2×1=200
It’s sobering when you stop and think that two people visiting Napa Valley for a day of wine tasting can rack up a bill of $200 if they visit four wineries @ $25 a tasting. Honestly, that’s ridiculous.
I found an interesting piece in the Chronicle this weekend that was frustrating for my wife and I as we contemplated our place in it. It visits the idea that Napa Valley caters to those who can afford it, and if you want a personal experience, like a ‘private VIP artisan cheese and wine experience’, it’s going to cost you.
One of the wineries profiled by Stacey Finz in her article was Darioush. The idea that they ‘cater to people who spend 500 to 700 a night for a room’ wasn’t always a signature of the winery. There’s a different Darioush that I remember.
A few years ago, as you piloted your car down the dirt road littered with construction equipment, you pulled up on what was the Darioush winery tasting room, a double-wide trailer. It had a nice paint scheme and lots of vegetation that hid it’s cheap siding. Upon entering you were greeted with warm smiles, and CAD drawings of the glorious winery building soon to be. A small group of customers gathered around the six foot long wood counter, or ‘tasting bar’, munching on a couple small dishes filled with pistachios, while sampling the current flight of wine. The staff was friendly and, most importantly, passionate about the wines they were pouring. Obviously they weren’t relying on the grandeur of the building to woo you into making a purchase. It was always about the wine, and providing you with an enjoyable experience.
Sometimes you were treated by Bernard, the then president of Darioush, to a little extra taste of something special; a sample of his own salad dressing, maybe a sip of the desert wine that wasn’t being served, sometimes even a barrel sample of a soon to be released varietal. He was so passionate about the project and personally interested in the modest amount of visitors that came in, he was willing to take time out of his busy day to talk to you. Slowly, more people started showing up, as word of mouth spread between wine lovers. There was good wine and personal attention for you at Darioush, all included in the small tasting fee. It felt like a Napa Valley that once was.
Things have changed, and now Darioush is just like any other well known winery in the area, catering to the large tour bus visitors, offering wine and cheese sit downs for $65 a person. It’s still a friendly staff, but one that no longer has time to provide much personal attention or small perks unless you’re willing to pay for it. The now president of Darioush, Dan de Polo, remarks toward the end of the article that “It’s the golden age to be a wine enthusiast.”
Is it really? Have I missed something? Spending a ridiculous amount of money to sip wine in crowded tasting rooms while receiving drone like attention is not my idea of a golden age. The golden age of Napa already happened, and some saw it briefly again inside a double-wide trailor.
March 20th, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Come to Santa Barbara. Tastings range from $5 to $7, and a lot of places will credit the tasting price toward purchase. The wine is better, too!
March 21st, 2006 at 5:13 am
Couldn’t agree more. Some of my favorite times visiting wineries in Napa/Sonoma area are actually events that occurred more than 15 years ago — at a time when things were not as fast or furious as they are now, when I could pay a few bucks for a nice tasting, when I could chat up the tasting room personnel. Now, I pass on most of the wineries.
March 21st, 2006 at 8:55 am
wow, what a change at darioush. that is certainly not the winery i remember. guess they need the cash to pay for their lush building - and not necessarily the wine.
March 21st, 2006 at 9:32 am
Wineguy,
I need to plan a trip down there soon. Places like Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, Monterey, Livermore, Healdsburg, Mendocino, and the Sierra Foothills are great destinations for wine lovers who want to avoid the crowds and receive personal attention. We’ll have to hook up when I visit and you can play tour guide.
John,
I wish I could have seen what the valley was like back then. I think you and I do the same thing now, seeking out the small producers on the back roads.
Gregory,
Yeah, we caught it at the right moment. All that Iranian stone that was cut in Italy must have cost a pretty penny, probably more than expected.
March 23rd, 2006 at 3:02 pm
Even better, come to Australia - I’ve only ever been to two cellar doors that have charged for tastings. All you need to do is visit a couple of hundred cellar doors and you’ve covered the cost of your plane ticket
March 23rd, 2006 at 4:47 pm
I might have to take you up on that Cam. Can I stay at your place?
March 24th, 2006 at 8:56 am
I absolutely agree! My last Napa Experience was less than an experience.
I am a winemaker for a small, family-knit facility in the Russian River and I STILL had to pay the tasting fee for over 1/2 of the tasting rooms we visited… I felt, well like crap frankly… Needless to say, we won’t be going back any time soon to taste their high Ph, low acidic, overly oaked jet fuel Cab’s and various other Bordeaux blends… If you still want that, meet-the-winemaker, taste-from-the-barrel and sample-complimentary feeling, COME OUT TO THE RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY!!!!! We’re doing it better anyways…
A faithful Wine Expression Reader,
2006 Belongs to the Russian River Valley…
Long Live Pinot Noir
March 24th, 2006 at 9:40 am
Wow, I can’t believe they made another winemaker, from a neighboring region nonetheless, pay for tastings! Shame on them.
So which winery should we stop at on our next visit to the Russian River Valley?
March 26th, 2006 at 7:09 am
Napa - while overpriced for sure - still has some hidden gems around. I will say that you still have to pay for tastings, but we rarely pay more than $5. A recent gem that we have discovered (and to be upfront, have podcast extensively about) is the Santa Cruz Appelation. Only 1.5 hours south of Napa, most of these wineries are very small, rarely charge a fee (although some do) and for $25, you can purchase a ‘passport’ that gets you tasting at all participating wineries in the region for free. (They even stamp your passport for all you die hard collectors of things). In addition, more often than not, the winemakers are the ones who are pouring and greeting customers, so you get a chance to talk shop with them. Not the end all be all, but certainly if you are looking for the Northern California experience, without the prices, check out this tiny - and still unknown - appellation.