Chardonnay Update with Winegrower Armando Ceja

As the summer weather warms up, grape grower and winemaker Armando Ceja talks about the progress of Ceja Vineyards' Carneros chardonnay vineyard.

What dog days?

Long time, no type my friends...here we are, the end of July, the "Dog Days of Summer" (please note my use of the recently created 'sarcastic' font) What, you ask, are the "Dog Days of Summer?"

Taken from Merriam-Webster.com:
Function: noun plural
Etymology: from their being reckoned from the heliacal rising of the Dog Star (Sirius)
Date: 1538
1 : the period between early July and early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere
2 : a period of stagnation or inactivity

A more dire description can be found in Brady's Clavis Calendarium (1813): Dog Days were popularly believed to be an evil time "when the seas boiled, wine turned sour, dogs grew mad, and all creatures became languid, causing to man burning fevers, hysterics, and phrensies"

What can I say…no (metaphorical) dogs this year! Brady makes it sound pretty nasty...especially that sour wine bit. If anything, spring and summer so far have been more like nature’s “casual Friday” around here. Not too hot, a few unseasonably cool days, dry, with minimal mildew pressure (which means much less spraying!). With the exception of our Malbec (more on that later) we exited spring with a phenomenal set. We are on track to have a slightly above average crop load than last year…which, as a winemaker, has me a bit concerned. I’ve been working closely with Sam, Juan, and Arturo who are doing a great job at selectively dropping fruit. In a year like this where there is no sign of verasion yet, getting rid of this excess crop today is going to help ensure that the fruit comes in with beautiful flavor and color…and not too late either!

Yeah, so about that Malbec. Commonly referred to as “the heartbreak grape”, Malbec is notorious for being very fragile during flowering. You sometimes hear of “shatter”; that is the phenomenon of the unpolenated pistil, dried up, and falling to the ground. In a typical year, we’ll witness 15% to 25% shatter on most of our varietals (yes, the joy of mountain farming). On the Malbec this year, it’s all over the place. There will be some vines with 30% shatter…and some with…my best guess, 95% shatter (I’m not sure how to quantify a cluster with three or five berries on it). This will present a challenge this year in determining ripeness, but that’s what makes farming fun. We’ll probably make multiple passes…a primary for the vines with minimal fruit load (get all the equipment dirty for 200 lbs of fruit…JOY!), followed by secondary and tertiary passes, based on fruit load.

Well, in other non-dog day news, my father, Fred, has been smiling ear to ear the past few months as he’s been able to re-embrace his first true love, construction. Most visitors to Schweiger Vineyards have fun with our outdoor tasting for whites, followed by a brief tour, concluding with red wine tasting in the barrel cavern. Coming soon, a new area to enjoy Schweiger Wines, our new tasting salon. One very fun feature will be a large deck overlooking one of our Cabernet blocks with the view of the Napa Valley laid out before you. This will truly be a comfortable place to sample our wines on those cool winter days…is that when the “hounds of winter” arrive to chase off these summer dogs? While I'm not crazy about Brady's aforementioned sour wine, I sure am rooting for a bit more heat in the months to come. Like all other things in farming...patience. In the meantime, let's raise a glass to whatever sort of canine you find nearby.

Andrew T. Schweiger, Winemaker, Schweiger Vineyards
Follow me on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SchweigerWine/
Learn more about us at: http://www.schweigervineyards.com/

The panorama from the future tasting room deck.

Martin Estate Summer 2010: Healthy Evolution in the Vineyard

While there are those who express concern about the mild summer conditions and late rains of Napa Valley’s 2010 growing season, Martin Estate Winemaker Frederic Delivert is very excited about the Puerta Dorada Vineyard’s balanced berry set and healthy leaf canopies. We briefly visited with Frederic and Martin Estate’s talented Vineyard Manager Josh Clark to talk about the upcoming 2010 harvest and the evolution of the estate’s Rutherford vineyard.

The biggest changes this year, according to Clark, have been the trellis improvements made to several portions of the vineyard, which involved replacing the shorter wood line stakes with a metal line stake that allows the canopy to grow taller while still supporting the leafy growth and holding the vines and canopy in place.

While the extra rains and cooler than normal spring increased the risk for shatter, all signs indicate that Martin Estate made it through the high risk period in stunning fashion, with the berries setting evenly and naturally. “The soil now is drying down nicely and the berries should not get too big as a result,” Clark says. Clark will do a green harvest at veraison to further ensure that the grapes that make it to harvest are as uniformly ripe as they can be. The vineyard crew will once again hand harvest fruit into individual 30-pound lug boxes (by comparison, most commercial wineries harvest into one and two TON bins). The crew will arrive in the wee morning hours before daybreak. Picking will finish by mid-morning to ensure that they are cool and perfect for processing at the winery.

If the nice summer weather continues, we should be harvesting by early October!

Sensory Garden Overload!

Round Pond may have ~350 acres of vineyards planted, but since those are no where near ready for harvest, our current focus is on our organic and biodynamic gardens! Jeff Dawson planted our sensory garden behind the winery in February of 2009. When you enter the garden, you are greeted by 4 quadrants, each designated to a different set of characteristics. The front two are Cabernet Sauvignon descriptors and Sauvignon Blanc descriptors. These are planted with fruits and vegetables that have the attributes of flavors or smells you would find in the wine. The back two are affiliates, foods you would pair with each of the the wines. The garden spralls from these center qauds in each direction, overflowing with leafy greens, flowering buds and ripening fruits.

