Editorial Comments:      SEVEN STEPS FOR A GREAT WINERY VISIT

September/October means what?  Harvest time!  Go out visit several vineyards and discover the world of fine wine.  Winemakers are eager for you to drop by, especially at harvest season when they are anxious.  As their newly picked wine grapes are being pressed and barreled, they hope for you to purchase their bottled wines that have been aged in the cellars.  To enjoy winery visits to the fullest, here are some tips:

1.  Make a plan – do you know that there is at least one winery in every state in the USA?  You do not have to go to Napa Valley, CA or Walla Walla, WA if too far from your home.  Check AAA or Google on your computer to find out where the nearest winery is.  Be sure to check the winery’s schedule and time.

2.  Have a designed driver – if everyone in your car wants to taste wine, then plan a picnic with some sandwiches and snacks to enjoy at the end of the winery visit.  You would want to get sober up before heading home.

3.  Expect a tasting fee – Some wineries used to offer free samples but for some reasons they begin to charge a nominal fee, such as $5 for four samples.  They serve small portions for tasting, not for helping patrons get drunk.

4.  Be prepared for a required tour…with or without an interpreter – in some wineries winemakers want to show off their work of art by asking you to take a tour with them before they offer you tasting samples.  Need an interpreter?  Is a winery you happen to visit required by the ADA law to provide an interpreter?  Small wineries may be an exemption.  It is all up to you to decide.

5.  Write your own rating – after tasting each wine, write down your reaction or simply give it stars (5 stars for best, one star for worst).  It will be very helpful if you plan to go to a few more wineries that day.  When you review your own rating sheet, . . .

6.  . . . Go back to the winery and buy the best wine you just discovered – just do it.  Perhaps buy a case as it will give you long-lasting pleasure at home.  Try not to be obsessed about comparing prices, "hey, I could get much cheaper wine at WalMart, blah blah".  Bargain stores don't get quality wine (they do not store them correctly, after all).  You get what you pay for.

7.  Keep wines out of the hot car – a parked car under hot sun will cook your wine in no time flat.  Bring a box or cooler if you can plan ahead.  Another possibility is to ask wineries to ship your case.

Fun fact:  A friend of mine showed me a box of corks he saved after opening wine bottles but he didn’t want to throw them away even though he wasn't sure about what to do with them.  This is what I did at home and you might want to do the same:    Go to www.wineenthusiast.com and type the key word, "cork kit".

Answer to the trivia question from the last issue:  Wine bottles are stored horizontally in order to: b) keep the cork moist.  If a wine bottle is stored vertically, its cork would become dry and shrunk.  When it happens, the air will get into the bottle and wine becomes oxidized; hence it will become vinegar.  Who wants to drink vinegar?!

Today's trivia question:  The experts tend to agree that California's best wine comes from:

a) Cabernet Sauvignon grapes
b) Pinot Noir grapes
c) Mission grapes.
     ( answer in the next Deaf Grapevine newsletter, November/December ‘07 )

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