NVFF - Is Napa Valley about to become Hollywood's next Sundance?

Hollywood & Vines

Excerpt from the North Bay Bohemian
By Christina Julian

A fleet of Mercedes-Benzes crawl through downtown Napa. Later, they're motoring through the once sleepy streets of St. Helena, where restaurants boom well past midnight. Crowds jam the streets. Traffic is tight. Harvest is winding down, yet these towns clearly are not. Is this Napa Valley, or some Hollywood film in the making?

According to projections, such a bustling scene may be the future of the Napa Valley Film Festival (NVFF), running Nov. 9–13. In its inaugural year, the festival is poised to take over the region with nearly a hundred shorts, documentaries and feature films screening in venues from Napa to Calistoga over five days. Five thousand people are expected to attend, with enough winetasting, VIP parties and chauffeured celebrities to do Hollywood proud—but the question is, will the locals be equally enthused? Click here for full article

It's Always Festival Season

Excerpt from NorthBay Biz magazine
Napa Insider Column
By: Christina Julian

Welcome to the first new “Napa Insider” column in quite some time. As I take the helm, let me tell you a bit about myself. Before Napa Valley became my favorite pick among the places I’ve previously perched, my writing took other forms. First, working in publishing in New York City, later in advertising out of Los Angeles. To the surprise of many of my former city-dwelling cohorts, none of that compares to the Wine Country way of life. Here, you plant roots, watch them grow, enjoy them while they last, then move on to the next bunch when the fruit dries up. With so many wineries to pluck from, I suspect my life’s work is ahead of me.

Let’s move into this month’s topic: festivals. Is it me, or do festivals seem to be cropping up as feverishly as wineries? Not even I, an avid festival goer, could begin to take a bite out of the feast of fests that are sprouting up all over Napa County. Intriguing, considering some of the area’s long-standing renditions, like the Mustard Festival and Art in the Park, have gone on hiatus. I can’t help feeling guilty every time I attend one of the newbies, as if by doing so, I’m sealing the fate of a predecessor, each fest leeching off the attendance pool of another. Click here for the full column.

Terra Valentine - a storybook setting

Excerpt from NorthBay Biz magazine
By: Christina Julian

“Storybook” is the only way to describe the view that unfolds as you haul up Spring Mountain and through the gates of Terra Valentine’s castle-like fortress. It’s indeed the stuff fairytales are made of: medieval stone walls, a tower fit for a queen and a grandiose villa to house her highness. A bounty of mountain wines that straddle the moat between subtle tannins, elegant texture and bold fruit flavors—the crown jewels.

When owners Angus and Margaret Wurtele purchased the Wurtele Vineyard in 1995 (followed by the Terra Valentine Estate and vineyard in 1999), a wine-fortress-in-the-making wasn’t evident. “The property had been let go by the previous owner. You could just barely see the view through the trees,” says Angus. Despite the “into the wild” nature of the land, the Wurteles saw its potential. Not even the lack of a reliable water source (aside from a spring) would stop this duo from making their fairytale a reality.

The cowboy heydays

Original owner Fred J. Aves purchased the estate in 1965, leaving behind a legacy of crafty inventions (including old-school car curb feelers and chrome license plate covers) in favor of his dream of owning a winery. Aves built the winery from the ground up, including one-of-a-kind architectural accents, stained glass and wood paneling originally brought over for use in Hearst Castle. But his reclusive nature led him to pull out the bulk of the vineyard plantings in the 1980s, right as they were on the brink of flourishing. Click here and scroll down to continue reading.

Do good glasses make bad wine better?

Excerpt from The Weekly Calistogan
By: Christina Julian

I remain forever flummoxed about how to drink fine wine.

Whether I’m throwing open my kitchen cabinet or trolling the aisles of Target looking for the perfect wine glass to receive my grape-filled treasure, I’m transported out of bliss and into confusion over which glass I should use and what brand I should buy.

I’ve become so desperate I’ve vowed to never drink wine out of a glass again and to merely pop the cork and drink it straight out of the bottle as the wine gods likely intended.

But my rational side steps in. Will a cheap glass make a great wine bad or can a fabulous goblet make a hack wine worthy?

Wine expert Robert Parker has said, “The finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes are those made by Riedel. The effect of these glasses on fine wine is profound. I cannot emphasize enough what a difference they make.”

