The week ahead promises Spring-like weather here in the Napa Valley with plenty of sunshine and temperatures expected to reach the 70s.

As we made our way through the valley this weekend we noted the 2010 growing season is already underway in some parts.

Bud break is clearly visible on many of the vines in the Carneros AVA, as you can see in the photo below.

Bud Break: A Carneros vineyard in the Napa Valley shows its first signs of life on March 14, 2010 following a long, wet winter

With these new, precious buds now sprouting up our local vintners will focus their attention on overnight temperatures as they hope to avoid potentially damaging frost.

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It’s Friday and the rain is falling. Given everything we’ve had going on this week, we’ve fallen behind on sharing some new and interesting Napa Valley items.

So, here goes…

Yountville's Bouchon Bakery is featuring these shortbread, yogurt-dipped Clover Cookies starting today through March 17th

Napa Valley winery foreclosures looming
Earlier this week BusinessWeek/Bloomberg ran a story about the financial state of the California wine industry–a topic we’ve discussed here before. The article notes that Silicon Valley Bank expects as many as 10 Napa Valley wineries to be sold and/or foreclosed on in the next year due to the continued struggles of the economy.

Here’s a telling quote:

“No more is it about stocking wine cellars with 5,000 bottles of Screaming Eagle,” says Peter Kaufman, managing partner of Bacchus Capital Management, a private equity firm in Pleasanton, Calif., referring to a Napa cult cabernet that can sell for $750 or more a bottle. “High-rollers are discovering that there are lots of drinkable $20 to $40 bottles of wine.”

Read the full article.

Bouchon Bakery adds St. Patrick’s Day items
As usual, Yountville’s Bouchon Bakery is featuring new seasonal menu items–this time themed for St. Patrick’s Day.

The first item, an “Irish Soda Bread” is described as a classic, “house-made” Irish bread that is available in individual sizes. The second, Clover Cookies (pictured above) are clover-shaped shortbread cookies dipped in green yogurt. You’ll be able to find these special treats starting today (3/12) through Wednesday, March 17th.

Portions of Napa County under quarantine due to moth infestation
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has issued a press release stating that portions of Napa County are under quarantine due to the detection of the European grapevine month. Here’s an excerpt:

The detection of an EGVM larva in a trap in the Oakville area on September 15, 2009 was the first detection of this pest in the United States. Confirmation of that detection led to increased trapping and surveys that have since detected the pest at several sites, generally contained in two pockets of infestation: one on the eastern side of the City of Napa and the other between Oakville, Rutherford and St. Helena.

Read the full release.

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Another weekend is nearly here and there are plenty of events taking place in the Napa Valley should you be looking to fill out your social calendar.

Check out these events that are sure to entertain you and your taste buds…

Friday, March 12th

• In the latest sign of the local wine industry throwing itself full-force into Twitter, Robert Mondavi Winery will host a ‘Napa Valley TweetUp’ from 6pm -9pm. For $10 per person, you’ll be able to enjoy an evening of wine, food and networking with all proceeds going to charity. @RMondavi_Winery’s winemaker will be present and you can register by going here or calling 707-968-2226

Saturday, March 13th

• At 5:30pm the 17th Annual Red & White Affair will take place at Silverado Vineyards (6121 Silverado Trail). This fundraiser for Yountville Elementary School will feature wine tastings from various Napa Valley wineries and food from several of Yountville’s acclaimed restaurants including Ad Hoc, Mustards, Redd, Hurleys and more. There will also be silent and live auctions, cost is $65 per person in advance ($75 per person at the door) and you can call 707-815-0210 for more information

Saturday, March 13th and Sunday, March 14th

• From 10am – 5pm both days, our neighbors at Andretti Winery will be offering a special tasting and having a St. Patrick’s Day sale. Visit the winery and buy 1 bottle at full price, and get a second bottle for only $1! For $15 per person you’ll get a wine and chocolate tasting/pairing with Gils’ Gourmet chocolates. What’s more, if visit and buy one bottle at full price, you’ll get a second bottle for a buck (just $1). Ring 877-386-5070 x227 for all the details

• From 10am – 5pm both days Rubicon Estate in Rutherford will host a release weekend event to celebrate the release of the 2006 Rubicon. For $35 per person, you’ll be able to enjoy the new release of the winery’s flagship wine in a Rubicon vertical (2003-2006) paired with cheeses. Call 707-968-1177

Enjoy it!

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On any given day over the past several months you could pass by a local vineyard and find large crews out working amongst the seemingly dormant vines. Just what were they doing?

Vineyard pruning, while not perhaps the sexiest of topics, is an important part of the process. We recently caught up with St. Supéry’s vineyard manager Josh Anstey, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions on the topic…

CB: Generally speaking, what is the approach you take at St. Supery to vineyard pruning? What impact does pruning have on the end-product that will eventually wind up in the bottle?

Anstey: It always depends on variety, soil, aspect, terrior in general and what we want to achieve. Pruning has HUGE impact, sets up vine for coming year and really for decades. It dictates canopy shape and really number of buds and therefore yields for the year.

