Tag Archives: Napa Valley

Sustainable Napa Valley – Visit Long Meadow Ranch

Written by Allison Levine on
Lifestyle Food Wine

Until all wineries are sustainable, it is important to share the stories of those that are. My recent story for California Winery Advisor is about Long Meadow Ranch in Napa Valley. The Hall family is focused on sustainability and health. They care about their community and are doing good, offering wine, wine tasting experiences, dining experiences and more. Can you read more in the re-post of my story below.

Driving along Main Street in St. Helena, Long Meadow Ranch provides a one-stop shop. There is a coffee stand serving breakfast and lunch, a restaurant serving lunch and dinner, a tasting room, a general store, a farmer’s market, and an event space. And, there is more than the eye can see. There are vineyards, heirloom vegetables, olive trees, and highland cattle. Read More +

Fess Parker Winery In Santa Barbara Wine Country Expands Its Reach Into Napa

Written by Allison Levine on
Lifestyle Wine

It is not uncommon to hear about wineries in Napa who have started to explore other wine regions, such as Paso Robles and Santa Barbara, which are more affordable and offer different soils and micro-climates. But Fess Parker Winery in Santa Ynez Valley is reversing that. With a 30-year history in Santa Barbara Wine Country and a portfolio that includes Burgundian and Rhone varieties, as well as sparkling wine, Fess Parker has now expanded to Napa Valley with their label Addendum, which you can read about in my column in the Napa Valley Register.

Fess Parker Winery is a third-generation winery in the Santa Ynez Valley. Fess Parker, an American film and television actor best known for playing Davy Crockett and Daniel Boone in the 1950s and 1960s, purchased a 714-acre ranch in 1988 with the idea to run cattle, grow a few acres of grapes and one day establish a small winery. He envisioned it as a family business to hand down through the generations.

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A Vertical Tasting of Napa Valley Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon

Written by Allison Levine on
Wine

There are challenges to planting vines on the mountains but there are many advantages as well. My recent story in the Napa Valley Register, which you can read below, is about Cardinale Winery, who focuses on a single Cabernet Sauvignon that is a blend from four mountain vineyards. Each vineyard contributes different characteristics to make the elegant wine year after year.

When mountains were created millions of years ago, volcanic eruptions resulted in extrusive and intrusive lava soils. These mountains were less fertile, and it was realized long ago that food crops and orchards thrived off the fertile land of the flats.

But up on the angled slopes of the mountains, some winemakers found a perfect location for vineyards. The Napa Valley produces four percent of California’s wine, yet only five percent of Napa’s wine production comes from mountain fruit. One of these wineries is Cardinale.

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