Page 2 - Great Finds Spring 2022

Clockwise:
•Clos Figueres, Gratallops Tarragona, Spain •Chateau Montelena, Calistoga California •Certified Sommelier Victoria Varela barrel tasting at Mas Igneus in Priorat, Spain •Grape vines in Priorat, Spain •View from Villa de Valle, Guadalupe, Mexico •From the tasting room at Folded Hills Winery, Santa Barbara County showing the renowned California coastal fog approaching
buying wine, adding it to your credit card receipt is an easy way to do that, but often, it's better to hand the tasting room person some cash.
Dress warm. Wineries are by nature, cool and sometimes cold. If you’re going to take a winery tour, there’s a very good chance you’re be inside a 55 degree environment for an extended length of time when you’re barrel tasting. Dressing in layers with a sweater and over- coat is always a good idea.
Buying Wine at Wineries
There's no place you'll ever find wines that have been ideally stored than when you buy on-site at a winery. Often you'll be asked to join the winery's wine club or private mailing list. Both often include some perks, but nothing is better than offering to pay cash at the win- ery. That cash usually goes into a picker's fund to treat the grape pickers to a better experience when harvest comes around.
Once you buy the wines, getting them back home is the biggest challenge. To ship wines back to Florida means making sure the winery ships wine. If they do, they will use a ship and store type of ship- ping box. These boxes also can go with you on the plane home, and they come capable of shipping 3, 6, or 12 bottles usually, though some 2 and 4 bottle boxes and styrofoam packaging exist. Another easy way to ship wine home is to put the ship and store it on your plane home and pay the additional bag cost. The best way to ship wine is with a Vin Garde Valise. Designed to make wine shipping and transportation more manageable, the rolling suitcase that is reinforced and padded
makes it so easy to transport wine all over the world.
Staying in Wine Country
More and more wineries are adding overnight stay accommo- dations, which adds to the experience. If you stay at the winery for a few days, you can have your meals with the winery staff and other wine-lov- ing guests. A significant benefit of dinners at the wineries is the elimina- tion of any drinking and driving. But you also get to spend time with the winery's family and hear more stories about the winery, the person- al experiences of the winemaker, and more.
Other options include renting a home via Airbnb or VRBO and using services like Exclusive Resorts if you are a member of the organization. Renting a private home offers more options for cooking meals at home and often just having more room to spread out while traveling with a group of friends. Local chefs can often come in to cook for you and your group at reasonable prices, and most of all, that means you can be opening up some of the bottles you bought along the way.
Dining in Wine Country
Nothing is better than finding local restaurants which special- ize in wine country cooking. But most places are small, and the best ones are known to the locals. Having a winery call on your behalf will often mean you're going to a place where their wines are on the list, either by the glass or bottle. If you're searching on your own, services
Celebrating 30 Years! Taste Dining & Travel • Spring More online at www.tasteweb.net
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