This time of year is just the beginning of the incredible growing season ahead of us. The melons are just starting to form and the tomatoes are still bright green. But the plants, birds, and buzzing bees are hard at work, and so are the gardeners! Jeff Dawson and his son Marley work in the garden every day to make sure our winery , olive mill and the estate homes are supplied with the freshest vegetables and fruits they can offer. They practice biodynamic gardening which is a unique practice that is based on the lunar cycle. While there are several other eccentricities to this gardening practice that I do not fully understand, suffice it to say that whatever they are doing works!

The gardeners also work closely with our in-house chef to communicate what they plan to expect for harvest that week. This allows chef Hannah to prepare food and wine pairings, and our educational, interactive Garden to Table brunch that takes place on Sundays. If you are looking for an opportunity to get your hands dirty in the garden and learn to prepare a fresh meal straight from the bounty that the ground provides you, this is a great opportunity! Check out more about that on our website.
This week the garden is providing us with fresh baby lettuces, strawberries, peaches and cucumbers! I had a little sampling of warm strawberries yesterday afternoon, just to check that they were good enough for others to eat. The winery staff gave their nod of approval as well!
We hope that if you are ever in the area you will come by our winery and take a stroll through our gardens. No appointment is needed for this visit, and we encourage you to stop by multiple times throughout the year to watch as the plantings change and different items come into season. For a detailed look at our growing season on the property, you can check out our facebook page.

A Bug's Life

Alan's got 2500 new "pets" roaming the vineyards. Last week on a 95-degree day, we spent an hour walking up and down the vineyard rows on Block B (one of the steepest parts of our vineyard!) dispersing tiny wasps named Anagyrus pseudococci. Each vial holds about 100 adult females that will combat the Vine Mealybug, a parasite that can be harmful to grapevines.

This fascinating little bug will multiply and contribute to a more balanced ecosystem within the vineyard - a key concept of sustainable farming. Introducing these wasps is an alternative of using insecticides, and Alan was happy that his "pets" finally arrived!

On other news, flowering has finished throughout the vineyard, and we had great berry set. The 2010 clusters look very balanced, and we have had healthy shoot growth and a full canopy due to the April and May rains. Pictured here is a cluster of our estate Syrah. What I find most interesting about this stage of development is that the skin of the green berries has chlorophyll and acts much more like leaves, photosynthesizing sunlight and gathering a small amount of energy.

Happy 4th!

Janet Viader

sales & marketing at VIADER

Auction Napa Valley 2010 Montage

We're still riding high from a fabulous Auction Napa Valley weekend and $8.5 million raised for our community. Check out this new video montage from all three days of the event - and thank you again to the bidders, vintners and volunteers who helped make Auction such a success!

Optimism and Revenues High at Napa Valley Vintners' Charity Wine Auction

30th Annual Auction Napa Valley Up 49% Over Previous Year

As the final gavel fell, more than $8.5 million was raised with fun, excitement and optimism as the keywords for the Napa Valley Vintners’ (NVV) 30th Auction Napa Valley—The American Wine Classic. The annual charity wine auction was held this past weekend in Napa Valley. Paddles were raised high and raised often at Saturday’s Live Auction, the centerpiece of the renowned fundraiser that took place at Meadowood Napa Valley in St. Helena on a postcard-perfect afternoon.

The highlight of the day by all measures was Fund a Need, which raised more than $1 million for children’s health and wellness programs in Napa County. Long-time auctioneer Fritz Hatton, along with his freshman partner David Reynolds called on bidders to offer cash commitments, with no prize to be won other than the pride taken for providing for programs like children’s immunizations, literacy and mentoring programs, and protection from abuse. Normally just a paddle raise, this year, an old-fashioned lemonade sale where local children festooned in bright yellow t-shirts helped first-hand with the fundraising.

After the initial round of pledges were recorded, bidders tossed wooden chips with dollar amounts on one side and their bidder number on the other into tin buckets carried by the youngsters resulting in thunderous clanking under the auction tent. After several other lots were sold in the auction, vintner-bidder Rick Jones of Jones Family Vineyards asked to reopen Fund a Need bidding with a $100,000 offering from his family’s foundation. Others joined in which brought the final Fund a Need tally to more than $1 million and included donations large and small from bidders, vintners, volunteers and even attending media.

“I think the auction week might be a metaphor for the economy and the wine industry. It had been unseasonably rainy in the days leading up to the event, with dark clouds looming overhead. But the spirit of the attendees gathering to raise money for charity and celebrate with wine could not be dampened. When it was time to get to the bidding, the sun came out—bidders were happy to be here and were generous,” said Bruce Cakebread, president of the NVV’s board of directors.

Organizers created a daytime gathering for the Saturday event so as to enjoy the natural beauty of the Napa Valley, and guests were thrilled with the new, more casual format. “We had a spectacular weekend—a perfect Napa Valley experience where longtime friends of the auction returned to spend time with the vintners and their fellow bidders, and opened their wallets for the scores of non-profit programs that will benefit from the funds raised this weekend,” said Beth Novak Milliken of Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and Winery. She, along with her mother Mary Novak, presided over the year-long planning as honorary chairs

The auction launched with a unique lot of more than 30 magnums titled “What’s New,” and was an offering from the many new-to-the-association member wineries along with the original artwork from this year’s auction poster. Lot 1 was purchased by returning bidder Jose Nazar of Los Angeles.

