Hosted by Director of Winemaking Dirk Hampson, (that’s me), our blog does not aspire to particularly deep thinking, linear thinking, or even insightful thinking. (Of course, since this is about wine, we can aspire to pretensions as needed.) We are approaching this blog as an opportunity to share some of what is going on at our wineries, in our vineyards or in the area along with any fleeting thoughts that happen to get captured in these electrons to be spread across the internet like so much chaff in the wind. (It is faster than sending notes in a bottle but technically far more demanding.) We will try to post a cross section of your comments and even respond to prove that we are alive, alert, and still have a working internet connection.
Date: August 31, 2010 8:56 AM
Make My Day
Those of us who grew up on “Dirty Harry” knew the line, but none of us could say it the way he could. (It may have to do with the fact that it doesn’t seem as cool when you are holding a super-soaker instead of a 357 Magnum.)
However, in this picture, we are wondering if Clint forgot his lines and Beth was the one saying, “Make my day, y’all.” No, no photoshopping is going on (more...)
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Date: August 12, 2010 1:22 PM
Beth and The News
Categories: General
Latest news? Huey Lewis and . . . Beth!
Isn’t it great to start unsubstantiated rumors? Beth has become the latest addition to Huey Lewis and The News. She handles the keyboard. I can’t say that she was playing the keyboard but a picture can save you reading 1,000 words. (A major blessing sometimes!)
That was last Saturday night when The V Foundation was holding its annual bash to raise money for cancer research. All who work (more...)
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Date: June 04, 2010 9:51 AM
Summer's Approaching
Categories: General
Rumor has it that summer is here. OK, it has been raining, but I know that you can’t be a winemaker unless you are an optimist. According to the calendar, it is time for all those summer things: graduations, good weather, barbecues, swimming, SPF 45 and a fun book.
Graduations: I have attended and listened; the graduation speakers were wonderful this year. Yes, summer must be close.
Weather: It continues to toy with us. If (more...)
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Date: May 24, 2010 2:10 PM
Single Source
Categories: General
I recently had some great, single-source chocolate at the Nimbash event, put on by Nimbus Arts, in
St. Helena. (There was good wine at the event, too.)
Their name: TCHO. (Pronounced “choh!”) Doesn’t that sound as if you should then say, ”Geshundheit”?
They are making great chocolate in
San Francisco but got my attention when they brought a chocoholic’s dream kitchen appliance to Nimbash. It looked like a KitchenAid but its granite wheels turn cocoa nibs into chocolate! (more...)
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Date: May 12, 2010 2:27 PM
Great Futures
Categories: General
You have to be about my age to remember the classic line from “The Graduate”: “The future is plastics.” That may be true if you are talking about toys that come with your Happy Meal, but we have determined that Great Futures actually is about wine—and blue teeth.
This weekend is the official start of the Nickel & Nickel 2009 Futures, when we taste the latest vintage of our single-vineyard Cabernets from barrel.
They are young—maybe even (more...)
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Date: April 29, 2010 2:10 PM
Pit Stop
We had the mother of all pit stops at Nickel & Nickel this week. The California Mille stopped here—they were invited, so it was OK.
If you love vintage cars (which means that you don’t judge a car by the size or number of its cup holders—or if it has cup holders, you don’t mind knowing your mechanic on a first-name basis, don’t need those wimpy airbag thingies, don’t need that GPS doohickey, know how to (more...)
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Date: April 15, 2010 8:35 AM
Plant a Tree
Last night I heard our resident owl hooting. Today I saw her and the name fits; she is great. (“Great” sounds more important, wise and aloof than “huge.”)
I assume that pretty soon we will see one, two or three baby owls peering out of the hole high up on the oak tree by the Sullenger House at Nickel & Nickel. They have been returning each spring.
I doubt that they are finding it quite as peaceful (more...)
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Date: March 24, 2010 11:00 AM
Bread and Wine...Try PaneVino
When someone talks about “Bread & Wine” I usually get some sort of communion flashes – (usually without the guilt.) But, we are in the wine world, and it is normal to serve bread when offering wine for tasting. (I happen to be partial to a classic sweet baguette with a crispy crust that is easily torn apart. It is some French etiquette thingy to tear baguette and not cut it. I don’t get it.)
PaneVino (more...)
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Date: March 11, 2010 8:24 AM
On your marks...
You may not have thought of this, but, it is hard to look graceful when wearing snow shoes. Worse still if you are racing…late at night…by starlight…and candlelight. (You have to like a race that has better candles than some French restaurants.)
Beth Nickel, our resident arbiter of all things stylish, did “Book Across The Bay” last month. Snow, ice, dark of night, (almost sounds like mail delivery doesn’t it?) and snow shoes, 10Km. Imagine (more...)
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Date: March 05, 2010 10:31 AM
Spring Flowers
When I think about “bloom” in Napa Valley, I normally think about when the vineyards are blooming to set the crop for the year (usually in May but it changes by variety, location, rootstock, exposure, soil, vintage…you get the idea). I happen to love it when the vines bloom, but it isn’t much to behold. They are nearly invisible at a distance. You could drive past all of our vineyards and never notice the grape (more...)
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