Wine tasting in Napa has changed over the years. My recollection was that 15 years ago few reservations were required, wine tastings were mostly free, and when there was a charge, it was around $5 and included the glass.
Now tastings are a minimum of $10 and typically in the $20 to $30 range. In general, they are waived with a purchase, but some have minimums before waiving the fee. You do get the sense that the fees are generally waived, but not always.
In any case, Ken wanted to visit Orin Swift wines, a small winery with good, 'inexpensive' cabs. They were excellent, and by Napa standards, inexpensive. Jared walked us through the tasting and then we asked for recommendations. One of which was Freemark Abbey, but we set out for a cluster of wineries he highly recommended. Unfortunately his top picks all required reservations and we found this out just as we approached Freemark Abbey, so we swung into that winery.
It was nice and had an interesting history. It was the first winery to be owned and operated by a women in the late 1800's. They had wines still available from the 70's (at $600 to $1200 per bottle).
We asked for recommendations for other wineries and she mentioned Tudal Cellars. We had never heard of it, so we went.
What a cool place. Perhaps it was the weather, the attitude, the day, or some other factor, but we all loved the winery. Family run, slow paced, small, intimate, with very good wine. Turns out the wine maker knew a college buddy of mine and after chatting with the owner we found out he had sent his daughter to camp Four Winds and Westward Ho! -- the same camp my father had worked when he first arrived in the northwest.
There are far fancier places, but the down home attitude of the place with its informal outdoor settings really struck a chord with us.
Wednesday night was Judy's night to cook. Sauerbraten and Spaetzle with red cabbage and and it was excellent.
Here's a quick video of the day. Doesn't come through in email, you'll need a PC.
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