Excitement mounted at lot 16’s bidding for Colgin Cellars’ offering of eight magnum bottles of Cariad. Initially there were four bidders battling for the lot, driving the price to $250,000 when auctioneers asked Ann Colgin if she wanted to quadruple her offering to allow for four successful bidders, which she and the bidders all agreed to, and the gavel eventually closed at $1 million for the expanded offering.

MK Koo of Hong Kong returned to Auction Napa Valley said, “I am always happy to come to Napa Valley. I was first introduced to the Auction in 1995 and I keep coming back because of the friendships created with the people who are here. And, it’s an opportunity to taste and toast with the best wines.” As for his successful $200,000 bid on a single 6-liter bottle Screaming Eagle, “It was top of my list, first because it’s a great wine, and second because it’s easy to carry home!”

The top 12 live lots were: Fund a Need, Colgin Cellars, Harlan Estate, Arietta and Hudson Vineyards, Beringer Vineyards, Shafer Vineyards, Dalla Valle Vineyards, Spottswoode Estate Vineyard and Winery, Casa Piena, Araujo Estate Wines, NVV in partnership with Lexus, and Screaming Eagle.

Another winning bidder of the day, seven-time attendee Harry Lange of Boston said “This is always an exciting, classic event,” and he takes away the Yountville Appellation and Far Niente lots as his prizes this year.

The Friday Festivities
Bidders from across the country and around the globe joined the four-day event. Friday featured the ever-popular Taste Napa Valley and Barrel Auction at the historic Rubicon Estate in Rutherford. With more than 100 wineries pouring white wines along side 60 of the region’s top restaurateurs and artisanal food producers around the grand fountain, the attendees were entertained by a trio of vintner rock bands.

One vintner band member, David Duncan of Silver Oak Cellars said, “Everybody wants to be a rock star, but I’m far more nervous about performing in front of these folks than I am about making wine.” Entertainment chair of this year’s auction steering committee was Jeff Smith of Hourglass Winery, whose band Wrist Rocket performed as well. “We had a ball,” said Smith, and the crowd got really into the music and the wine—we had a great time.”

Inside the caves at Rubicon Estate, 100 vintners offered barrel-futures, mostly Cabernet Sauvignon and red wine blends, thieved right from the barrel for tasting before bidding. In the end just over $1 million was raised from the 1,000 cases. Due to space constraints, 20% fewer barrels could be offered to bidders, so the income is significant that it remained at historic highs with fewer offerings. The top selling barrel lot for the day was from Shafer Vineyards which sold for just under $59,000.

Rubicon’s General Manager Larry Stone said, “We were honored to open up the estate and be the host location for the Friday festivities. As one of the seven founding members of the NVV in 1944, being part of the 30th anniversary celebration was a great opportunity for us.”

The NVV was cautiously optimistic in March, when tickets went on sale on the 31st and the a la carte Friday event tickets sold out in less than 30 minutes online. Full four-day packages sold at a brisk rate not seen in a few years, and the event was full in record time.

Quintessential Food Lover’s Weekend
In addition to the private parties on Thursday and Friday nights with the vintners, and the offerings at the Marketplace at Friday’s Taste Napa Valley, 16 top chefs gathered to create lunch and dinner for Live Auction guests on the lawn at Meadowood.

The gentlemen’s team created a travel-around luncheon on the fairway as guests arrived and included the talents of: Octavio Becerra of Palate, Los Angeles; Jean Joho of Everest, Chicago; Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, Napa Valley; Christopher Kostow of The Restaurant at Meadowood, Napa Valley; Lars Kronmark of The CIA Greystone, Napa Valley; Paul LeMieux of Auberge du Soleil, Napa Valley; Walter Manzke, formerly of Church and State, Los Angeles; Michael Mina of Michael Mina, San Francisco; Richard Reddington of Redd, Napa Valley; Frank Stitt of Highlands Bar and Grill, Birmingham, AL; Michael Tusk of Quince, San Francisco.

As the bidding concluded, the evening’s festivities kicked-in with a Ladies’ Night theme with top women chefs—including: Suzanne Goin of Lucques, Los Angeles; Carrie Nahabedian of Naha, Chicago; Melissa Perello of Frances, San Francisco; Elizabeth Prueitt of Tartine, San Francisco; Suzanne Tracht of Jar, Los Angeles—with a family-style supper under the stars. Then, to add that last bit of shimmer to a sparkling evening with the ladies, the girl-band The Bangles performed and had everyone on their feet dancing to songs like their hit “Walk Like an Egyptian.”

The online E-Auction allowed bidders from around the globe to have a virtual Napa Valley experience by bidding and winning lots, even if they were not able to attend in person. More than 150 unique collections or large-format bottles of wine were offered. Some up for bid included vintner-hosted meals, guest house stays and blending sessions. Online bidders hailed from Arizona, Illinois, Florida and all points across the US to Canada, Japan and China.