CB: In general, when does pruning happen in Napa Valley vineyards and at St. Supéry specifically?

Anstey: You can prune anytime…after leaves drop VERY typical (when dormant all carbohydrates stored in woody parts) we wait as long as we can (January, February, March)…delays bud break and better for a fungus called Eutypa lata…less spores late in winter and “juices” start flowing and pushes spores always from pruning wounds.

CB: Are there differences in what varietals get pruned when? If so, please explain.

Anstey: Varieties vary for sure, our Sauvignon Blanc for example we are looking for a mix of shaded and open fruit zone, reds for us typically we want open and uniform fruit zone.

CB: How about differences in terms of vineyard location (i.e. valley floor vs. higher elevation)?

Anstey: Vineyard location also very important, hill side = less vigor, you want less buds and always balance of soil and crop load

CB: Some vineyards appear to intentionally leave the vines long at the end of each vineyard row, while others leave the trimmed vines in between the vineyard rows after they’ve been cut. What’s the idea behind each of these methods? What are the benefits?

Anstey: Some places take it out, either they don’t want to cultivate with a mower/flail, or can’t depending on spacing and machinery they have. When left in the middles of rows we flail and incorporate all this organic matter back to soil. We are very Sustainable at St. Supéry and soil health is always key. Being officially certified as “Fish Friendly” and “Napa Green” the healthier our soil the better = less fertilizer and better vine health and therefore better wine. France typically (in Bordeaux, narrow rows and harder to flail) pulls out canes and burns, due to possible inoculum on this plant material. Some people in Napa do this as well (many also chip in a chipper), our disease pressure in WAY lower then France and I can’t see this as justification here…

CB: Thanks for the time and insights Josh, cheers!

See our previous video interview with Josh Anstey.

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Just like we did for the #CaliCabs Twitter tasting event back in February, we’ve pulled together a super-quick analysis of last week’s #SauvBlanc tasting event.

All told the #SauvBlanc tasting had significantly more participation than the previous month’s #CaliCabs tasting (~8,600 tweets sent vs. ~3,500 tweets), which also translated into a much broader reach (6 million impressions vs. 4.8 million impressions).

Use of the Twitter hashtag #SauvBlanc saw a clear spike on Thursday, March 4, 2010--the day the virtual tasting event took place

One thing we noted with the #CaliCabs tasting was the relatively small percentage of @reply messages that were sent (approximately 22% of all Tweets). With last week’s #SauvBlanc tasting the percentage of @reply message (aka conversations between two or more Twitter users) jumped to nearly 27% of all Tweets–a particularly significant stat given the higher overall volume of Tweets.

Based on this measure it appears the #SauvBlanc tasting drove more true conversation, which is what we believe the event was designed to be all about in the first place.

A breakdown of the types of Tweets that were sent using the #SauvBlanc hashtag

In terms of the common conversation drivers during the event, expected words such as “wine” “tasted “sauvignon” and “blanc” appeared quite often. Also of note were terms referencing the regions where Sauvignon Blanc is typically produced, including “napa” “loire” and “touraine”.

A view of the most commonly used terms by those that Tweeted with the #SauvBlanc hashtag between March 1st and March 7th 2010

Stay tuned for the April 1st #wineblends tasting event that will follow the same format but will be open to any grape from any region.

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Here we are, another Thursday and another rapidly approaching weekend.

It’s gonna be a busy one here in the Napa Valley with the 32nd Annual Napa Valley Marathon taking place on Sunday, March 7th (race time is 7am).

Here are a couple events that should make the weekend even more enjoyable.

Saturday, March 6th

• From 11am – 2pm Alpha Omega in Rutherford will host a magnum party. For $20 per person (free for wine club members), you’ll be able to sample Alpha Omega wines straight from a magnum while pairing them with “small bites” created by the winery’s Executive Chef Natalie Niksa. Call 707-302-1134 for all the details

Saturday, March 6th and Sunday, March 7th

• From 1pm – 5pm both days, the Mustard, Mud & Music festival will bring live jazz to a variety of downtown Calistoga venues. For $20 per person single day ($35 per person for a weekend pass) you’ll be able to stroll through galleries and shops and dine at local pubs and restaurants while soaking up the wonderful sounds of numerous musicians. Among the wineries that will be pouring are Calistoga Cellars, Envy Wines, Twomey Cellars, Vincent Arroyo and many more. Call 707-942-6333 for more information

Happy Weekend!

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As expected, things are getting super crazy for us here and will only continue to be that way for much of March. We did, however, manage to escape for a few minutes to soak in the wonderful signs of Spring that are all around the valley at this point.

Here are a couple photos we shot while the sun was shining in Yountville a couple days ago–now’s a great time to visit!

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My how time flies! Believe it or not, we completely missed a very important date here at The Cork Board.

You see, back on February 20th this here blog turned three years old! Granted three years doesn’t sound like a long time, but in blog years that’s gotta make us 25 or so.