This is a lovely sentiment, but this man drinks only the best wines from all over the world, for free. As a laywoman, I have a hard time fully trusting his opinion. He steers us to the right wines to drink, but do we really need to rely on him and his type when it comes to our crystal decisions as well?

Perhaps it makes sense to consider the glass holder. Are they a delicate and graceful sort, or a clunky and clumsy someone? If the latter, stemless might be the obvious choice, but if you fall nowhere in between, then what? Click here to continue reading

The Last Licks of Summer

Excerpt from the Weekly Calistogan
By: Christina Julian

When I moved to the Upper Valley a couple of years ago, I expected to see people bopping to Sinatra while squishing grapes in large vats and folks dancing to midnight serenades in the vineyards. I would’ve gladly settled for strumming sounds as a sidekick to an al fresco meal. But outdoor entertainment wasn’t as easy to come by as I’d hoped, until I moved to Calistoga. As a former New Yorker, I live for outdoor entertainment come summertime. The fact that dandy weather is as abundant as grapes in these parts doesn’t deter my mission. School is back in session, days are growing short, and time is most definitely running out with only two summer concerts at Pioneer Park remaining. It’s time to get out there and enjoy the last licks of summer. Click here to continue reading.

The height, the site and the fight for Napa's 9/11 memorial

At 11:30 am September 11, 2011, there will be a commemorative ceremony to honor the 10-year anniversary of the September 11th attacks. The ceremony will include a dedication at the future site of the Napa 9/11 Memorial Garden (click here for location). Read on to learn more about the project.

Excerpt from the Bohemian
Beams Of Honor

Scheduled for completion next year, Napa's 9-11 memorial is already causing a countywide buzz

By: Christina Julian
Photos:Michael Amsler

The star-spangled group gathers, somewhat out of place given that it's a week before Memorial Day. Some push ahead with restless anticipation to get a closer look, others hang back. The uniformed stand at attention, and even the mayor is here, decked out in stars and stripes. Someone shouts, "Can I touch it?"

On a flatbed truck, giant steel beams are packed tight, each revealing a clear notation, scrawled in chalk: "Napa." If it weren't for the charred, gnarly pieces that protrude at whim, one wouldn't think to look twice at them.

But these are no ordinary beams. They're steel beams from the World Trade Center. Artist Gordon Huether walks through the crowd, and all eyes follow as he steps up to the truck. "It's been quite a ride," he says.

Indeed it has. Nearly two years, 30 tons and 3,000 miles in the making, the steel will be put to use for a 9-11 memorial sculpture in downtown Napa, located just off Main Street near Napa Creek. A site dedication ceremony is scheduled for Sept. 11, 2011, with an estimated completion of the memorial set for spring of 2012. While some chide the effort and others champion it, the Napa 9/11 Memorial Garden sculpture stands to be one of the largest of its kind, stretching over 23 feet high and weighing over 60,000 pounds.

The project originated in October 2009, when Darren Drake, fire marshal and division chief of the Napa Fire Department, received a communication from the September 11th Families' Association, in concert with the New York and New Jersey Port Authority. The teaming offered local communities around the globe an opportunity to create regional 9-11 memorials utilizing actual steel from the World Trade Center. Drake responded with a formal application, a community coalition formed, and a year later, the group requested the six steel beams that will serve as the nucleus of the Napa 9/11 Memorial Garden. Local trucking company Biagi Brothers donated transport of the steel, which arrived in Napa from New York with a welcoming ceremony on May 21.

Huether and landscape architect Gretchen Stranzl McCann each came into the project during its infancy and solidified their commitment by donating time and services pro bono. Huether went in person to New York Kennedy Airport's 80,000-square-foot Hanger 17, where the steel was housed and archived as crime scene evidence. Click here to continue reading

Going "whole hog" with snout-to-tail cooking

Article excerpt from NorthBay Biz magazine
By: Christina Julian

I may be one of the few meat-eating Americans yet to be seduced by pork’s rise beyond “other white meat” status. And now the “snout-to-tail,” whole animal utilization craze has made pork all the more popular. Who better to tackle the topic with an objective viewpoint than one not so easily swayed by the succulent scent of bacon? The preponderance of pork is hard to deny. It receives primo placement on restaurant menus and on the supper plate, and at wine-centric events like ZAP’s (Zinfandel Advocates & Producers) Good Eats tasting in San Francisco, where pork dishes threatened to outweigh Zinfandel pours. Pair that with national pig-out celebrations like Cochon—putting pork at the forefront in exciting and competitive ways. Pork has become a gourmet mainstay.