This year Auction Napa Valley was viral and the social media networks were a buzz with activities as everyone was tweeting, Facebooking and blogging about their experiences and insights into all things Auction Napa Valley. There were moment to moment updates from the Friday events at Rubicon, vintner dinner parties valley wide and robust play-by-play posts from the Live Auction on Saturday. On twitter, #AuctionNV is the hash tag.

Auction 2011
Planning has already begun for next year, where once again, Auction Napa Valley will convene the first full weekend in June, 2 through 5, 2011.

Auction Napa Valley by the Numbers
2010 is the 30th annual event, founded in 1981
The first auction raised an unheard of $140,000
151 E-Auction Lots
100 Barrel Auction Lots (each barrel is 10 individual case offerings = 1,000 cases)
41 Live Auction Lots
486 successful bidders overall
Attendance at Taste Napa Valley at Rubicon Estate = 2,000 including bidders and vintners
Attendance at The Live Auction at Meadowood Napa Valley = 850 including bidders and vintners
More than 100 media attended from across the country and around the world
More than 600 community volunteers
Auction Napa Valley remains the world’s most successful charity wine auction.

Click here to see more photos of Auction Napa Valley

About Auction Napa Valley
Auction Napa Valley is the most successful charity wine auction in the world and to date has given $90 million to scores of non-profit programs. The annual fundraiser is hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners, the non-profit trade association representing nearly 400 wineries in the renowned Napa Valley. The auction was founded in 1981 under the vision of Robert and Margrit Mondavi and has grown to be a four-day celebration of wine, food and fundraising held the first weekend in June.

About Napa Valley Vintners
The Napa Valley Vintners is the non-profit trade association responsible for promoting and protecting the Napa Valley appellation as the premier winegrowing region. From seven founding members in 1944, today the association represents nearly 400 Napa Valley wineries and collectively is a leader in the world-wide wine industry. To learn more about our region and its legendary American wines, visit www.napavintners.com

Scenes from Auction Napa Valley - Friday's Taste Napa Valley Event

Auction Napa Valley 2010 is finally here!

As honorary chairs of the 30th Auction, we want to welcome all of our bidders and guests to the Valley, and thank everyone who has been involved in planning what we hope will be a wonderful and exciting week of fun fundraising.

As in the past, our vintner members have come through with overwhelming generosity to create unique, attention-getting lots for the E-Auctions, Barrel Auction, and Live Auction. They’ve opened their homes to host elegant hospitality events, and they’ve donated their best bottles to share as we come together to celebrate the cultural and scenic beauty of Napa Valley and its world-class wines, and raise much-needed funds for the approximately 45 Napa-based healthcare, youth development and affordable housing non-profits the Auction benefits. Their efforts epitomize the sentiment of neighbor helping neighbor, and we’re proud to be part of their community.

Many of our bidders join us from far off places, but at Auction Napa Valley they become part of our local wine community, and we’re eager to welcome back old friends and get to know new faces. On behalf of the Napa Valley Vintners, I want to say that we highly appreciate their energy, friendship and generosity.

And we could not have a successful Auction without the volunteers! More than 600 people have donated their time to work at jobs ranging from guest greeter to green concierge and their contribution – and our gratitude – cannot be overstated.

We also owe thanks to Rubicon Estate for the support and hospitality they offer as hosts of the Friday Taste Napa Valley and Barrel Auction, and of course to the gracious folks at beautiful Meadowood, who do so much to make the Live Auction a grand affair. And lastly, special recognition and appreciation goes out to our sponsors who contribute generously of their time, goods and services.

Cheers, and best wishes to everyone as we kick off Auction Napa Valley 2010.

Mary Novak and Beth Novak Milliken
Spottswoode Vineyards
Honorary Co-Chairs of Auction Napa Valley 2010

Bidders without Borders: Vote for your favorite photo!

Where are you placing your e-bid for Auction Napa Valley? We want to know!

Whether you're in Napa or live thousands of miles away, you can part of the global Auction Napa Valley community during the E-Auction by posting a photo of where you are when you bid and telling us the lot you're after on Twitter using #AuctionNV.

(If you don’t have a Twitter account, email your photo and a 130 character description to jcrafton@napavintners.com).

During the E-Auction, we will invite the public to vote for their favorite photos. Winners of photo contests will receive Auction Napa Valley gift baskets.

Join us in voting during our first photo contest - choose your favorite photo/description in the poll above. Votes will be collected until Tuesday, June 1st.

Happy tweeting & bidding!

‘Budding’ Florists at St. Helena High School Make Auction Napa Valley Centerpieces

This year there are some new florists in town working on Auction Napa Valley – the students in the Floral Class at St. Helena High School. Mary Ross of Five Star Productions, the Auction Napa Valley design team, enlisted the help of teacher Sarah Herdell and her high school class in making the centerpieces for this year’s Live Auction at Meadowood.

While the Auction is still a week away, the students are hard at work getting a head start on the more than fifty centerpieces. The project began with the painting of wooden utensils that will offer a little extra pizzazz (and you’ll know why when you see the photos!) to the arrangements. When we caught up with them, the students were getting a lesson in potting succulents – the perfect solution for creating arrangements that will look as good in a week as they do today!

As icing on the cake, the Friday before the Live Auction the students will have the opportunity to visit Meadowood and see their final arrangements in place in the Live Auction tent.

