In Wine We Trust

Our week started like that: we were having breakfast in the VIP room (privilege of being away from home on business for most of the year…) on the 4th floor balcony, when a man came out on the phone, talking about to someone arriving on a flight to meet him for a barrel tasting… The gentleman apologized for disrupting our breakfast and we told him that we would like to do a barrel tasting during our stay, as well…

Next thing we know, we’re invited to a barrel tasting, and John introduces us to Bev, Howie, and then to his brother Willy, and his mom Lily… All from New York… Five minutes later, our whole day is planned with select wineries and a picnic… It seems we’ve been adopted by the family we didn’t know we had in New York!

If any of you is wondering what a ‘barrel tasting’ is, it isn’t tasting wine while sitting on a barrel… The barrel tasting consists in tasting wine that is still in barrels, i.e. before it even is in bottles. Winemakers make you taste wines for which the fermentation is finished or closed to being finished. The wines are obviously still very young (wines will spend some more time in the bottles – 6 months to 2 years in general – before they are released to the public).

This barrel tasting took place at Sunce, whose owner and winemaker is a Croatian-born gentleman, by the name of Frane Franicevic. Sunce is located near Santa Rosa, in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Frane made us taste a wide variety of his small production. A very interesting experience!

We then shared a table, eating, drinking, chatting and laughing. Wine is not the only thing opening up when uncorked…

The afternoon took us a little further into the Russian River, at Gary Farrell winery. A winery perched at the top of a hill, overlooking a beautiful valley.

We returned to the hotel in the evening, and met more people, who joined the gang, Jimmy, Karen and Denise… The family keeps growing!!

Today, we headed for the Napa area, visiting the Clos du Val winery, following by a picnic at V. Sattui winery, followed by a VIP tasting at Cakebread Cellars, followed by a dinner at the C.I.A. to top it all off. No, that was not another stint in jail… C.I.A. stands for Culinary Institute of America, a top-class culinary school in America. Students operate the restaurant (along with full-fledged chefs and staff).

G.