A name isn’t just a name
Heritage breed pigs are perched at the front of the snout-to-tail movement. These animals descend from bloodlines that date back centuries, to a time when livestock was raised on multiuse, open-pasture farms, and breeds yielded distinct characteristics—from signature marbling and fats to rich and hearty tastes.

Flash forward to the current day, and these same breeds are in danger of being lost forever, because they can’t compete with large-scale, commercial operations. “In the past 40 to 50 years, pigs have been bred to be leaner and leaner,” says Marie Nguyen, one of the owners of Suisun Valley Farm (just east of Napa) that specializes in Mangalitsa, heritage breed pigs.

Luckily, a movement is under foot…er, hoof…with organizations like Cochon 555, a series of annual events with a chief mission to heighten awareness of these breeds on a national level. The initiative started as a way to promote breed diversity among communities through a coast-to-coast competition that connects ranchers raising heritage breed pigs with top chefs known for whole animal utilization. The 555 moniker speaks to the structure of the event that features five chefs, five pigs and five winemakers, each fueled by the mantra: “Eating them to preserve them.” Founder and creator Brady Lowe, also principal and creative director of Taste Network, speaks to the evolution of the touring competition, now in its third year, “When the events started, there weren’t a lot of options in some cities when making chef selections [for the event]. Now everybody is using whole animals.”

Lowe hand selects five competing chefs in each city of the competition (10 total) with an eye on three key ingredients. “First we look for what people are doing in terms of whole animal utilization and if they’re naming farms and breeds on the menu,” he says. “Second, are they a ‘porky’ chef [menus showing dynamic approaches and whole animal utilization]? And third, how do they fit into the food scene? Are they a component of the good food movement, promoting local farms, putting on events and educating? Basically, are they a local ambassador?”

The events continue to escalate in popularity and reach and are receiving widespread, national notoriety while never straying from the initial purpose...Click here to continue reading

von Strasser - a diamond in the rough

It’s true, in moving out of the concrete jungles of New York and Los Angeles I vowed to end my days of winding curves and working for my wine. Traffic is long and life is short. Part of the reason why I don’t often venture to tall places despite loving the fruits that those mountains bear is my lack of interest in driving anything but a bike. But adventure got the best of me when good weather busted through one day, calling me to make the small climb up Diamond Mountain to von Strasser winery. This was a hike worth taking, and truth be told it wasn’t much of a hike, a mere mile or two up the road. Regardless, I would climb to much higher altitudes to enjoy a sip amid the stars at this swell spot. Gone are the whizzing cars of the 29 and Silverado Trail, replaced with the buzz of the birds and bees and wind whipping up between the trees. Life is good here, and downright country. We are in the wine country after all despite the look of the valley these days. The woodsy setting of the winery is made all the more sweet with a swig of the wine. Many tasty delights from red to white and even some rosé. Despite being unable to correctly pronounce Grüner Veltliner, the wine captivated me anyway, it was so tasty I became quite content to shut up so I could savor this beaut in peace. A swoon-worthy concoction that is both tropically tart and heady with fruit flavors like rhubarb, an A+. Then there is the Sori Bricco Cab, sinful. I was tempted to slurp this down in one slurp, but the serene setting got the better of me, and instead I decided to relax into my day and swig into night. In a town full of perhaps one too many wineries, it’s great to get a side dish of country served with my wine. Von Strassesr - a climb worth making. Wacky WineSense rating: 4.5 Grapes

Molten lava that's hot in all the right places

While lava can be a beaut to stare at, especially at Hawaii's Volcanoes national park, I typically like to keep my distance, though I found myself making an exception when it came to Brannan's chocolate lava torte. To say this dessert is a flavorful explosion just scratches the surface of this scribe's food wheel. There are a lot of similarities between the real stuff and this confectionary delight. For starters, they booth ooze, Brannan's with deep, dark chocolate, thankfully. Then there is the ducle de leche ice cream that sits on the sideline, begging to be scooped. I vacillate between the two in a chocolate-cream coma wondering why anybody would ever give up desserts. If you, like me, have decided that sugar is the new pork, sidle up to the bar at Brannan's and get yourself a slap of this stuff. You and your soon to be flabby abs will thank me all the way to the gym. Wacky WineSense rating: 4.9 grapes