Thank you to Sarah Herdell, her students and Mary Ross for their contributions towards Auction Napa Valley – your arrangements will lend a special, personal touch to each and every table!

From $140,000 to $90 Million: Auction Napa Valley's 29 years of giving

Auction Napa Valley
by John Shafer

It was the spring of 1981 at the monthly luncheon meeting of the Napa Valley Vintners membership held at the Lodi Farm Center and catered by Sally Schmitt, the founder/chef of the original French Laundry. As a new vintner it was an exciting time for me – lunching with such vintners as Louis Martini, Bob and Peter Mondavi, Hans Kornell, Al Bronstein, Jack Davies, and many other legendary figures in the Valley.

There was essentially only one item of business – planning for the vintners’ first Napa Valley Wine Auction. With the Hospice du Beaune auction in France as an example, it was decided that the Valley’s two hospitals, Queen of the Valley and St. Helena Hospital, would be the beneficiaries and thus the health needs of the county would be the priority.

With no prior experience, the vintners and many community volunteers agonized over the plans for the debut event – how many people would attend? How much would they bid on the donated bottles? How much money could we raise for the hospitals?

Meadowood Napa Valley’s golf course was (and is) the auction site and with a large local volunteer group, the first Napa Valley Wine Auction (today called Auction Napa Valley) took place. The total proceeds that first year, $140,000, was encouraging, and an annual event was born.

Now, almost 30 years later, everyone knows the answers to the questions that plagued the minds of the organizers that first year. So far, $90-million has been given – all earmarked for Napa County non-profit agencies involved with health, youth development and affordable housing. (With the financial success of the auction it was decided in 1999 to enlarge the scope of the giving to include agencies aimed at youth development and housing needs.)

Today there are approximately 45 non-profit organizations selected each year by a Grants Review Committee made up of vintner members of the Association.

The impact of Auction Napa Valley has made a major difference, not only in Napa County but throughout the United States. We have reason to believe that the idea of a wine auction as a fund-raising device in this country started with our first event in 1981. Today, the concept of an auction involving wines is widespread, with museums, symphonies, private schools, and many charities choosing it as a major way of raising money.

Looking back on these 29 years I have a real sense of pride – shared by all our vintners – in the generous contributions of the wineries. Their wine donations, elaborate dinners, expensive travels, and other hospitality activities, along with the wonderful community volunteers, have made our annual effort very fulfilling.

With proceeds varying in recent years, the Auction Board of Directors made an unprecedented promise to the community in 2007. Called the 5 x 5 Community Promise, the Auction committed to donate $5-million each year for five years to the nonprofits, regardless of whether the money was actually raised that year or not, making up the difference from the Auction Health Care Fund (a fund set up from the beginning as a “rainy day,” or reserve pot), as needed,

There are so many great examples of what this money has been able to do. I’ll leave you with just two that I found very moving.

-- Several years ago a little known problem faced by foster children came to the attention of the Auction – the issue of their emancipation. Napa, like many other cities, had its share of children who at age 18 were released to the community with little preparation for living on their own. A program called VOICES (Voice Our Independent Choices for Emancipation Support) was founded in collaboration with other Napa funders to help these young people set up their own facility and program in which they help each other.

-- Another agency supported by Auction funds is NEWS (Napa Emergency Women’s Services), aimed at helping women and children leaving an abusive relationship. For example, not long ago “Sandra” stayed at the NEWS shelter for three months while she worked at finding her way out of an abusive relationship. A court advocate helped her obtain a protective order and children custody papers. With the County’s Homeless Prevention program, “Sandra” received a rental subsidy so she and her children could move into a home of their own.

It has been thrilling to participate in the success of the Auction for nearly 30 years – both in its success as a leading philanthropic event and in its success implementing so many great programs that have enormously improved the wellbeing of this community. I look forward to another great event this year and raise a toast to everyone who works so diligently to make Napa Valley a better place to live.

Click here to view John’s video blog.

Forever Tango at VIADER...

A little taste of an Argentine classic: "Volver" by Carlos Gardel.

As Auction Napa Valley approaches - NEXT WEEK! - the many Napa wineries and families involved will be opening their doors to host small groups for parties, dinners, and fun. These hospitality parties are scheduled on the days leading up to the main events on Friday and Saturday, and are offered to guests with tickets to the full weekend's festivities. (Get your ticket!)

Our winery decided to go back to my mother Delia's roots in Buenos Aires, to create a look and feel of a colorful cafe in the tango neighborhood called "La Boca." A traditional Argentine dinner will prepared by my sister-in-law, the ever-fabulous Chef Mariela Viader (there's more to it than just grass-fed beef!). For ambiance, a pair of dancers will take cues from Mariela's immensely talented cousin Alfredo Caceres, who will be playing tango classics on the guitar. There may even be informal tango lessons!

Professional dancers

Remember, if you cannot seem to make it in person, you can participate online via the E-Auction. Select lots will be featured during four consecutive weeks. We already have two down, and two to go! VIADER's E-Lot #488 will go live with Week 4 on Sunday, May 30th at 6:00pm.

Hasta luego che!

