wine making facility.

Our guests were also in for a special treat at Failla Wines. Not only did we meet the winemaker/owner, we were also invited to partake in the food and wine tasting in their caves. Have I yet mentioned the special Ghost Horse wine tasting we also partook in with our host Todd Anderson of Anderson Conn Valley? Another special treat, for sure!

Our group stayed at the North Block Hotel in Yountville – a truly first class hotel. One of our guests took advantage of a midday massage, while others enjoyed a shopping spree in Yountville’s boutiques and shops. We also like to recommend that any stay in Napa Valley include an adventure outing and some of our guests enjoyed a hot air balloon ride with Napa Valley Aloft, capped off with a champagne brunch.

Dining in Napa Valley is always a wonderful experience. We dined at Solbar, Farmstead, Bottega and TORC. Each day, remarkable cuisine rounded out the experience. Tour Vin also visited our favorite bars: 1313 Main and Bounty Hunter Wine Bar – great folks, and the wine and food never fail to please.

We also visited a relatively new venue during the trip. City Winery Napa is a music venue, restaurant, wine bar and winery. While enjoying one of the many concerts offered during the year, you can also enjoy dinner and wine tasting in a very relaxed atmosphere. This new hot spot is a definite must-try!

Napa Valley has so much to offer and Tour Vin visits all the hot spots before we recommend them to you so that we can tailor your trip to your travel, wine tasting and cuisine preferences. Contact us to help plan your next Napa Valley vacation!

Cheers!

Ed Pollard
Tour Vin
Napa Valley Concierge

Tour Vin Explores New Wine Country Venues

Published on: May 22nd, 2014

Tour Vin just returned from a wonderful trip to Sonoma County (specifically the Russian River Valley) and Napa Valley where we explored new venues to recommend to our clients. Here is a brief recap of our experience!

Sonoma County – Sonoma is known for Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah and Sauvignon Blanc varietals. We tasted them all! Wineries that we recommend you during your visit include Copain Wine Cellars, Patz & Hall, Rochioli Vineyards, Seghesio Family Vineyards, Twomey Cellars, Gary Farrell Vineyards, Siduri Wines, J Vineyards and Winery, Papapietro Perry, Arista Winery and Rodney Strong.

Our accommodations in Sonoma were awesome, particularly the Bella Villa Messina and the Raford Inn. Both were exquisite in style, comfortable and friendly! Our trip through the area was over a five-day period and careful logistics were very important to minimize driving time. Tour Vin can help plan your trip to maximize your time so you can fully enjoy the wine tasting experience.

We dined at Corks Restaurant (and met with the owner), Bistro Ralph, Applewood Restaurant and Zazu. All provided us with amazing meals served by very friendly staff in casual dining atmospheres.

While in Napa Valley we revisited some wineries that had either been remodeled since our last visit or were offering a different wine tasting experience. Our amazing wine tastings included varietals from Sullivan Vineyards, Anderson’s Conn Valley (you must sign up for the exclusive Ghost Horse Wine tasting!), Silverado Vineyards and David Fulton Winery (a must taste is their Bromance wine). We stopped by Napa Juicebox and Chris Doran, proprietor of J Doran Vineyards, was kind enough to take me on a tour of this custom crush facility. Thanks Chris!

We dined at the new hot spot in Napa called TORC and enjoyed a wonderful dining experience. Our one-night stay was at Inn on First where we reconnected with our friends Jim and Jamie (proprietors). They provided incredible hospitality and a great breakfast.

There are so many options when exploring the wine country and Tour Vin visits them all before recommending them to our clients. Call us to help plan your trip!

Ed Pollard
Tour Vin
Napa Valley Concierge

Tour Vin – Cabernet Sauvignon and AVAs

Published on: March 17th, 2014

Many of our clients enjoy Cabernet Sauvignon and want to know which regions in Napa Valley produce the best juice. Tour Vin has explored the entire region and now we want to share our knowledge about which terroirs you should explore.

A terroir is defined as the complete natural environment where a wine is produced and relates to soil type, topography and climate of a specific region. There are five main American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) known for producing excellent Cabernet Sauvignon:
• Stags Leap District – Soil types include clay, loam and rock. The weather is warm and dry during the day and cool at night in this area. Notable wine producers include Shafer Vineyards and Odette Estate.
• Rutherford District – Gravel and sand, characteristic of well-drained volcanic soil, are predominant in this area. Remarkable wine producers include Beaulieu Vineyard and Quintessa.
• Oakville – Located on the valley floor, here you’ll find mostly gravel-type soil, but certain areas have both clay and sandy soil. The climate showcases morning fog and warm afternoons. Mondavi and Opus One are notable producers in this region.
• Carneros – Located at the southern part of the valley, the soil of this region is rocky, shallow and includes some clay. The region has marine fog in the morning and cool afternoon breezes. Pine Ridge and Etude are predominant producers.
• Howell Mountain – Two thousand feet above sea level in the northeast portion of Napa Valley, this region has a cooler climate than the valley floor. The weather is warm in the summer and experiences cooler winters. There is a later bud break, which promotes a later harvest. Grapes usually have thicker skins and, therefore, more tannin. Ladera and Outpost are significant producers here.

The only way to experience the affect of terroir on Cabernet Sauvignon is to taste wines from the various AVAs on your next trip to Napa valley. Tour Vin can guide you to specific wineries to enhance your adventure – call us to help plan your next trip to the spectacular Napa Valley!

Ed Pollard
TourVin
Napa Valley Concierge

Tour Vin Features Bistro Jeanty

Published on: December 13th, 2013

In the heart of Yountville in Napa Valley, the French-inspired Bistro Jeanty offers excellent cuisine in a quaint, cozy atmosphere. Open for lunch and dinner (reservations recommended), the folks at Bistro Jeanty also present a wine list that offers a wide selection of California and French wines. Need help with food and wine pairings? The staff is knowledgeable and ready to help!

Did I mention Bistro Jeanty received the Award of Excellence for their extensive wine list? The classic menu at this restaurant offers items not necessarily found at other dining establishments. If escargots, rabbit pate, mussels and cassoulet are to your liking, this is the place for you! If you are more interested in traditional French cuisine, try the crème of tomato soup, duck confit, steak tartare, coq au vin or steak frites.

Thinking about a cocktail before your wine selection? You should definitely order the Hemingway Daiquiri or the La Vie en Rose. For dessert, think about trying the aged goat cheese with port poached pear or a creamy blue cheese with sundried fruit compote.

There are many great Napa Valley restaurants to choose from. Call us to help select the best Napa venues for you!

Ed Pollard
Tour Vin
Napa Valley Concierge