St. Helena a must-see for wine tourists

Napa Valley’s main street

St. Helena is proud to call itself “Napa Valley’s main street.” Whole winery tours are devoted to this town and its more than 80 wineries. It has bed and breakfasts, theaters and a restaurant so popular that reservations have to be made 60 days in advance.

If you’re planning to visit St. Helena (and why not?) find a hotel, and be ready to spend several days there. Look for Yelp reviews of the town’s wineries and schedule tours of the best. Get out into the Napa Valley countryside and explore the hills and subvalleys that influence the wind and clouds in subtle ways. A great deal can be found within a five to ten mile radius of the town.

These days 16 different American Viticulture Areas are recognized within Napa Valley. The St. Helena AVA is at the northern end of the valley floor. Its soil ranges from gravel-clay soils on its southern and western borders to rich volcanic soils in the north and east. Deep, ripe Cabernet Sauvignons and Merlots with jammy flavors and blackcurrant aromas all come from St. Helena wineries.

A winery near St. Helena

Some of the best California wines come from Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley. Just a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide. By ordering six bottles or more per year, you can join their wine club. This will get you a discount on many of their finest wines. Try a bottle today.

Napa and its variety of vineyards

The best wines of Napa Valley

Wine connoisseurs judge the best wines in Napa Valley on appearance, aroma, body, taste and finish. The wine should be clear, with a complex, intense aroma. The weight of it in the mouth should be pleasing, and the flavor should be well balanced with recognizable notes of flavor. Its aftertaste should linger in the mouth after it has been swallowed.

The best vineyards in Napa Valley match different varieties of grape to their particular soil and microclimate to achieve these qualities. In the coolest parts of the valley, winemakers grow Pinot Noir and Merlot grapes. The hardy Cabernet Sauvignon grapes can grow in any part of the valley, but yield better wines in some areas than in others. The winemakers put planning and judgment into harvesting the grapes when the grapes are at the right stage and have the right amount of sugar, to prevent the wine from tasting underripe or being too high in alcohol.

One of the best vineyards in Napa near St. Helena

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, is one of the best vineyards in the Napa Valley area. Their Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends are widely regarded as among the best wines in Napa. Their Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and non-malolactic Chardonnay of this vineyard also have a cult following. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide. Order a bottle today.

Questions about wine clubs

Q&A: wine clubs

What is a wine club?

A wine club is a club for wine buyers. You agree to buy a certain number of bottles every year, and the club delivers them to you. The most exclusive wine clubs have higher levels of membership in which you agree to buy more wine.

What are some of the benefits of wine clubs?

You get discounts on the wines you buy. There may also be information on the wine and what to serve it with. Best of all, you get to try wines you might otherwise never have seen. A good wine club will make an effort to find unknown wines that deserve a wider audience and bring them to your attention.

How much choice do I get?

Different wine clubs offer different choices. Some offer more than one series per year. You can choose to get wines of a specific type and age group, wines from a specific wine-growing region or the best-rated wines.

Exclusive wine club near St. Helena

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, has its own wine club. By agreeing to buy six bottles a year in groups of three, you can get Level I membership with discounts on their wines, tickets to parties and invitations to a complimentary tasting. Agreeing to buy 12 bottles a year, or 24, gets you higher levels of membership with even more benefits. Once you’ve chosen a membership level, buying additional bottles won’t count toward your annual allocation. Join today.

Napa Valley has many different soils and climates

Napa Valley and its variety

The Napa Valley is famous everywhere for the quality of its Napa Valley wines. The valley is a long, smooth curve, two to four miles wide, that runs from the foot of Mount St. Helena (not to be confused with the volcano) to San Pablo Bay. At the northern end of the valley is Calistoga, 348 feet above sea level, and the geyser called “Old Faithful of California.” Here the soil is rich and volcanic. At the southern end is the port of Vallejo and the marshland where the river meets the bay at sea level. Here the soil is more sedimentary. In the center of the valley is the Rutherford Bench, which is also sedimentary but better drained than the lower parts of the valley. Some of the tributaries to the Napa River, like the Conn River, have their own small valleys. Napa Valley wineries benefit from a great range of soil and microclimates, lending each one a different terroir. Wine from grapes grown on the valley floor has a heavier feel. Mountain grapes grow in less fertile soil, which produces less numerous but more flavorful grapes.

Excellent Napa Valley wines from a St. Helena winery

Some of the best California wines come from Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in NapaValley. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain. The microclimate of Conn Valley is cooler than many other parts of the valley, so the grapes they grow are closer to mountain grapes. Try some of their wines today.

Wine tasting — the basics

How to taste wine

When going to a wine tasting, dress well but comfortably. If you’ll be spending time outdoors, pay attention to the weather reports. There will probably be a tasting fee, but if you buy a bottle you might save on the fee.

When you take a glass of wine, be sure to hold it by the stem or the base, so the warmth of your hand doesn’t heat the wine too much. Put the wine glass on a flat surface and swirl it a little. This is called aeration. Swirling the wine in the glass will bring out the aroma. Smell the wine before you take your first sip — this is a big part of wine appreciation. (This is why you shouldn’t wear perfume or cologne at a wine tasting.) Think of the fruit and spice that the smell reminds you of. You might want a copy of Ann C. Noble’s Wine Aroma Wheel.

Even when enjoying food, texture is as important as flavor, though we don’t think about it as much. In wine tasting, texture and mouthfeel are acknowledged as vital parts of the experience. After you’ve sipped it, take a moment to notice the aftertaste, or finish. Drink water between wines, to clear the palate.

Wine tasting at a vineyard near St. Helena

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves. These are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and many other locations nationwide.

