Napa Valley Wine Train

Napa Valley can be found about an hour north of San Francisco, California. This scenic countryside is where you will find lush vineyards, incredible wineries, fine dining restaurants and luxury accommodations.

The famous vineyards of Napa Valley are the top producers of wine in the United States, and many of the world’s finest wines come from these fertile lands.

A truly memorable way to see the beautiful Napa Valley and its rich, wine making history … is by taking the Napa Valley Wine Train. It’s definitely one of the most popular and “must-do” activities in Napa’s wine country.

The Napa Valley Wine Train offers a unique wine country travel experience offering a picturesque view of the peaceful Napa countryside.

Wine Train passengers will enjoy a leisurely, three-hour journey from Napa to St. Helena and back, traveling through the towns of Yountvile, Oakville, and Rutherford.

This 36 mile round-trip journey is simply not just a train ride, but also an unforgettable, culinary experience. It’s the perfect combination of terrific food and fine wine from Napa Valley.

Napa Valley Wine Train at night

Your journey begins the moment you climb aboard the train. The restored vintage rail cars are an amazing site and consist of a combination of 1915-17 Pullman dining cars and lounge cars, plus a 1952 Pullman Vista Dome car.

It actually feels like you’re going back in time, as these historic cars have been restored to their original beauty.

There are several excursion packages to choose from. For lunch, two options include:
Gourmet Lunch Package
– A 3-course gourmet meal that is prepared on-board in an adjacent kitchen car, next to each dining area.

Vista Dome Lunch Package.
– For a more private dining experience, enjoy your 4-course meal in the Vista Dome Car, which provides an elevated observation view of the Napa wine country. The dining car has been meticulously refurbished using elegant Honduran Mahogany paneling and luxurious brass accents.

Extend your experience by booking one of four different, well-known winery tours, with your choice of visiting – Raymond Vineyards, ZD Winery, Domaine Chandon Winery, Grgich Hills Estate or the Raymond Family Vineyards.

For dinner, there are also two options to choose from:
Gourmet Dinner Package
– Enjoy a 4-course gourmet meal while you enjoy an amazing evening via an antique train.

Vista Dome Dinner Package.
– A 5-course gourmet meal is the ultimate fine dining experience and one I personally had the pleasure of experiencing.

Napa Valley Wine Train – Gourmet Dinner

The team of servers during our meal were incredible. From their knowledge and suggestions of local wines to their polite and prompt service, you quickly knew you were dealing with the “best of the best.”

Our fabulous 5-course meal started with a plate of incredible Hors D’Oeuvres consisting of seasonal vegetables, cheeses and finely cut meats. Next was delicious baby lettuce salad with candied walnuts and smoked goat cheese in a honey cider. Following was a tasty Harlequin Sorbet made of the perfect blend of the Wine Train’s very own Sorbets.

For the main entrée, we had the choice of Grilled Lamp Chop, Achiote Pork Tenderloin, Sweet Pea Ravioli with Roasted Peppers, or Swordfish. A lover of seafood, I decided to go with the Swordfish, which was prepared and served to perfection!

There was an incredible list of wine to choose from. We decided to try a bottle of white wine. Our server suggested a 2008 ZD Wines Reserve Chardonnay. An excellent choice and superb tasting wine!

After our dinner was complete, we moved to the dessert car and had a difficult choice between Creme Brulee and Chocolate Tiramisu. My wife chose the former and I, the latter. After sampling both, they were equally decadent. It was the perfect way to end an exquisite meal – sitting in plush swivel chairs while gazing out the large windows at the passing Napa Valley scenery.

The Napa Valley Wine Train also offers its own wine tasting bar. Stop by and sample a wide variety of boutique wines from many of the local Napa wineries.

Be sure to plan ahead and make your reservations early as the Napa Valley Wine Train is very popular, especially during the busy summer months.

The Napa Valley Wine Train is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that everyone should enjoy. It simply is the ideal way to enjoy fine wine, a gourmet meal, and take in the breathtaking Napa Valley scenery in a historic, yet elegant train.

Napa Valley Wine Train
1275 McKinstry Street
Napa, CA 94559
(800) 427-4124
(707) 253-2111 (local)

Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1869

A new record was broken for the world’s most expensive wine ever sold at an auction.

