California wines - Are they really good?
 

I have to ask are the California wines really worth it? We will be traveling to SF in March and have 2-3 days planned in the wine country -Sonoma, Alexandar valley. I started looking at some messages on this site about wineries to visit and then went on to some of the web pages. Many of the bottles are $30 or higher. One of the web sites we went on the bottles were close to $100! My husband and I like to visit wineries and we do enjoy wine. We haven't been to wineries in California. We have been to wineries on the East coast, (NY, PA etc) as well as in Italy and France. We do buy a great deal of wine and when we do we always avoid the California wine and buy French or Italian. It seems to me that I can get a great bottle of French wine for some of the prices of a bottle of California wine . A bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape is about $20-25. For a little more I could buy a Barolo or Montrachet. I typically don't spend that much money on a bottle of wine. So what is it about the California wines? Also I have seen people talk about wine tasting but are they really $20 at many places? We would be more interested in the smaller wineries if you know of any. Also since we have been to many wineries is a tour in Sonoma different then any other place? We already know how wine is made, grapes harvested etc. I thought about Sterling Vinyard only because my 10 year old son will be w/us and might enjoy the tram ride, but we only have 2-3 days and will probably go to Armstrong Redwoods, Old Faithful and the petrified forest. We still would like to vist 4-6 wineries and am looking to picnic at one.
Any suggestions

>>>Any suggestions<<<

See my post on "north of San Francisco - coast & wine country" for suggested wineries to stop at & picnic.

I have a bottle of wine every night for dinner. About 2/3 Calif & the rest Italian, Spanish, and French. Like anywhere, if you know a good wine merchant, he/she can suggest excellent wines under $15 that will compare favorably to $30-40 Calif & European wines. Recently, I bought/drank a Boyer Chard, Giesen Sauvignon Blanc, and a Magnificent House Wine(red) from K Vintners - all 9.99. The red was better than the Borola ($66 at a restaurant), that I had Sat night in SF.

I'm sure you know where to get value on the east coast, and most people on the west coast know where to get value also.

Stu Dudley

Is this a trick question? :)

Don't mean to come off as sarcastic, but California wines are some of the best wines in the world, French and Italian varietals nonwithstanding. Not to mention that California wine country is just plain beautiful. Visiting there is something everyone, wine connosieurs and novices alike, should do at least once.

Yes, in fact California wines can be really good. So can wines from Washington State, Australia, South Africa, Chile and Argentina. I've also tasted some horrible wines from France and Italy (yes, some undrinkable Barolos too), alongside some heavenly ones. CA wines compete quite well against French wines. You just have to know which are the better wineries.

$30 a bottle for good CA wine isn't that expensive, although I can find perfectly wonderful stuff at the $18-20 level. And if you want to spend a bit more for a bottle from Châteauneuf-du-Pape, $50 will get you some great wine.

It sounds like you're coming out here having already decided California wines aren't worth your time. I don't know that you'd enjoy visiting the wineries in that case. I'd hit a spa/resort with a good Europe-centric wine list.

You're missing out on a lot by not researching CA wines. With the $$ exchange rate now, you're paying a lot more for wines imported from Europe with the possible exception of Spanish wines. Look at a recent copy of Wine Spectator magazine for good California wines $10 and under. Find a good wine merchant who can suggest some. The big name cabs from CA are expensive but there are so many others that are't

Some are, some are not just as most anywhere. Many are overpriced, but so are most Barolos and maybe 90% of French Burgundies and the majority from Bordeaux to name but a few.
M

"I have a bottle of wine every night for dinner."

So do I. Sometimes I even have some food along with it. Thanks for the chuckle, Stu.

It's my experience that it's generally more difficult to find good value in the popular varietals. In California, that's cabernet and chardonnay. In Oregon, where I live, that's pinot noir. Fortunately, I'm crazy about good zins. Some California wineries have gotten pretty proud of theirs over the last few years, but I almost always find a $20 zin just as satisfying as a $40 cab.

Thanks StuDudley I printed out your suggestions and will probably stop at some of the wineries listed
I still plan on going with an open mind. We do enjoy visiting/tasting wines. Everyone has a differnt taste and you just have to go with what you like. When visiting wineries on the east coast and they tell me they have a chard I always ask if it is like a California one because I just don't care for them...way to much oak for me. Are they all like that?

Californian wines tend to be more "acidic" "bitter" however you would like to discribe it. French wines tend to be more "mellow". Californian wines generally keep better than Italian wines, which I find don't travel very well.

Price is not a determinant of quality. I've had some terrible wines from the NW when the wines cost just as much as a bottle of Californian wine.

If you are not happy with spending a great deal of money, I'd suggest two places where you can get some very, very good wines at decent prices:

One is Costco. They have some excellent selections at anywhere from $10 to $40 a bottle.

The other is Trader Joe's. They feature wines from all over the world and sometimes I will compare an international wine, like today I'm doing Shiraz (Syrah), with a domestic wine. Invariably I find the Californian wines equal or better.