We’ve learned a ton over the past three years and are proud to say we’re still going strong–primarily thanks to all of you. All the comments, Tweets, emails and in-person interactions we’ve had with you make this labor of love well worth it.

Cheers all!

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A short month means the final weekend of February is nearly here. The hillsides are green and the trees and flowers are starting to show signs of life in these parts.

Here are three events taking place this weekend (and a special one taking place tonight) that should be worth a look.

Thursday, February 25th

• From 5pm – 8pm downtown Napa’s Back Room Wines will host a Diamond Mountain Cab Tasting. The event, which costs $10 per person, will feature three Diamond Mountain Estate wineries that only make Cabernet: Dyer Vineyards, Mueller Family Vineyards and Diamond Terrace. For the tasting fee you’ll be able to taste (duh) as well as visit with the winery owners. No reservations are necessary, but you can call 707-226-1378 for more information

Friday, February 26th

• From 5pm – 7pm at I. Wolk Gallery in St. Helena and from 6:30pm – 8pm at Ma(i)sonry in Yountville there will be art, wine and hors d’oeuvres receptions taking place to celebrate the fact that Ma(i)sonry and I. Wolk Gallery are teaming up. You’ll also be able to enjoy a collaborative artist reception featuring works by Giuseppe Palumbo, Melissa Chandon, Bret Price and Matt Rogers. You can RSVP online or by calling 707-963-8800

Saturday, February 27th

• From 9:30am – 4pm at the Chateau Montelena tasting room in Calistoga you’re invited to celebrate the new Calistoga AVA, which officially went into effect on January 7th of this year. For the $20 tasting fee you’ll be able to taste the winery’s current releases and for an additional $5 you’ll be able to try (and purchase) the limited supply 1991 and 1992 Calistoga Cuvee. No appointment is necessary and you can ring 707-942-5105 for more information

Cheers!

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Another wet and busy week is in full swing here in the Napa Valley.

Luckily, we’ve got a few items we’ve been meaning to share…

The dining room at Chef Michael Chiarello's Bottega Ristorante in Yountville

Large 2009 wine grape crop leads to predictions of loads of ‘value’ wine
Last week the The California Department of Food and Agriculture issued its preliminary crush report that indicated 2009 was the second largest grape harvest in California history (checking in at some 3.7 million tons to be exact).

Many publications focused on the fact that this was a 20% increase over the 2008 harvest, but failed to point out that ‘08 was marred by drought conditions and early growing season frost that destroyed crop in many parts of Northern California.

Decanter.com quoted John Ciatt from Ciatti Company, a wine and grape brokerage, as saying: ‘We knew it was big, but we did not think it was this big…This crop will put additional pressure on the already struggling premium segment of the wine business.’

The Los Angeles Times noted: “For consumers, the year’s bounty is expected to bring more availability and cheaper prices for all types of California wine, particularly premium and ultra-premium wines.”

KCBS quoted broker Bill Turentine as saying: “With the recession, consumers have been trading down. And so the strongest sales growth has been coming in wines below $10 a bottle.”

Top Chef Masters competitors at Bottega next month
Come March the town of Yountville will be crawling with recent participants on Bravo TV’s Top Chef Masters series. Chef Michael Chiarello will be joined at Bottega by former Masters competitors Rick Moonen (RM Seafood in Las Vegas) and Lachlan Patterson (Frasca in Boulder, Colorado) for two special dinners.

On March 4th, Chef Moonen will do a demonstration of his “Moon Doggies” dish (shrimp corn dogs) and be signing his new book from 4pm – 5:30pm at NapaStyle. Following that, Moonen will head into the kitchen with Chef Chiarello where the two will prepare a four-course tasting menu (a la carte options will also be available). Space will be limited for both events, call 707-945-1230 for the demo/book signing or 707-945-1050 for a dinner reservation.

On March 10, Chef Patterson and Master Sommelier Bobby Stuckey will visit Bottega where they’ll also create a four-course tasting menu that will be paired with Scrapetta wines (these are wines created under Patterson and Stuckey’s own label) as well as tasting of Chiarello Family Vineyards’ “first and only” white wine–a Ribolla Gialla. Call 707-945-1050 for reservations.

Farmstead restaurant open in St. Helena
The Napa Register had a lengthy write-up on the Hall family’s latest venture–Farmstead restaurant in St. Helena. The recently opened restaurant, which focuses on sustainable practices, sits just across the street from Tra Vigne and shares space with the Hall family’s Long Meadow Ranch Winery tasting room and Whiting Nursery.

Here’s how the Register describes the space:

Housed in a former nursery barn, the 110-seat Farmstead restaurant features an open central kitchen, booth and table seating, a community dining table and a full, spacious horseshoe-shaped bar ideal for both dining and drinking.

It’s a comfortable, casual space with lots of beautiful reused redwood and polished granite — which should make for a lively atmosphere when the place fills up.

Farmstead has decided there will be no corkage fee for diners who to bring in their own wine. Instead, the restaurant will impose a $2 fee and will give all proceeds from such fees to local charities. Pretty cool move.

Read the full story.

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