At the recent Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong, three bottles of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild 1869 vintage wine were each sold for a new all-time record of $232,692 (HK$1.8 million).

The Asian wine market continues to be strong for very expensive, top label wines.

The total of the entire Chateau Lafite collection auctioned off at Sotheby’s brought in an astonishing total of $8.4 million.

The Sotheby’s auction was held at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong ballroom. The announcement of the winning bid drew a thunderous applause from the other auction participants.

The Chateau Lafite collection consisted of 284 lots of Lafite, in addition to other chateaux that were owned by Domaines Baron de Rothschild.

The entire wine collection had been exclusively stored in cellars after being bottled, before their shipment to Hong Kong for the Sotheby’s auction.

Lafite reached the top of the first, official quality-based classification of Medoc wines back in 1855.

In 1868, the chateau was purchased by Baron James de Rothschild. Since that time the wine bottles have been proudly labeled as Lafite-Rothschild.

Visit Napa Valley – iPhone App

There’s an exciting new app available for iPhone users – Visit Napa Valley (TM).

This free iPhone app is the official mobile visitor guide of the legendary Napa Valley, California.

Napa Valley is one of the world’s top wine-tourism destinations, and now you can have insider access to the best Napa Valley has to offer is just a “touch” away.

The new Visit Napa Valley app features an online visitor guide, a fully-searchable winery guide, interactive GPS-enabled maps, events calendar, plus access to exclusive offers and much more!

As the official mobile visitor guide of The Napa Valley sponsored by The Napa Valley Destination Council and endorsed by the Napa Valley Vintners, the informative Visit Napa Valley app provides visitors with access to a database of over 300 wineries, more than 100 hotels and Bed & Breakfasts, 160 restaurants and a wide variety of spas, events and attractions.

Some of the key user-friendly functions of the application include:
– An Interactive GPS-Enabled Map with wineries, hotels, restaurants, spas, attractions, etc. for easy navigation and selection while in the destination;
– Exclusive Offers Section featuring a full listing of special offers and experiences;
– Hot News featuring reports from the destination such as special wine tasting and culinary events, new restaurant openings, seasonal & cultural activities;
– Favorites section, where points of interest, preferred experiences and special offers can be conveniently saved and shared with friends;
– Weather Reports;
– Calendar of current and future events;
– Virtual Location Feature to help visitors explore The Napa Valley’s various communities when planning their next trip from home.

The Visit Napa Valley app is free and can be downloaded from Apple’s iTunes Store or by visiting http://www.legendarynapavalley.com

Yardin Wines – Israel

It may surprise many people that Israel not only produces wine, but offers award winning wines.

Over the past twenty-five years, wineries across Israel have achieved quality winemaking via their unique, ancient soils and a spirit of innovation.

The Golan Heights Winery, which produces both Golan and Yarden wines, and the Galil Mountain Winery are both found in northern Israel. These wineries led the pioneering trend in Israeli winemaking found today.

The Golan Heights Winery was founded in 1983 and located in the small town of Katzrin. The region’s with warm, dry summers and cold, snowy winters make it ideal for growing grapes. Both the topographic and climatic conditions in the Golan Heights are viewed as a rare asset by wine experts in Israel and abroad. These factors contribute to a wide range of quality winemaking styles.

Galil Mountain Winery was founded in 2000 and sits atop the Upper Galilee mountains,over 3,280 feet above sea level. This innovatively designed winery is fully committed to revitalize the Galilee’s rich history of winemaking.

We’d like to present three classic wines from the impressive Yarden Wine portfolio.

1) Golan Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 – Made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown in vineyards from the Golan Heights region, the Golan Cabernet Sauvignon ($14.99) is aged for six months in small American oak barrels. The wine features attractive fruit notes of black cherry, berry and jam, complemented by hints of fresh pepper and complex oak. This is a perfect Cabernet for everyday drinking.

2) Golan Heights Winery Yarden Syrah 2005 – The Syrah grapes are sourced from three vineyards: Ortal in the northern Golan and Yonatan and Tel Phares in the central Golan. The Yarden Syrah 2005 ($25.00) is rich with blackberry jam and fresh berry notes layered with earth, spice and chocolate. The wine is full-bodied with a lightly chewy texture and pairs perfectly with richly spiced foods.

