Napa for Normal People

By L.m. Archer @lmarcherml

binNotes© | a food, wine & travel blog.:

Another Red Thread ™Redux: Napa for Normal People…does such a place exist? The answer may surprise you.

NOTE: This post in honor of Valley Wildfire survivors. Link to donate here.

Originally posted on binNotes |Red Thread™:

The Red Thread™  |  Napa for Normal People©

by. L.M. Archer, FWS | Bourgogne ML

Is Napa for normal people? Or for just the rarified – those willing to dole out $20+ tasting fees to sample $100+ bottles of wine in multi-million dollar facilities owned by multi-billion dollar corporations and family empires?

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I first pondered the question of a ‘Napa for Normal People’ while listening to an International Guild of Sommelier’s podcast about Napa’s history. The podcast, a frank, free-wheeling discussion with Tim Mondavi of Continuum Estates, John Williams of Frog’s Leap, and Press Restaurant sommelier Kelli White, centered around Napa from the repeal of Prohibition in 1933 to the 1990’s.

This roundtable recalled a Napa of collaboration, curiosity, and collegiality among mostly family owned wineries – wineries dedicated to quality and innovation. I wondered – what about Napa today? The answer surprised me. Hopefully it will you, too.

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 Bellying up to the bar…

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