White Hot! Wines for summer

I wrote this a while ago for another publication, but thought it bears repeating....

Napa's Respectful White Grape History

I asked quite a few winemakers in the valley- "what was the first white varietal planted in Napa?" Many puzzled over the answer, and guessed- mission grape. Well, I did my research before I asked the question - I already knew the mission grape was a red varietal- albeit a flabby, weak flavored wine with not much substance, its color was "light" maybe why so many winemakers mistakenly call it white. George Yount first planted the mission grape, he was given the vines from General Vallejo. In 1888 there were over 4000 acres of mission vines planted in Napa Valley. You would think that the mission grape would gracefully go away due to its lack of, well, taste. However, it fought for its place in history, grew angels wings and became a very popular dessert wine - Angelica. You'd be hard pressed (no pun intended) to find one grown and bottled in Napa today- maybe Heitz Cellars still makes one? If you do find one, buy it and enjoy some Napa history!
Dig a little deeper - and along comes the riesling grape. First planted in Napa Valley in 1861 - as far as I can tell, it is actually the very first white varietal planted in our valley. The German immigrants thought the steep hills of the valley were much like what they left behind, and felt riesling would do well here. They were right! (By the 1880's you could find a few whites, riesling, muscat and chenin blanc, etc.) The riesling grape held its own, surviving even Prohibition. It wasn't until the 1980's that riesling and these other whites were eventually pushed aside in the valley for Chardonnay - the queen, and Sauvignon Blanc, But be on the lookout for some whites that deserve your attention- viognier, roussanne, colombard, gewurztraminer, maybe some pinot grigio! Many small produces still grow these respectable whites - check with Small Lots Big Wines for advise on your next white wine tasting trip to Napa Valley!
Tour more than just wineries on your next trip to Napa..do a Segway Napa Tour and make a happy memory!

these little guys are waiting to be pollinated.

Below is a picture from the springtime - of "flowering" when the grapes get pollinated

this is what some zin grapes looked like today in Calistoga..

- August 25th

Calistoga Grapes, Guns and Geysers

After a cold spring, it looks like summer is finally here.
Today we expect a high of 94 in Napa. That's nothing compared to how hot it got in Calistoga - around 105! You can always catch a cool breeze on a segway!

This is Jan, or Young - not sure. I use to see him riding his bike up and down Hwy 29 - he'd sit on someone's stone fence with his shirt off, getting a nice tan. He no longer does that - he now keeps his shirt on, says he needs protection from the sun. You can see him often in the mornings on Lincoln Ave in Calistoga. If you see him, be sure to say "hi" to this delightful Dutchman!
We are very excited to introduce our newest tour - Grapes, Guns and Geysers. It's a 3 hour tour and includes a very tiny "cult" winery where one can relax for a few minutes before getting back on the segways.

The grapes in the valley are growing fast! Here are some pictures of Spring and Summer grapes.

Hope to see you all soon!

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Spring Break= Bud break – how’s that for a segue !

Breaking it! Spring or Bud? This time of the year in Napa Valley is known as Bud Break. Tiny little florets of green, red and yellow spring up all over on the once dormant vines. The contrast of 50 year old wood and newborn leaves are a sight to see. Blue skies, puffy clouds, rainbows, as many different colors of green as the eyes can see- all of this is what you get in April.

We’re had a great time showing visiting families the town of Historic Napa; and the vineyard lined streets of Yountville with Spring taking a prominent place as buds break on the gnarly vineyards- getting ready for vintage 2010. Soon we’ll see tiny grapes forming with the promise of new beginnings.

Speaking of new beginnings- a very romantic way to stay in Napa is to be at one of our many historic Bed & Breakfast’s. This is a photo of McClelland Priest B&B – a Queen Anne style Victorian with beautiful rooms.

Stay there and visit Uncorked!@ the Oxbow to taste the wines Celeste and her husband Bruce make for Ahnfeldt and Cartucci. Where else can you get a really good Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for only $22? Definitely worth a visit.

Tired of paying those high taxes? Every little bit helps, this month we are running a tax break special, because we think you deserve it! Take 10% off all tours for the month of April, and, like Sam and Jessica, you'll be happy you did.

Last month we had a guest who wasn’t able to walk long distances- you can see by this smile that Faith has discovered that, on a Segway, she can easily get around and attend a comprehensive tour about Napa. That’s what I love about these personal mobility devises, it helps those who cannot easily get around to feel liberated and free. We cover a lot of ground on our tours. A normal walking tour might get to 3 major stories in about 1 mile distance. On a segway, you’ll cover around 4-6 miles and learn a lot more – almost like being on a bus tour. Except – on a segway you see more, feel more, and just plain ol’ smile more!

We hope to see you soon!
Cheers!

Segway Napa

Contact: 707-254-9773

http://www.segwaynapa.com/

segwaynapa@aol.com

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April/May Blog

April/May Blog











April showers bring May flowers- so the rhyme goes. In Napa, April was full of showers! May continued with rain during the first week. This is ok for the vines. Speaking of vines = we are now in what is termed Bud Break.

Various levels of budding going on around the valley. (aren't those tiny grapes just too cute! click on the picture to see a bigger view, just remember to click you back button or you'll close out the blog.)









After the mustard and fava were plowed under, beautiful lupin dotted the hills and is absolutely gorgeous! Right now the purple lupin has given way to the yellow, but I don't have a picture of that - - yet!


Our second Concierge Day was a huge success. Thank-you! to all who participated. We glided around the wetlands trail by the Napa River - learned what the bums Bivouac was, and saw the 6th largest solar panel in the US (well, it was 6th when it was built!)
Next one will be in Yountville.










May is a beautiful month to segway in Napa Valley- with all the rain we've had, our hills will stay green at least until the end of the month. Unless we get another crazy hot spell like we did in April- 103 reported in some spots of the Napa Valley.

EXTREME SEGWAY - We had our first qualifying Mount St. Helena tour. Yeah! A recently engaged couple (congrats to S & T!) braved the mountain together - and an old farmer. Ok, well, the old farmer was my dad - but you should've seen how excited he was that someone finally was going up, he's been waiting since December.



Small Lot Wine Tours, one of our sponsors, is undergoing some remodeling. They will now be called, Small Lots, Big Wines - your key to boutique wineries. Looks like a good change - they will start to offer guided tours to the boutique wineries - guess they got a lot of requests for those. Anyway, we highly recommend going to their website and signing up for their newsletter http://smalllotsbigwines.com . They have done a tremendous amount of research into the smaller wineries in the Napa Valley - in order to be on the site, the winery has to be 10,000 cases or less! Definitely worth checking out.

Another new sponsor - please welcome Shelleys-Style.com - Shelley is a local artist with many talents. She sells her tiles at Robert Mondavi Winery, and hopefully soon some other places.

Extreme Segway - Mount St. Helena

I was asked if I would be willing to do a private Segway Tour up Mount St. Helena.

View to the East

At first I thought "no, that's way too steep, and I don't think the segways can make it".

Eventually I gave in, and am SO glad I did. It was amazing - so beautiful.

The Napa Valley was covered with clouds, but high on the mountain the sun shone and you could see forever!

We now offer this special tour to experienced riders. The tour must be paid in advance- since there is a lot of prep getting the segways up there. Still a great deal at $125 per person - 3.5 hours. Minimum two riders. The tour includes a snack and amazing photo opps!

Hope to see you on the mountain!

Cheers!

Segway Napa

707-254-9773

segwaynapa@aol.com