3) Galil Mountain Winery Viognier 2008 – Sourced from the higher elevations of the Upper Galilee, the Galil Viognier ($18.00) is a flavorful wine with characters of apricot, ripe nectarine and invigorating perfume, along with fresh herbal aromas and a delicate background of oak. It is a medium-bodied wine with a silky texture and long, balanced finish.

For additional information on Yarden Wines, please visit http://www.yardenwines.com/

Photo: Veuve Clicquot Fridge

The first and only worldwide competition that is exclusively devoted to all forms of packaging design is Pentawards.

Pentawards was first created in 2007. The competition awards the very best creations in five different categories including: Food, Beverage, Body, Luxury, Other markets, and Outside these categories.

On September 30th., the 2010 Pentawards ceremony was held in Shanghai.

Veuve Clicquot Fridge was proud to be the winner of the Gold Pentaward in the Luxury category.

The Fridge is a stylish and creative box. The box will keep the yellow card bottle fresh for up to 2 hours.

Lovers of Veuve Clicquot can now  enjoy their favorite vintage at the ideal temperature … anytime, anywhere.

Behind the Veuve Clicquot box’s simplicity, is a design similar to a 1950′s style.

QSLD Paris and the famous Champagne brand have previously worked together on Veuve Clicquot’s “Trendy Collection “.

By creating Veuve Clicquot Fridge, Denis Boudard proved once again that he is a trendsetter. He imagined a clear concept so that customers can recognize immediately the function of the object.

This year, Denis Boudard’s creativity along with his inventiveness are rewarded with the Gold Pentaward.

QSLD Paris had previously won other Pentawards, including several in 2009.

Veuve Clicquot also sponsors the annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic.

Courtesy of: Philip Stein

Created by the luxury watch brand, Philip Stein, the Wine Wand helps aerate red wine almost instantaneously! The Wine Wand comes in a travel size as well as full size.

“If it aint broke don’t fix it” is a good rule of thumb when it comes to many things. Red wine, while amazing on its own, could reach an ever higher standard of flavor with the magical touch of a Philip Stein Wine Wand.

The company, traditionally known for creating watches that relieve stress and help people maintain a general healthier well-being, introduces the breakthrough device which uses natural energy to aerate wine, enhancing flavors and aroma almost instantly.

Epicureans have taught to let the wine breath close to an hour before consumption. The wand works within 2-3 minutes in a glass and 5 minutes in a bottle or decanter, which living in the instant gratification world of today could satisfy even the most impatient.

The elegant wand with encapsulated glass jewels uses natural frequencies and allows the full bouquet and taste of wine to be enjoyed within minutes.

The Wine Wand makes for a great travel companion, coming in a mini size – perfect for a glass; it retails for $325 and comes in a bevy of colors. For a dinner party bring the full size version, retailing for $525 and pictured above.

For many years, fine wine has been a satisfying and enjoyable complement to a lovely meal at a restaurant.

Wine tasting in a restaurant is a very rich and rewarding experience. Once you have made your wine selection, there are a number of steps involved in properly tasting the wine that will make the wine tasting experience even more pleasurable.

1) Smell the Cork: Detecting the aroma from the cork will tell how well the wine has been taken care of. Once the cork has been removed from the bottle, examine it to make sure it is not dry, cracked, or has mold growing from it. If the cork is dry on both ends, this means that oxygenation took place which affects the taste. If everything looks good, (one end containing wine and the other end dry) smell the end of the cork that contains wine. It should not have any unusual aroma such as a musty or sharp smell.

2) Smell the Wine: Pour a small amount of wine in a glass. (No more than few ounces in a glass) Hold your glass and gently swirl it around. This will cause the wine’s aroma to be released. Raise the glass to your nose and breathe in. Take a few seconds to get a sense of the aroma. Detecting distinct flavors tells you that the wine is good. If you detect any musty odors or a vinegar type odor, the wine has likely gone bad. When you smell the wine, make a note of any distinct aromas. For instance, white wines can have such aromas as flowers, grapefruit, peaches, apples, and other citrus. Red wines can smell like prunes, raspberries, cherries, etc.