Cabernet Sauvignon great with red meat

Cabernet Sauvignon famous for its richness

With its bold flavor, the California Cabernet Sauvignon needs to be served with a good meal. A classic

red wine with strong tannins, the “Cab” goes well with wild fowl, aged cheeses, honey-roasted carrots or grilled red meat — especially venison, lamb or well-marbled beef. Try serving the wine at 14 to 16 degrees centigrade (57 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit) to get the full flavor.

In 1976, an American Cab was preferred over French Bordeaux wines in the famous “Judgment of Paris” blind taste test in France. In the ‘80s, the vines were grafted onto American rootstock, which led to a more sugary grape and a stronger wine. This wine is perfect for celebrations, cookouts or any occasion when roast beef or lamb is being served, although you may want to dial back the seasonings in order to better appreciate the wine.

An excellent Cab near St. Helena, CA

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, near downtown St. Helena, produces a famous Cabernet Sauvignon with distinct licorice notes. The Conn Valley Cabernet has been rated one of the top Cabernets in the world since 1987. The fruit is similar to mountain fruit, and the style is more Bordeaux in style than the average Napa Cabernet. The Conn Valley Cabernet is a wine that chefs find it easy to pair with just about anything because of the beautiful bright and refreshing acidity on the finish. Wine club members save $25 buying the 2013 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon online. Order a bottle today.

Visit the Napa Valley this year

A vacation in the Napa Valley

Imagine spending a week exploring the Napa wineries. This is something worth planning to make sure it’s the best it can possibly be. First, find a place to stay in the area. There are many little bed-and-breakfasts in Napa Valley, mostly vintage homes. At the airport at San Francisco, Oakland or Sacramento, you can rent a car. The San Francisco and Oakland airports also have shuttle bus service.

There are many vacation packages that will allow you to tour the Napa wineries alone, as a couple or in a small group. Or you can develop your own itinerary, if there are one or two Napa wineries you particularly want to visit. The usual tasting fee is $10 to $20 per person per winery. Remember this when planning your vacation budget.

One of the best Napa wineries around

Some of the best California wines come from Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley. A 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, these vineyards produce world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain. There you can meet the owners and wine-makers and taste excellent wine stored in a cave. Wine Merchants Gourmet includes them in one of its Middle Valley tours.

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983. Anderson’s wines are sold online and in five locations in Napa Valley, and other locations nationwide. Include Conn Valley in your Napa vacation plans.

Go underground to explore the wine world

Caves are good for storing wine

One of the great pleasures of exploring the wine culture of Napa Valley is the cave tour. Caves, with their even year-round low but not freezing temperatures, have been recognized for centuries as excellent places in which to store and age wine in the barrel. The first wine caves were ordinary caves and former limestone quarries in Europe. The cool, humid air in the cave minimizes the loss of wine to evaporation. In the 19^th century, explosives were used to blast and carve out artificial caves in the rock of the Napa Valley for the wine industry.

During cave tours, you can learn about the wine industry from the people who work in it every day and taste both the latest wines and library wines from previous years. Many of these caves are spectacularly lit and decorated by their owners. No matter what the weather is doing outside, it will be cool inside the cave, so bring a coat when going on a cave tour.

Cave tours of a vineyard near St. Helena

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where current releases and library wines may be sampled and visitors can learn all about the process of making and storing the wine. Cave tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase. Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces world-class wines at affordable prices. Order a bottle today.

St. Helena an important place wine culture

St. Helena’s history and importance

St. Helena, CA, with fewer than 6,000 people, is one of the acknowledged  centers of the global wine business. It has more than 80 St. Helena wineries and is home to some of the world’s finest wines. St. Helena was incorporated as a town in 1876. Even before it was officially a town, it was a center of the local wine industry, with vineyards being planted in the 1860s.

In 1981, the Napa Valley was named California’s first American Viticulture Area, which now includes 16 nested AVAs. The St. Helena AVA itself is noted for warmth, with less fog and wind than other parts of the valley. Its soil ranges from gravel-clay soils on its southern and western borders to rich volcanic soils in the north and east. It produces deep, ripe Cabernet Sauvignons, Cabernet Francs and Merlots with jammy flavors and blackcurrant aromas.

A winery near St. Helena

Some of the best California wines come from Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena. Anderson’s produces world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain. The microclimate of Conn Valley is cooler than many other parts of the valley, although warmer than Howell Mountain itself, so the grapes they grow are closer to mountain grapes than the grapes in the St. Helena AVA proper. By ordering six bottles or more per year, you can join their wine club. This will get you a discount on many of their finest wines. Try a bottle today.

Going to a barrel tasting

Spring barrel tastings

Spring is a good time for a barrel tasting. This is a lot like other wine tastings, but the wines all come straight from the barrel. Often wine futures are sold at a discount here. A wine future is much like any other futures contract — you agree to buy a certain amount of wine, once it has been bottled. By committing yourself to the purchase ahead of time, you save money on the eventual purchase price.

Barrel tastings don’t necessarily involve food to go with the wine, which means you’ll want to bring a designated driver along, especially if you’re going to several barrel tastings. Don’t taste too many wines — pick wines you’ve never had before. The idea is to make new discoveries. As at any wine tasting, don’t wear any strong-smelling perfume or cologne, and remember that this isn’t a bar.

Barrel tastings vineyard near St. Helena

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards in Napa Valley, a 10-minute drive from downtown St. Helena, holds tastings in its barrel caves, where current releases and library wines may be sampled and visitors can learn all about the process of making and storing the wine. Tastings are $65, but one tasting fee can be waived by joining their wine club or making a $100 purchase. The annual Spring Fling is in May.

Anderson’s Conn Valley Vineyards produces world-class wines at affordable prices. The vineyard is a 40-acre estate just south of Howell Mountain, and has been owned and operated by the Anderson family since 1983.