Napa Valley Wine Radio

As the weather warms up, I really look forward to starting up our tours and classes again. This, truly, is my favorite part of my job. I get to meet great people from all over the world, get to know them a bit, share a smile and a little wine!

Here’s what we’ve got cooked up for this summer - and it’s all free for our Wine Club members (up to a party of 6) and our famous Wine Basics Class© is free for everyone that wishes to learn more about wine in a fun, relaxed and unpretentious atmosphere! Where better to learn than in our vineyard!

• Wine Basics Class: Every Saturday from June through October from 10:30-11:30; reservations required.

Relax on the lawn, take in the gorgeous vineyard view and have a great time learning how to sharpen up your tasting skills. Here are some of the topics we cover:
» Proper tasting techniques
» Structure and components of wine
» Winemaking preferences and styles
» Industry jargon
» Serving hints
» Wine storage
» and much more…

As the name implies, this is geared toward beginners but we find that even experienced tasters like to come back for a brush up from time to time. We’ve made a lot of friends that way!

Each “student” leaves with our recently updated and expanded class handbook - something you’ll refer to over and over.

The good news is that the class is absolutely free. The bad news is that it fills up very quickly so you need to make reservations early on. Just call us at 800-276-9210 or you can make online reservations up to 1 day (24 hours) before the class.

• Estate Winegrowing Tour: Saturdays at 2:30 from May through October; reservations required.

If you’re more interested in how grapes are grown and wine is made, and a semi-private kind of experience, this tour’s for you! We grab a glass of wine and head out into the vineyard to talk about what happens from season to season. We always take a look at what’s happening at the moment, whether it’s shoot thinning, cluster counts or getting ready for harvest. Then we head over to the production area where we talk about how production techniques can influence style and character. After all that walking you’ll be ready to sit down to our own private tasting, enjoy the wines and I’ll make sure you get all your questions answered. The tour is limited to ten people, so it’s smart to reserve well in advance.

• Tasting Room: Of course, you know (don’t you?) that our tasting room is open year round, from 10:00-4:30. You get to taste in the barrel cellar and our tasting room crew is just amazing. They somehow manage to inform and make you laugh at the same time. And, a lot of the time, Geoff Gorsuch, our Winemaker, is right there working so you can ask him what he’s up to in the cellar that day. You hear about people feeling intimidated when they go into tasting rooms - there’s just no chance of that happening here. We do recommend reservations, so give us a call and come see us!

• Private Tours: You’re always welcome to call me (800-276-9210) if you’d like a private tour, any time of year. Since it’s your tour, we can focus on whatever is most interesting to you. Whether you want your own, private Wine Basics Class or you’d rather talk about spacing and rootstocks, we can do it.

• Epicurean Explorations: minimum group size of 6; held at the Napa Valley Grille, by request

For all you foodies, enjoy delicious Goosecross wines and an outstanding, multi-course, meal prepared by Chef Thad Lyman, Proprietor and Executive Chef at the Napa Valley Grille, while he and I lay out some of the theories behind food and wine pairing. Quite often the actual pairings blow some of the theories out of the water, but you’ll come away realizing that it’s fun and creative - definitely not rocket science - and you’ll take home some great ideas about how to put together some great pairings.

So - if you haven’t been to Goosecross before, I hope you’ll find your way out here soon! Or, if it’s been awhile, come on down! Give us a buzz and we’ll get you all set up for a really great time!

Cheers!