3) Tasting the Wine: Take a small sip of the wine. Breathe in as you sip the wine so that you get the full aroma. Do not swallow the wine right away. Move it around a bit in your mouth to get all of the flavors. Note how long the taste stays in your mouth after swallowing. As well, note how it feels and tastes in your mouth. Is it acidic, fruity, or have a strong alcohol taste? Or, do the flavors blend well together and leave a nice flavor in the mouth that is not too weak or strong? Note if your mouth feels like it is drying out or if it feel refreshed. As well, is the texture of the wine smooth and silky or is it harsh and fizzy.

When ordering wine with your meal, always select wine based on you and your guests’ personal tastes. When choosing a wine with a particular meal, most people follow the general rule: “white wine with lighter foods and red wine with heavier foods.”

It is important to select a wine that you will enjoy, regardless of what you are eating. If you are unsure of what to select, your server will be able to offer some helpful tips.

Learning to smell and taste wine, including the characteristics of a fine wine, will go long way to ensuring you made the right wine selection.

Wine is a wonderful and satisfying complement to a meal at any restaurant. Knowing how to properly taste the wine will make the dining experience even more satisfying.

Chateau Petrus is probably the world’s most famous and most coveted fine wine. The fine wines of Pomerol have never actually been classified, and Château Pétrus is therefore considered an Unclassified Growth.

The official name is Chateau Petrus but even its label refers to it as simply “Petrus.”

The small vineyards (only 12 hectares) are planted with an approximate split of 95% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc. The wine is aged for twenty-two months in new oak barrels.

The vineyard’s grapes are usually harvested early and left to mature slowly. Extremely fruity, suggestions of berries, vanilla, mocha, and oak emanate from its rich purple robe. The wine’s finish is something to wait for as it slowly caresses the waiting palate.

The 1998 Pétrus Pomerol is a deep red colour and has a highly concentrated nose with notes of plum and black truffle. Upon swirling, it releases rich aromas of mocha. Concentration, balance and complexity are inseparable qualities of the 1998 Pétrus.

Good acidity matched with a tannin structure that is elegant but still slightly closed confirm the quality of the vintage and the skill of its master vintners. Dark fruit and a slight touch of pepper are integral to the persistent finish.

This particular Merlot was actually one of the favorite wines at the White House during the Kennedy years. Petrus Pomerol 1998 is a truly exquisite vintage and it should reach true maturity after the year 2012.

Petrus Pomerol 1998 sells for about $1,459 per bottle.

A bottle of Dom. Romane Conti 1997 can set you back about $1,540 and is considered the world’s most expensive wine.

The Dom. Romane Conti is a French red Burgundy and smells of berries, spices and leather.

It is dark in color, and teases drinkers with the taste of soy sauce, flowers and licorice.

Photo by: Spiral Cellars

As a sophisticated wine connoisseur, are you looking for luxury but live in a modern house …. without a wine cellar? Well a Spiral Cellar may be what you need.

A Spiral Cellar enables you to keep up to hundreds of bottles in an ideal condition, for as long as you want.

So what is it? It’s a watertight, modular cylindrical system that’s built under your home. It can be located anywhere, from kitchen to living room, den to garage.

Relying on the insulation power of the surrounding ground, the temperature can be easily maintained. The best part is it’s free.

In 1978, Frenchman Georges Harnois, developed The Spiral Cellar system. He realized that very few modern houses had cellars, but people still desired a place to store their wine. The design has been optimized by Spiral Cellars Ltd., a UK company. They are now making their grand presence in the U.S.

The Spiral Cellar is quite the innovative and cost effective way of building a wine cellar for your own home.

For more information, go to: Spiral Cellars

The Thienpont family’s Chateau Le Pin venture is another garage wine. In an average year, they produce about 6,000 bottles of this fine Pomerol on five acres of land.

The Chateau Le Pin Pomerol 1999 is truly one of the most illustrious wines to come out of Bordeaux. Its fullness comes from the downy levels of mocha, black cherry and currant flavors. It’s a favorite of serious wine collectors.

Chateau Le Pin Pomerol 1999 is full bodied and as loaded with tannins as it is with fruits. This is a wine that opens in the glass, revealing layer after layer of complexity and richness.

With flavors that linger seemingly without end on the palate, this is a wine that will drink well as it ages, especially about twenty years or longer down the road . If you’ve got to compare it to anything at all, think of the exquisite 1990 vintage wine.

Chateau Le Pin Pomerol 1999 will cost you about $900 a bottle.