A More Personal Winery Experience
The other day another guide called up for my winery recommendations in Northern Napa, most specifically Russian River Valley. What he wanted was those smaller places where the experience is personal and friendly and the presentation is not scripted. That's always the challenge, when you pour wine for a living there is only so much you can say about a particular, small group of bottles. Many smaller wineries only make two or three wines and wine making isn't rocket surgery.
You can talk about the land, the vines, the winemaking technique and the flavors, and of course the people who make the wines, from the owners to the cellar rats to the winemaker. After a while the tasting room staff can't say it any more so they leave to work someplace else, even if just to talk about different wines. The wineries where the staff stays for a longer period of time focus on the hospitality more than the wines. They make their customers their first priority, instead of being human sign posts for their labels. Generally it makes a nicer experience.
It's easier for a tour guide, we wander all over both Napa and Sonoma, both big agricultural counties, that span a wide variety of temperature ranges, producing many different varietals. Sonoma has an older history and Napa has more fame, and they are both home to people from all over the world, many who have done significant things before they arrived here. There is always something to talk about related to wine country.
The most personal tasting experiences take place with the winemaker or the owner. After that, the person pouring works directly with one of those two people. Each step you take away from the that essential person the more generic the tasting becomes, and the faster the turnover rate in the tasting room. In our newest Mobile App we've begun listing in the first part of the description whether the winery is corporate or family run. The difference in the tasting experience is that dramatic. That's how you get a more personal experience, you infuse it with people who care.
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