Westwood Winery

Article excerpt from Northbay Biz magazine
By: Christina Julian
One fine day, John Kelly woke up with the realization that, despite an advanced degree in biochemistry from UC Davis, a career in academia wasn’t exactly how he wanted to spend his days after all. He contemplated his next move over a glass of wine…one sip led to the next. Wine Country boondoggles then led to helping a bio-chem buddy with some garage winemaking. Said friend, Bert Urch, then made the leap into commercial winemaking in 1984 with Westwood Winery. Kelly’s career aspirations in biochemistry melted away, and his roots in the wine world were planted.

Some roots are hard to ignore
“Being able to think as a scientist has let me pursue winemaking in a very focused manner. It’s also let me interact with wine scientists from all over the world,” says Kelly. “I’ve had very fruitful, intellectual contacts with people at the AWRI [Australian Wine Research Institute] and a number of people in South Africa, Italy and France. I’ve been able to discuss wine production issues at a very high level.”

Kelly credits his scientific background for his formal entrée into the wine industry. “My experience in the academic field gave me direct access to jobs at Stags’ Leap and Sonoma-Cutrer,” he says. “They needed somebody who could do research.” Prior to those posts, Kelly managed a high-end wine shop in Davis. It was here he helped sell the first vintage of Westwood Wine, a 1984 Lake County Pinot Noir. click here for full article and scroll down to Westwood Winery

Clif Family Winery and Farm

Excerpt from NorthBay biz magazine... Nutrition and fitness? A likely pairing. Wine and food? Another winning combination. Health food and wine? A bit of a stretch—or so I thought until my visit with Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, the ever-fit, ever-active founders and owners of Clif Family Winery & Farm. The same dynamic duo that put “taste” into energy bars through another little venture, Clif Bar & Company. Erickson got his start in the kitchen during his high school years under the tutelage of his mother and grandmother. His first commercial endeavor came in 1986, with Kali’s Sweets and Savories, which went on to become Clif Bar & Company in 1992. “I started to enjoy wine when I was in Italy, traveling around the world. I spent several months there, climbing and cycling” says Erickson, “but at every meal, it seemed like someone was having a glass of wine. It was just part of the meal.” Crawford’s start in the business came from a different (yet similar) passion. “I grew up in a family that didn’t drink wine, so my introduction came when I lived in San Francisco as a dancer. I worked at a shop where they made handmade pastas and sold Italian wines. The wines of Italy are how I developed my appreciation for wine.” Click here and scroll down for full article.

Miner'in for wine

I love when I cry tears of joy. Preferably when it is about good food, wine and let us never forget frolic. My latest sobfest came with a jaunt to Miner Family Vineyards. From the moment I stepped foot into their love cove (they were more than happy to welcome me in the door and into their wine family, after a not-so-friendly step into a winery that will remain nameless, hint: Tre—then, a welcome surprise) I knew I had discovered sweet greatness. Sweet in several senses – first hospitality, one of the most jovial crowds and tasting personell I’ve ever had the good fortune of stumbling into. You would be surprised that in the ever-vast landscape of tasting rooms, dubbed the “hospitality industry,” how all too often I am greeted with anything but. All the more sweet for those wineries that have never lost sight of the basics–pouring fine wine with a smile. After a long, soggy-wet, not totally fun day spent on the tasting trail I have renewed hope for the industry. The next sweet deal was the vibe at this jumpin joint. All I can surmise is that people, just like me, were so damn happy to be treated to fine slurpin wine in a warm and hospitable enviroment that all they could do was bop & hop. The last sweet sensation was the wine. Not a bad taste in the whole lot. I loved them all, fruit forward, and financially affordable. What a smacking good combo! Proving that there is good wine out there that you don’t have to spend a fistful in order to enjoy. The Viognier – splashing and smashing, its light and fruity sensation made me dance. The Chard, not my favorite style wine but this one was downright delectable, a great balance of exactly what I want, more fruity than buttery. The Sangiovese, oft messed up and not given its rightful place in the wine bunch, these folks mined a good one. Light and fruity yet substantial in taste. And the grand daddy of them all (price tag jumps up here) The Oracle. Each year they pick the best grapes of the litter to form this ever-changing Bordeaux blend. Hefty yet smooth, classic tendencies while showing off some distinctly different flare. So, check your ties, nametags and snobby pretense at the door and slide into this sweet little grape of a winery. Then, sit back and enjoy the vino and the company, in the comforts of what feels like the perfect non-dysfunctional familial home that we all strive for (ok me). Wacky WineSense Rating: wine and hospitality 4.8 Grapes!!!