Atentamente,

Janet Viader, sales & marketing at VIADER

Secrets to Building Top-Bid Napa Valley Auction Lots

The key to building a lot that will garner top bids in the live auction is in creating a winning combination of great wines and one-of-a-kind experiences that cannot be duplicated without special “access” to the people, places and things that are not generally available.

Collaborating is essential, and in the spirit of developing a unique event, we reach out to people for the access that makes it possible. Example: for the 2007 Auction Napa Valley, we connected with the CEO of Maseratti through a friend and requested that his company make two of his brand new coupes available for our use to drive all over Italy as one of the core components of the adventure we were building. His response was that it had never been done before. I asked him to think about it. Eventually he agreed, and it became the cornerstone of a lot that brought in $1.1 million!

Once the pieces of an exciting lot have been assembled, promoting it in advance is critical to building excitement that will carry into the tent on Auction day. We usually start this effort in January of the auction year because bidders need time to think about a complex lot, and many form consortiums with friends to share the experience and expense.

This year, our partners are Departures Magazine and CORE: club New York. Our lot is titled: “Connoisseur Collection – One-of-Kind Experiences in Napa Valley, New York City, Los Cabos, Mexico and the World.” (Click here to see a video description.) Departures has promoted the lot to its Platinum Card® and Centurion® members from American Express, and we’ve co-hosted two events at the CORE: club to help us connect with past top-bidders and people who would potentially be interested in it. So far, the feedback has been excellent, and we’re hopeful our lot will be a star on auction day.

Once the gavel comes down and the lot sells, the work begins to make the adventure happen. Schedules are always tight, and bidders are extremely gracious in understanding that it can take up to a year to align all of the people and places. And making the personal commitment to participate with the bidders in their adventure as their guide who takes the sponsor responsibility seriously is important. It brings a comfort level. The bidders know they can relax and enjoy the experience without concern.

So, as I write this, Shari and I are on a plane to Europe with the winning bidders of our 2009 lot, and we have an amazing adventure ahead. I look forward to sharing stories at the 2010 Auction Napa Valley in a few weeks, as we assemble again to offer great wines and experiences to raise money for great causes.

Cheers! Garen Staglin

Round Pond - Bud Break Vintage 2010

Check out this video of Round Pond Estate's Vineyard Manager Chris Pedemonte explaining bud break and vineyard cover crops. Keep tuned to our blog, UNFILTERED, over the summer as wineries chronicle the changes happening in the vineyard in preparation for harvest 2010!

Bidding at Midnight: A Blog Post from Stacey Bressler, Co-Chair of the Auction Napa Valley E-Auction Committee

Nothing warms the heart of a wine-loving Night Owl more than knowing that I can bid on incredible lots of Napa Valley wine “in the comfort of my own home” at any hour of the day – or night. That’s part of the reason why I agreed to co-chair this year’s Auction Napa Valley E-Auction. But I never expected the range and depth of the amazing wine offerings to bid on! More than 140 vintners have come up with a staggering array of wine and experiences that will be sold over a four-week period from May 9 to June 4.

Week One: Cellar Treasures in Bottles and Mags

The first weeklong auction opens on Sunday, May 9, featuring incredible wines in 750ml and 1.5L formats. Highlights include a 20-year vertical spanning from 1988 through to 2007 from Frog’s Leap and a rare collection of 24 bottles of famed Heitz Bella Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon honoring Napa Valley wine pioneers Barney and Belle Rhodes. For the art lover, acclaimed watercolor artist Eric Christensen’s lovely “Napa Valley Memories II” is recreated as a gorgeous giclée on the cover of a cherry box housing Grgich Hills Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Zinfandel. If you haven’t blown the entire budget on week one, hold on – there are more super lots coming in weeks two, three, and four.

Week Two: Jeroboams, Rehoboams, Methuselahs, and Nebuchadnezzars -- OH MY!

Running from Sunday, May 16 until Sunday, May 23, week two is themed around big bottles. I love the idea of trying the same wine in various formats (from 375 ml to 6L) as well as seeking a couple of the “big boys” for special occasions like milestone birthdays and anniversaries. There’s nothing like a 3L to get your guests’ attention at a dinner party. And we have 29 wineries who have contributed wine in bottles that are 3L or larger.

Week Three: Unforgettable Days of Wine & Adventure

From May 23 through May 30, you can bid on lots that include both wine and amazing daytime events. More than 20 Napa Valley winemakers are ready to sit with you to share a meal or lead a blending session—all one-of-a-kind for a perfect Napa Valley getaway.

Week Four: Nights to Remember: Wine, Food and Friends

Or perhaps you’d like to spend a night (or two) in a private winery guesthouse—this week is for you! Globetrotters will appreciate a stay at the luxurious Mandarin Oriental in Barcelona compliments of Blackbird Vineyards. Or maybe you fancy a walk down the red carpet at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards, courtesy of Beaulieu Vineyard, Sterling Vineyards, Provenance Vineyards, and Hewitt Vineyard? It’s all here and thanks to our unbelievably generous vintners, you can place a bid at any hour of the day or night from May 30 until June 3 and then until 3pm on June 4 as bidders from around the globe vie for winning bids against bidders on-site at Taste Napa Valley’s Friday Festival Auction Weekend.

I’m sure my usual online purveyors (e.g. Rue LaLa, Ideeli, Gilt) will miss me, but from May 9 through June 4, my nocturnal shopping sprees are going to be centered on Auction Napa Valley. I hope you’ll join me.

