Anyone interested in the essence of the wine county should experience making wine and food first hand. It’s both practical and fun.
For ardent oneophiles or even casual wino’s the must-do activity is make your own wine. Blending sessions are an entertaining way to learn and create your own bottle. The Conn Creek AVA Barrel Room in Napa has barrels of Cabernet Sauvignon representing the diversity of American Viticulture Areas in the valley. The Cabernet barrels are grouped according to five fruit complexity profiles— Soft, Supple, Complex, Rich and Bold. Everything you need from blending beakers to corking is provided. The first step is to taste from each barrel and note what samples appeal to you most. Then after you have an idea of what blend percentages you’d like, you fill your beaker accordingly and try it in the large tasting glass. The tricky part is converting your percentages to millimeters, but don’t worry, calculators are provided.
At Raymond Vineyards in the Blending Room you can also create your own blend, design your own label and order a case made to your specifications.
Once you make your wine, you’ll probably want some cheese to pair with it. Luckily, the other must-do activity I recommend is making cheese, and you can learn how to do that with Sheana Davis, at The Epicurean Connection in Sonoma.
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