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The Winery Geek’s Perspective, Summers and Goosecross
Lahni and I were talking about possible wineries to visit and she mentioned that one of her clients had really liked the Summers winery on Tubbs lane in Calistoga. In thinking about it I realized that every client I had brought there had liked the experience, a big homey tasting room with views out on the vineyards, more country kitchen than bar room slick with a tasting staff that is friendly and feels very local.
Not surprisingly this is a family run winery with some of their vineyards just outside the door, but with the bulk of their vines to the north in Knights Valley just over the county line in Sonoma. Now having their vines in Sonoma is no shame, after all much of Beringer’s most impressive Cabernets are up in Knights Valley and if you ever travel through the area it has a magical quality that is hard to deny.
The point I’m making in my round about, let’s not leave out any colorful details kind of way is this; as a person who tours hundreds of wineries with clients and writes about them daily I’m a little jaded. So, a homey place like Summers doesn’t stand out in my mind. Yet my clients who don’t spend their days navigating these country roads love that kind of place. It comes back to what I’ve written about before, that long tradition where city folks would go out to the country, glass jugs in the back of the car, to buy their wine.
As much as wineries like to sell that slick tasting room with its carefully selected gift shop sometimes I think that they forget to ask their clientele what they are looking for. Yesterday I did a tour with three couples. They gave me a list of big name wineries they wanted to visit and a last minute recommendation from a friend: Mondavi, Cakebread, Silverado and then Goosecross, a cute little family place that only sells their wine from their location or via their wine club. Those other wineries dump out more wine than Goosecross makes. Who was their favorite at the end of the day? Goosecross of course! I could have put money on that.
After them Silverado was their favorite because we got there late in the day and they were able to enjoy that wonderful patio that looks out over the valley. The staff was gracious, relaxed and they were there a long time catching up and getting to know each other. Silverado, for all of its wonderful architecture and well designed spaces is a celebration of nature that is spread out at its feet.
So many times clients will say that they prefer Sonoma over Napa, and especially northern Sonoma where the wineries are predominantly small and family owned. In their rush to be taken seriously and make a statement wineries can over reach and abandon the authentic experience that visitor’s desire. I don’t think that my little missive here is going to change that trend, but it’s something to consider.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides (Find them on Amazon), and owners of Amicis Tours which does both group and private excursions. 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. Their Apps can be found at http://www.sutromedia.com/apps.html
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