Click here to view a photos montage of the e-lots, and here to register to bid.

Cheers, and happy bidding!

Stacey Bressler
Co-chair, E-Auction
Auction Napa Valley 2010

Cheers to our Auction Napa Valley Volunteers!

What would Auction Napa Valley be without its volunteers? Simple answer: it would not exist.

Since the first Auction in 1981, volunteers from the Napa Valley community have been the glue and grease and grit that have made it happen. Covering jobs that span the gamut from greeter to garbage hauler, from barrel auction bid taker to bottle porter, and from ticket checker to table-top designer, they donate their time and energy in a massive collaborative effort that results in great fun for auction guests and generous support for dozens of local non-profit programs.

Auction 30 will be no exception, as more than 600 dedicated people take to the palazzo at Rubicon Estate the first week of June to produce Friday’s Taste Napa Valley festival, and to the rolling greens at Meadowood Napa Valley to stage Saturday’s Live Auction. Many of the volunteer faces will be familiar, and many new friendships will be forged.

New this year will be a green concierge team, charged with ensuring recyclables are disposed of appropriately in an effort to minimize the events’ impact on the environment. Their work, and that of their collaborating cohorts, will be achieved with smiles, more than a little sweat, and mutual support – all for little personal return except the pride of helping in a grand effort, and the chance to attend the legendary Volunteer Thank You Party hosted by the Napa Valley Vintners and Auction beneficiaries in October. What payback could be sweeter?

Click here to see a quick video about the community impact of volunteering from Mike Thompson, US House of Representatives, and long-time Napa Auction volunteer. And if you’re interested in joining the auction team, click here.

Thank you Auction Volunteers past and future! Your community is better because of your generosity!

Auction Napa Valley 30: Coming Soon!

It’s just around the corner, and excitement is building for the 30th Auction Napa Valley. The Auction Steering Committee, led by honorary chairs Beth Milliken Novak and Mary Novak of Spottswoode, is in the final stages of planning to create an unforgettable experience for bidders and guests.

Here are some interesting numbers that underscore the amazing collaborative and generous efforts that really add up to raise funds for healthcare, youth services and affordable housing non-profit programs in our Napa Valley community:

• Member wineries have developed 275 exciting live, e-auction and barrel lots.

• The live auction on June 5 is less than 6 weeks away, but the bidding fun begins with the first of 4 weekly E-Auctions in only two weeks. These on-line auctions offer bidders anywhere in the world the opportunity to win one-of-a-kind wine collections and vintner experiences. Click here for more information on the lots and how to bid.
  

• And while you’re bidding on the E-auction, join our Bidders w/o Borders contest by posting a photo of your whereabouts on Twitter using #AuctionNV and tell us the lot you’re after. (If you don’t have a Twitter account, email your photo and a 130-character description to jcrafton@napavintners.com). Each week of the E-Auction, the public will be invited to vote for their favorite posting and the 4 weekly winners will receive Auction Napa Valley Gift Baskets.

• 500 tickets to Friday’s Taste Napa Valley sold out in record time (32 minutes!), and the packages for multiple events are moving quickly.

• Over 100 wineries will pour and 50 restaurants will serve at the Friday Taste Napa Valley festival at Rubicon Estate. A full roster of live musical entertainment performed by local bands will keep the place rocking until the last gavel of the Barrel Auction and E-Auction have echoed through the hills of Rutherford.
  

• Nearly 600 volunteers have signed up to help make it all happen, and many more are pouring in. Click here for more information on how you can make a difference.

• Auction fans are posting fun memories and reasons to attend as part of the Auction Anthology contest currently running on the NVV website. Check it out here, post your story, and help us collect more facets of our 29-year history of fun fundraising.

• A stellar collection of 18 celebrity chefs is creating daring and delicious menus to delight big bidders on Thursday night and Live Auction guests on Saturday. Here’s the incredible line-up:

Thursday’s Big Bidders’ Dinner will be a feminine feast of fabulousness prepared by:
Lissa Doumani of Terra in St. Helena & Ame in San Francisco
Nancy Oakes of Boulevard in San Francisco
Nicole Plue of Redd in Yountville
Nancy Silverton of Campanile in Los Angeles

Saturday Lunch will be prepared by a mélange of masculine culinary mastery:
Octavio Becerra of Palate in Los Angeles
Jean Joho of Everest in Chicago
Thomas Keller of French Laundry in Yountville and Per Se in NY
Lars Kronmark of the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena
Paul Lemieux of Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford
Walter Manzke formerly of Church & State in LA
Michael Mina of Michael Mina, Charles Nob Hill, and Aqua in San Francisco
Richard Reddington of Redd in Yountville
Frank Stitt of Bottega and Highlands Bar & Grill in Birmingham, AL
Michael Tusk of Quince in San Francisco

During the Live Auction, Christopher Kosta of Meadowood will serve spectacularly succulent snicky-snacks to keep bidders’ energy electric.

