The week is off to a flying start, which is in stark contrast to the Napa Valley luxury wine market if the Wall Street Journal is to be believed.

We’re a few days late in posting about this, but last week the Wall Street Journal published an article on the current state of the luxury wine market, which is loosely defined as wine that sells for over $25 per bottle.

Overall, it’s a decent article, but nothing you wouldn’t expect. Here’s the synopsis: As the economy has worsened, sales of high-end wine have dropped pretty dramatically. Shocker, huh?

For us, the interesting tidbits lie in the contrasting strategies being employed by local wineries who find themselves having to cope with a far more cost conscious consumer. Here’s an excerpt with details on what a couple of our local wineries are doing:

Duckhorn Wine Co. in St. Helena has increased the “winemaker dinners” it puts on to woo restaurants and other top buyers. Cain Vineyard and Winery in St. Helena has increased the amount of wine it sells to restaurants to sell by the glass, instead of the more common practice of selling the wine at a higher rate per bottle. Restaurants that get wine at the per-glass discount do so because they generally need to buy more bottles of wine because more people order by the glass. “Restaurants put up a virtual buying freeze a few months ago, so we had to do something,” says Christopher Howell, Cain’s winemaker.

And the article goes on to say:

Some of the newer operations are using new marketing techniques to cope. Alpha Omega, a boutique winery in Rutherford, Calif., has begun using online services Facebook and Twitter to reach out to its customers. The winery three years ago began targeting consumers directly, and the strategy is now paying off; revenue is up 40% so far this year, compared with a year ago, in part because it doesn’t have to share many revenues with a distributor, says co-owner Robin Baggett.

Interesting stuff. While we’re not surprised to see the smaller, more up-start wineries out there pushing the envelope on new marketing techniques, it’s also good to see some of the more established brands doing the same.

As they say, ‘only time will tell’ in terms of who got it right and who didn’t…

TechTags Plugin [ Napa | Napa Valley | wine | winery | luxury wine market | Alpha Omega Winery | Duckhorn | Rutherford | Cain Vineyard and Winery | St. Supery ]

Given all the French-inspired restaurants here in the valley, it should come as no surprise that there will be a few Bastille Day celebrations next week. Among them is a special event from Thomas Keller’s Bouchon…

From 3pm – 9pm next Tuesday, July 14th, Bouchon will host an event featuring food, music and more. The celebration, which will be held in the courtyard between Bouchon and Bouchon Bakery at 6534 Washington Street, will include special activities for children between 3pm – 6pm.

Guests can purchase tickets for food, French wines, as well as non-alcoholic beverages which will range from $2-$6 each.

Bouchon will remain open for regular lunch and dinner service during the event (reservations recommended) and will also have special menu items, including a whole roasted pig cooked in a caja china.

TechTags Plugin [ Napa | Napa Valley | wine | winery | Yountville | Bouchon | Bouchon Bakery | Thomas Keller | Bastille Day ]

Today is Thursday–the weekend is on the horizon. To help get you in the proper mindset, here are a couple local events that should make for a good time.

Friday, July 10th

• From 5:30pm – 8pm, the folks at Silverado Vineyards invite you to their gorgeous Terrace, with its amazing views of the Napa Valley, where for $30 per person you’ll be able to sip on the winery’s wines and enjoy seasonal small bites. Call 707-259-6617 to reserve your spot

Saturday, July 11th

• Between 4pm – 8pm the team at Cuvaison will be celebrating its newly designed Napa Valley tasting rooms (with this particular celebration marking the grand opening of the winery’s Calistoga tasting room). The winery’s winemaker and president will be on-hand, as will estate wines, food and more. There is no charge for the event, which will take place at 4550 Silverado Trail in Calistoga. Call 800-253-9463 for more details

Sunday, July 12th

• The crew at Domaine Chandon will be celebrating Bastille Day (a few days early) between 1pm – 5pm by pouring sparkling wine, serving French inspired food from etoile Restaurant and featuring live music from Hand Me Down. Call 800-736-2892 for more information

TechTags Plugin [ Napa | Napa Valley | wine | winery | Silverado Vineyards | Cuvaison | Calistoga | Domaine Chandon | etoile Restaurant ]

The small town of Yountville, which sits smack-dab in the heart of the Napa Valley, is regularly referenced as being one of the top (if not THE top) culinary site’s in the world.

