Wine Country and TV
The other day I was at the Robert Young Winery in Alexander Valley, a big vineyard but a small, intimate tasting room. Most of their grapes go to other wineries; most notably Chateau St. Jean who has been making a vineyard designated Chardonnay from RY for many years. When we arrived I thought for a moment that they were participating in the Dry Creek Barrel Tasting weekend just over the hills, because there were vans all over the place and a couple of CHP’s cruisers.
It was to get away from the Barrel hubbub that had sent us over to Alexander Valley, but as we pulled into the lot we passed my friend Max, a great tour guide based in the city that goes by the name MaxNapa. We paused, window to window, and exchanged notes. He had a full car, but assured me that they weren’t involved in the roving party that Barrel Tasting represents, so we headed on in.
While my clients tasted I wandered outside and saw that the work yard across the way was filled with people and vehicles, including a buffet. Meanwhile vans were shuttling up and down from a hill above the tasting room, a spot that must have some great views. I noticed that everything was a GM product. So, I asked around and it seems that they were making a Chevrolet commercial. They had rented the RY property and were taking advantage of the great scenery.
There are a bunch of commercials shot in wine country. It’s quite common on the Sonoma Plaza to see a camera crew and models being pinned into their clothes. The Viansa winery in Sonoma Carneros has been featured in commercials, and the other day I caught a glimpse of the front of the Sebastiani Theater in a national financial services television spot. The question is, do the crews come here because of the great scenery, or because they want an excuse to come to wine country?
The Sonoma Film festival just ended, it takes over the whole town, and it enjoyed great weather and turnout this year. Lauren Bacall received an award and Robin Williams did the honors or toasting her. It’s nice to have a touch of glamour illuminating the edges of our little city. I know from taking 1000’s of photos throughout this region for our books and Smart Phone Apps that its harder to take a bad photo here than a good one. You really have to overdo the wine to get a bad shot. So, whether the media world keeps coming here for the scenery or the hospitality, it doesn’t matter, but it’s nice that they keep coming.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides, and owners of Amicis Tours. They are authors of over twenty books on health, design, business and travel. Their iPhone Apps, The Napa Valley Wine Tour, and The Sonoma Winery Tour are a tour guides approach to these beautiful area, complete with 1000’s of photos and insights. Their articles and products can be found on the sites http://www.amicistours.com and http://www.spaceandtime.com
Wine,Tours,Sonoma, Alexander Valley
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