Sometimes the "two-buck chuck" (Charles Shaw at $1.99) at Trader Joe's will come off better than a $5 to $15 international wine!

If you are coming in early March, then you are in luck. The Sonoma barrel tasting is scheduled for March 4, 5, and 6th. You get to try a lot of wines for the price of a glass - $5. You son would particularly enjoy going to the wineries with you at this time. Last year, believe it was Michel Schlumberger that had an Alice in Wonderland theme. There was also another winery that did a "Heaven" and "Hell" theme. It's a lot of fun.

Enjoy California, whether you sample our wines or not! :)

That's "describe" not "discribe" :)

I thought the barrel tasting was March 19-20 in Sonoma this year. We will be there at that time I wasn't sure about the barrel tasting. My husband wants to do it

check out:

www.wineroad.com/events/barreltasting.asp

We're planning on the 4, 5, and 6th - hope that's correct! :)

Hi! You will really be missing out if you skip the gorgeous Napa Valley during your visit to San Francisco. We live in the East Bay and one of our favorite wineries is V. Sattui in St. Helena. They sell only from the winery and have great wines in a wide price range. In addition, there is a wonderful deli (tasting there, too)on site where you can purchase food and enjoy a picnic and bottle of wine on the beautiful grounds. Another winery your son might enjoy is the Coppola winery. In addition to the wine tasting (and beautiful estate and grounds), there is a museum with memorabilia from many of the Francis Ford Coppola movies and the original Tucker automobile. I have not yet been there, but the new Copia Center located in Napa has wine tasting, restaurants, gardens, hands on exhibits, etc. Julia Child was instrumental in the design, planning and implementation of the center. Also a great place to stop is the Hurd Candle Factory (beautiful beeswax creations made on site). There are numerous small, family run wineries along the road and off the beaten path to explore, as well. March will be beautiful, the landscape still green from winter rains, and early spring blossoming everywhere. I think you will have a great time!

I just opened a '74 Mount Veeder Napa Cabernet: it's still very much alive and vibrant, but tastes more like a middle-aged, high-end Nebbiolo.
M

V.Sattiu winery is an excellent suggestion. Reminds me of small family run wineries in Italy.

And the Hurd Candle factory is a wonderful place to visit also, if you enjoy candles.

Does anyone remember the name of the winery between Napa and Sonoma that has wine tasting, the beautiful terrace where you can eat lunch and look over the valley. I can't remember the name. Quite large, lots of flowers etc., beautiful grounds.
They sell cookbooks, kitchenware etc. also. The harder I try to remember the name the more it escapes me.

V. Sattui is wonderful and a very nice place for a picnic. I enjoy the Gamay Rouge there! :D

beth, we were very disappointed with the Old Faithful geyser in Calistoga. It's more like a broken sprinkler, I wouldn't waste my time going there. Yes, your son will enjoy the tram ride at Sterling, the views are gorgeous. ***kim*** ((#))

Love Italy,Are you thinking of
Viansa ? It's really in
southern Sonoma county or can you be more specific geographically?
R5

There are many wineries in Cali that don't 'oak' their Chards. I'm not sure what wineries you are looking at, but there are many w/reasonably priced wines & any varietal you can think of. I also favor Sonoma over Napa as it tends (to me)to be friendly, more informal & inexpensive. Most of the Sonoma wineries don't charge tasting fees, nearly all the Napa wineries do. I would also keep in mind that you will also find wines @ the winery that aren't mass produced & may not be sold anywhere else. These smaller wineries are the ones I spend most of my time on while visiting. There is also a group of 'Cal-Ital' wines that produce Italian varietals, most of which are very good. Viansa is right at the gateway to Sonoma & would be a fine place to have a picnic. Chateau Souverain is also lovely.

SAnParis
Can you recommend some of the smaller wineries. We would really like to visit those. We will be staying in Sebastopol.
Thanks

For the non-aoked chard, I recommend Mira Torres in the Russian River Valley region.

And, what can I say about California wines? I've had great cheap wine in Italy, less good cheap wine in France(except of people's homes sans labels and something from the neighbors)and some pretty decent relatively cheap wines from California. It's true you probably have to spend $20 for a great Zin or pinot noir but there are some absolutely respectable wines for under $20. Try the Rosenblum tasting room in downtown Healdsburg. They have a Zin at ~$14 which is almost as good as it's over $20 cousin. Skip the $10 bottle. We have also bought stashes of their cote de bone(Mr. Big Daddy Rosenblum is a Vet). It's a good school night red (we drink it with meatloaf) and $10 or less a bottle.

Check out pinot noirs in the region. You will be tasting some of the best. While I think it's true, the better bottles are $30 or up you can find some spectacular bottles at $30-35 which will beat any bottle of NY wine hands down I promise. If you come and do not taste, among others, WesMar, Merry Edwards,Wms Selyem and Sapphire Hill,you will have come here for 'naught IMHO.


BTW~we're heading to NY in Ocotber. We'll be in the Hudson Valley region but also staying in Manhattan. I know there are some good NY wines..but all(please excuse my ignorance) that comes to mind is Taylor...enlighten me.