With Thomas Keller’s French Laundry, Bouchon and Ad Hoc, Michael Chiarello’s Bottega, Cindy Pawlcyn’s Mustards, Richard Reddington’s Redd and a host of other fine dining establishments, it’s hard to argue otherwise.

As we strolled through Yountville recently we noted two new additions to the wining and dining landscape…

First, the Yountville Coffee Caboose, which is part of the unique Napa Valley Railway Inn, is now open for business at 6523 Washington Street right across from V Marketplace. Serving Ritual Roasters coffee and pastries from Napa Valley’s own Sweetie Pies, this looks to be a solid alternative for anyone who may not have the time to wait in the often lengthy line to get a cuppa Joe and/or sweets from Keller’s Bouchon Bakery.

Slightly further south, Cornerstone Cellars has just opened (although maybe not officially) its new tasting room. The morning we strolled by there was classic rock pumping from the speakers inside and a few people working to unpack cases of wine and do a bit of last minute clean-up. The tasting room is located at 6505 Washington Street–just across from the town Post Office–and is open from 10am – 6pm daily.

TechTags Plugin [ Napa | Napa Valley | wine | winery | Yountville | Thomas Keller | Michael Chiarello | French Laundry | Bottega | Redd | Bouchon | Yountville Coffee Caboose ]

We were recently asked to put together a two day wine tasting itinerary for a few people who had never been to the Napa Valley.

We weren’t given any details as to their wine preferences and all we knew is they would be staying in downtown Napa and wanted to taste a lot of wine and see a good portion of the valley.

So what was our strategy?

We did our best to find a balance between the well-known, large (touristy?) wineries and the slightly lesser known, smaller scale wineries to give our guests a frame of comparison between the two. Another important item for us was selecting places that offered different experiences–a beautiful view of the valley, a well-done cave tour, gorgeous grounds to stroll through, amazing wines (of course), etc.

We also did our best to balance between the valley’s various regions, starting out in the south in Carneros and winding up in Yountville on Day 1. Did we mention we included dining suggestions as well? We then started Day 2 with a trip up north to St. Helena before weaving our way back down the valley alternating between Highway 29 and Silverado Trail.

Check out the itinerary for yourself–it includes notes on each and every place and as always, clicking on the “Get Directions” link on either of the maps will give you turn-by-turn driving directions for the day’s events.

Among the places we’ve recommended are Artesa Winery, Robert Mondavi Winery, Rutherford Hill Winery and Paraduxx.

If given the very same assignment, we’d be curious to know what type of Napa Valley itinerary you’d put together…

TechTags Plugin [ Napa | Napa Valley | napa wine tasting | napa itinerary | napa valley itinerary | two day napa valley itinerary | two day napa itinerary ]

With everyone running around like crazy leading up to the 4th of July holiday, downtown Napa’s newest hotel finally (and quietly) opened for business at the beginning of the month.

The AVIA Napa Hotel, which is located at 1450 First Street, has been a work in progress for quite some time. The hotel, which describes itself as “boutique” and “rustically elegant”, features a second-floor ‘Terrace’ (open to all guests from 8am – 10pm daily) that includes a fire pit, hardwood decking, porch swings, comfy loungers and an array of pots, planters and vine-covered niches.

All told, the AVIA Napa Hotel includes some 141 guestrooms and suites on five floors and its opening marks the latest in the continued revitalization effort for the downtown area.

TechTags Plugin [ Napa | Napa Valley | wine | winery | Hotel AVIA | AVIA Napa | downtown Napa ]

As we wandered our way through Yountville this weekend we noted a new sign on Washington Street perched on the vacant land near where Napa Valley Bike Tours used to be.

