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

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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Segway into the Season of Giving!

November left Napa with a wind storm which resulted in downed trees, power outages - and shops losing out on the big weekend after Thanksgiving spending spree. Luckily it only lasted until 4 pm. Good thing too, since the parade started at 5!

Segway Napa participated again in the Light Parade - handing out awesome savings coupons. Did you get one? It expires on December 31, 2009. We do this once a year, during the parade. If you missed out - don't worry - we have various specials going through April.

December has been chilly, getting as low as 21 degrees! Even so, we've had a lot of segway riders braving the cold to see Napa in this unique, fun way. We love our customers - you are truly adventerous!

Something that surprised me - mustard blooming in Carneros! This is the earliest I can remember it blooming! I've seen it often in late December, but not during the first week.

Are you looking for that special unique gift? Consider a Segway Napa Gift Certificate. With our 25% Christmas special (and Hanukkah :) it's a win/win.

December is a time for giving - this year we have received many requests for gift certificates for Christmas presents. Assuming the last order was also a Christmas Gift, I offered cute Christmas stickers to make it festive. The lady laughed and said that would be great, except this was a Hanukkah gift! I couldn't find any Hanukkah stickers :( but hopefully the present will be well received.

Speaking of giving- Small Lots Big Wines is holding their monthly tasting this Sunday (Dec. 13th) at the Rutherford Grange, featuring "Wines That Give Back" - it's a very cool event with some very amazing wines being poured. (like Cloud's Rest) Wineries will be taking wine orders, a portion of profits go to the charity of their choice. There will also be baked goods, art, jewelry and wine swag. And - weather permitting, free segway lessons. So, if you're in the valley and still need some gifts, stop by! 2pm - 6 pm. $15 at the door.

Contact: www.segwaynapa.com, segwaynapa@aol.com, 707-254-9773

3 blokes on Segways; Team Building

Crush Update: Today is probably the wettest days ever in recent memory during crush, we may get as much as 4 inches of rain! Lots of vineyard managers and winemakers hurried to get the fruit off the vine this past weekend - the brix was not yet what they were hoping for. The aftermath of Typhoon Melor that hit Japan last week is wreaking havoc!

3 Blokes on Segways
I was getting ready for one tour when I received a call from someone wanting a Yountville tour the next morning. He wanted to come by the shop to check things out. Well, we don’t have a shop. Like many Segway businesses – we are mobile and bring the Segways to where you want to go!
What I liked was how he phrased this – we’re just three blokes who want to ride Segways – can you give us a private tour, we shouldn’t be around other people– we want to taste wine! After some discussion I decided to take them to the Verismo tasting room to start.

Austin was great – he poured 4 delicious wines, told how the Stella label was named after the family dog, and was willing to pour other wines upon request. After a great stop - we were on our way. We rode through some vineyards – my blokes were definitely on the wild side! I felt like a mom telling them to be careful, don’t scare the cars, go slow around people. Like many boys, they didn’t listen. So I took them on some roads less traveled. One bloke – he was late 40’s I think, just went crazy – even on turtle mode he was zipping around – he laughed almost the entire time!
Our next stop was at a boutique winery that allows you to do hand punch downs. Hopper Creek is just the most unique experience. They got to chat with Winemaker Joseph inside the winery.

I know, I sound like a broken record – but if you want to get up close and personal to the grapes during crush – the Segway Yountville Tour is a MUST DO! They have two nice patios where you can enjoy watching the grapes ripen, our Dan’s vegetable garden grow. The dogs that hang there are in the Vineyard Dog books. The blokes really loved getting their hands stained, and winemaker Barry hung around to answer a lot of technical questions. All in all, I’d say it was a great tour!

Glide Your Way to Team Building!
So many companies are doing Team Building to get their employees to bond, to hone leadership skills, and to make, well, a team.

Segway Napa has jumped on that band wagon! At first we tried “leading your partner by blindfold” - that was disastrous! Then we tried an obstacle course. That was ok, but hey, who wants to waste time on a Segway going back and forth at the park. We finally realized that segwaying together through the beautiful countryside, visiting a winery – relaxing with wine and cheese – was really enough for the team building experience. Some from our recent team told us it was the best team building they’d ever done! And they do it often! Put a feather in my cap “)

Do you belong to a company or organization that does team building?

Suggest Segway Napa for your next adventure!

Small Lots Big Wines - Segway Napa Historty Article

Segway Napa does the history article for Small Lots Big Wines.

These two photos are teasers - to learn more, click on this link

http://napa.smalllotsbigwines.com/napa-history/urban-legends

Our Beyond Wine Tour of Historic Downtown Napa is jam packed with quirky, fun, facts!

Visit our website at www.segwaynapa.com

Bring It!~ Crush is here at last . . .

Don't let this picture upset you - the grapes are getting thinned to allow for maximum sun exposure to the rest of the red grapes to bring you the very best wine Napa has to offer!

Wow, things are definitely hopping here in the valley - harvest has started - traffic is getting heavy, and the mood is happy! The wineries are the happiest - since '08 yielded so little- this year there are tons of grapes for sale on the market. I guess the vineyard owners are not too happy about that! Unfortunately, you can't please all the people all the time.

Most wineries are crushing white. Some have even started on the reds.

Segway Napa can get you up close and personal to those red grapes - if you're not afraid to get your hands dirty, that is. Our Yountville tour is probably the most popular this time of year - Harvest is a great time to be in the valley - you can actually smell the grapes fermenting as you glide along the side roads.

If you've glided with us before - be on the lookout for some mail from Segway Napa - that is if you gave us your address :)

Do you like history - Check out our history articles at http://www.smalllotsbigwines.com/ Small Lots Big Wines is your concierge to unique boutique wineries in Napa and Sonoma - they can arrange a very special day with owners and winemakers. Here is link to our September article- http://napa.smalllotsbigwines.com/napa-history/napas-white-grape-roots

Summer is coming to a close, our family discount is good until September 22nd - so if you have kids - now is the time to take advantage of our kids tour for 1/2 off. But if you miss us this year, there's always next year!

Until then, happy gliding to you all!

Segway to Summer Happiness!

mmm, summer, fresh berry pies, sun kissed cheeks, 4th of July, baseball, hot August nights, ah - segways! A new family tradition! Our Summer Family Special is a big hit with families making Napa their vacation destination - we have more kids riding segways this year then ever. Talk about making a memorable family experience! Brings back fond memories of our family vacation two years ago in San Antonio. Segwaying around the Alamo! We had a big family get together with 11 people - the youngest was 2- too young for a segway - so dad rented a bike with a trailer and came along for the fun! If you plan to visit Napa this summer, be sure to experience some of our down home events: Parades, Fairs, Farmer's Markets, Free Concerts in the Park, Town & County Fair, Movie nights outdoors in the Park, etc.




We've been keeping a close eye on the grapes - they are starting to turn a beautiful deep purple. The sparkling wine grapes will probably be picked this month. Most of harvest is Sept-Oct. We have a boutique winery that we visit during harvest that allows guests to participate - it's fun to punch down the grapes in the bins! Get your hands stained - great reminder for a few days of the fun you had!







Small Lots, Big Wines finally re launched their site. Want to go to some fantastic hidden secrets of the Napa Valley? Small Lots will point the way. I recently scheduled a tasting at Bourassa Cellars. At first I had misgivings, I mean, seriously, going to a Corporate Park? But once you're inside you're beamed into a small, intimate winery, the ambiance makes you feel very special - and the wines are amazing - I can't wait to go back!!