And Dinner Saturday Night will be another girls’ night of gorgeous gastronomy prepared by:
Gina DePalma of Babbo in New York
Suzanne Goin of Lucques in Los Angeles
Carrie Nahabedian of Naha in Chicago
Melissa Perello of Frances in San Francisco
Liz Prueitt of Tartine in San Francisco
Suzanne Tracht of Jar in Los Angeles and Tracht’s in Long Beach

To get you even more in the mood, click here to see a cool compendium of video clips from auctions past, and stay tuned in the next six weeks as we share behind-the-scenes coverage with lots of surprises!

"Racking" up Wines

Racking is a procedure used to remove sediment from wine. It's as simple as removing the "clear" wine (free of sediment) from each barrel, cleaning the barrels, and refilling them once the barrels dry. Here's a shot of my brother Alan with the "bulldog" racking device pulling out the wine. He uses a flashlight on the hose to ensure he's not taking up any solids or sediment with the wine. Our 2009 wines have finished malo-lactic (secondary) fermentation, and so this is the first time they will be racked.

Everyone's philosophy is different when it comes to racking. We usually "rack to tank," meaning we move the wine from several barrels into a tank, clean a whole slew of barrels before refilling from wine stored safely in the tank. The wine is more homogeneous and it is more efficient since we don't have a huge staff on hand (my brother has two helpers and about 200 barrels per vintage). The wine may undergo some more movement with this method, depending on how close the barrels are to the tank, so we reduce the number of times we rack to about 3 times in the two year winemaking process.

Another way to rack is "barrel to barrel" - cleaning one barrel at a time and refilling it with the next barrel's wine. This minimizes the agitation of the wine and exposure to oxygen, keeping more of the trapped C02 which serves as a preservative, but also allows for barrel variation, possible reduction smells, and sometimes you get a slight "spritz" in the finished product which usually blows off with decanting as do any notes of reduction. There's also the copper in the cellar trick, but that's another story...

Great wines are created using either racking method, so it is really up to the winemaker to choose his or her winemaking style and priorities.

Cheers from Alan and Delia, mother-son winemaking team! Here they are putting together a mock 2009 VIADER blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

Warm regards,

Janet

Janet Viader

sales & marketing at VIADER

Direct Shipping Update - Urgent Challenges Coming Before Congress

A letter to our membership:

In an effort to turn back the clock on the direct shipment of wine to consumers, a bill has been introduced in Congress recently that would, in effect, overturn the 2005 “Granholm v. Heald” U.S. Supreme Court decision that helped pave the way for wineries to ship wine directly to many more consumers around the country.

H.R. 5034, crafted by the National Beer Wholesalers Association would make it practically impossible to bring legal action against states’ wine shipping laws that violate the Constitution’s Commerce Clause by prohibiting wine shipment from out of state, while permitting their own in-state wineries to ship direct. The end result would be a return to discriminatory wine shipping laws within the states, creating economic hardship for wineries that consider direct shipment an important sales channel and greatly restricting choice among wine consumers nationwide.

The NVV believes that consumers in all 50 states should have the ability to directly purchase fine wine. Many medium to small wineries have very limited distribution and garner little attention from the large distributors. These wineries survive by selling wine through mailing lists, wine clubs, and over the internet.

Napa Valley Vintners agree that the existing three-tier system should be augmented, not eliminated, and should provide controls and regulations necessary to respect local laws, avoid underage access and provide provisions to make tax payments. It is not the intent of any winery to sell alcohol to minors or to avoid payment of local, state or federal taxes on their wines.

What the NVV is doing:

The NVV has been deeply engaged in the Direct Shipping issue for more than a dozen years. After several years of championing the cause through its own programs, the NVV formed Free the Grapes! and spun it off as a separate organization in 1998. Free the Grapes! was created so that there would be a complementary consumer advocacy side to direct shipping legislative and legal efforts. Since the creation of Free the Grapes! the NVV has donated nearly $400,000 in direct cash contributions to the organization.

In the years prior to the formation the Free the Grapes! the NVV provided support to the cause through in-kind contributions and continues such efforts to this day. These efforts included urging member wineries to donate funds, providing timely and relevant information to members, grassroots lobbying, and public awareness programs.

Additionally, starting in 2008, NVV has been a main financial sponsor of the Direct to Consumer Symposium, the wine industry's premier summit on direct marketing and sales.

How you can help:

Contact Your Customers
As a Napa Valley vintner, your congressman, Mike Thompson, is already fighting on your behalf. However, it is important that Members of Congress from all across the country hear from consumers as to why H.R. 5034 is bad for them. Use your consumer e-mail database and Facebook page to encourage them to visit www.freethegrapes.org where they may personalize a letter to their congressional representatives. To view Free the Grapes! sample language for a letter to congress click here.

Go Viral
Add your comments to the hundreds on the STOP HR 5034 Facebook site.

Follow the Law
The NVV encourages all members to follow the letter of the law at all times. For a state by state update on direct shipping, visit www.wineinstitute.org. More information may also be obtained at www.freethegrapes.org.

Thank Mike Thompson
Congressman Mike Thompson, as always, is in the corner of the wine industry. Congressman Thompson, along with fellow Wine Caucus Co-Chairman George Radanovich, testified on behalf of the wine industry at last month’s House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on this issue. Additionally, the two members discouraged their colleagues in Congress from signing onto the legislation, pointing out that it would, “Devastate California’s and other state’s wine industries, stunt economic growth, and harm consumers by allowing discriminatory law.”