It appears as though the small town of Yountville will be getting yet another wine tasting lounge as the folks from Somerston Wine Co. plan to open a tasting room by early 2010. The space will apparently provide a venue for the “discovery of wine, local artists and ranching”.

Somerston Wine Co. includes the Highflyer Wines, Somerston Vineyards and Priest Ranch brands.

TechTags Plugin [ Napa | Napa Valley | wine | winery | Somerstone Wine Co. | Somerstone Wine Co. Yountville | Yountville ]

From the Uncork29 team to all of you–have a safe, enjoyable 4th of July holiday.

If you’re looking for a few last minute ideas on what to do in the Napa Valley today, try this.

Cheers!

TechTags Plugin [ Napa | Napa Valley | wine | winery | 4th of July ]

This week’s edition of upcoming Napa Valley events is chock-full of fireworks.

With the 4th falling on Saturday, there are multiple Independence Day celebrations taking place over the next few days–here are a few that should be a lot of fun…

Friday, July 3rd

• Our friends at Silverado Resort (@SilveradoResort on Twitter) will host their annual fireworks celebration starting at approximately 9:15pm on the South Course. The best part? There is no charge for the firework extravaganza and you can call 800-532-0500 for more information

Saturday, July 4th

• From 11:30am – 10pm the City of Napa will host a July 4th celebration in downtown Napa. The day will begin with a parade that will travel up 3rd Street, right on Main Street and down to 5th Street. Following that, the festivities will kick off at 1pm with entertainment in Veteran’s Memorial Park amphitheater and there will be food, beer, wine and arts and crafts vendors on-hand throughout the entire day. The day will conclude with a fireworks display at approximately 9:30pm. Call 707-257-9529 for more details

• From 7pm – 10pm the team at Louis Martini Winery will host it annual July 4th event that will begin with a tasting of the winery’s newly released wines paired with hors d’oeuvres from local restaurants. Up next will be an all-American family-style BBQ dinner complete wines and live music. The night will conclude with a fireworks display that can be viewed from the winery grounds. Cost is $95 per person ($80 per person for Founders Club Members). Call 866-549-2582 for more information

• Up in Calistoga the Napa County Fair kicks off this weekend and is highlighted by a parade through downtown Calistoga that will feature antique cars, live bands, children’s groups, horses, motorcycles, colorful dancers, and all types of patriotic spirit and fun. At the Fair, fireworks are scheduled for 9:30pm at the Grandstand. The parade is free, the fair costs $7 for adults ad $3 for children 6-12yrs old. Call 707-942-5111 for more information

Happy 4th of July everyone!

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The folks at Smith-Madrone Winery, which is located high atop Spring Mountain overlooking St. Helena, got in touch earlier this week to share some news.

The winery recently released new vintages of its Chardonnay (a 2007 for $40 per 750ml bottle) and Riesling (a 2008 for $27 per bottle). The more interesting news, at least from our point of view, is that Smith-Madrone has also just re-released its 2002 Riesling ($60 per bottle).

Now, admittedly we’ve generally not thought of laying down a Riesling in the cellar for a decade or better like we’d do with a Cabernet Sauvignon, but founder Stuart Smith notes “Rieslings age every bit as well as do Cabernet Sauvignons and Pinot Noirs, if not better.”

Smith-Madrone claims to be one of the few (if not the only) winery in the United States with a program of holding back a portion of its Rieslings and re-releasing them a few years down the road. Here’s a quick breakdown of the 2002 Riesling:

• 100% Riesling

• 750 cases produced

• Fruit sourced from 31 year old vines

• 12.7% Alcohol by volume

At some point here in the next few weeks we hope to make the trek up Spring Mountain to give each of these wines a taste for ourselves.

In the meantime, if you have a favorite Smith-Madrone wine (or story from your visit to the winery) let us know about it in the comments.

TechTags Plugin [ Napa | Napa Valley | wine | winery | St. Helena | Smith-Madrone | Smith-Madrone Winery | Smith-Madrone Winery and Vineyards ]