It's A Zin

Excerpt from Northbay Biz magazine, By Christina Julian

In a region where Cabernet often holds reign, seven like-minded Zinfandel producers are banding together with a collective mission—to give the grape its due.
Zinfandel holds a unique place in the history of American winemaking, dating back to the 1820s with initial plantings in California during the Gold Rush. The grape has continued to dazzle and spice up lives ever since. Now, with the support of organizations like ZAP (Zinfandel Advocates and Producers) and the anointing (by ZAP) of November 19, 2010, as the first annual “Zinfandel Day,” the varietal is gaining well-deserved attention.

Only about 5 percent of Napa Valley’s vineyards are planted to Zinfandel, but that statistic didn’t deter Zin-loving wineries from forming the Napa Valley Zinfandel Trail in June 2009. Those who opt to hit “the trail” can download a roadmap that includes wineries pouring a range of Zinfandels, whose styles and tastes are as diverse as the settings and proprietors of this hand-plucked bunch. Each of these wineries runs a shoestring operation, where the owners are the winemakers, growers, sellers and tour guides; each one serving up its rendition of Zinfandel while paying homage to the Napa Valley of yesteryear. No quirky ripening patterns, tight clusters or propensity to rapid dehydration and sugar spikes will stop these trailblazers from sharing why Zinfandel is a challenge worth accepting. Click here for full article

Firebelle Lil’ and the wines of Larkmead

Being a fellow fireball, spitfire, scrappy New Yorker at heart, I immediately bonded with the historical figure behind Larkmead Vineyards, Firebelle Lillie Hitchcock Coit (yes, of that Coit). Good God this gal was a feminist, decades before the “movement,” having been named the first female member of a fire company way back in 1859. Somehow fitting that she would make her way from San Francisco to little old St. Helena. My wine induced romp down memory lane was abruptly halted with a mere swig of Larkmead’s 07 Firebelle Blend, a slow seduction of a wine. A bawdy brew, much like the vino’s namesake. Love at first swig. The intense yet plush layers of this silky delight threatened to make me cry. But I resisted. I didn’t want any of my salty mushy tears to muck up this damn fine wine. I chided myself for cursing about this wine in public, but then I thought better of it. While I only know of Lil from the literature I’ve read, I suspect she would applaud my boisterous side, especially when spewing expletives about the merits of Larkmead wines. The 07 Solari Cab with a scant bit of Petite Verdot was a knock out, too. So lush, so fruity, it knocked me right off my pa-tootie! So go ahead, get off your rump and roll down to Larkmead Lane so you can revel in how good it is to live in the Napa Valley, and if you don’t live here, trust us, and enjoy some of this fine wine. Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.7 Grapes!

Napa Valley - more than just great grapes

While wine and farming have always been a way of life in Napa Valley, there is much more that lurks amidst the grapevines, with traditions of food, adventure, and wellness – waiting to be uncorked. Known as one of the “Great Wine Capitals” of the world this fertile and geographically compact stretch, while only a mere 30 miles long, boasts a multitude of things beyond the vino bottle, to quench your thirst.

Napa serves as the gateway to world class culinary traditions that fork out from Napa and Yountville to St. Helena and Calistoga. Whether you crave the perfect pasta to pair with your wine or perhaps you’ve always yearned to poke around in the kitchen and learn from the masters at the Culinary Institute of America, the Napa Valley is guaranteed to feed your fix.

If you’re feeling adventurous, leave your car back at the hotel and opt for peddling your way through the valley. Many hotels like Solage and the Bardessono Inn offer complimentary cycles to their guests and several bike outfitters will customize tasting and town tours read more.