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Posted September 2006
Napa: Insider Tips
Finding the Free Tasting Rooms in Napa County
(NAPA, CA) -- The popularity of visiting tasting rooms in Napa
County comes with a price. Usually in the form of a charge to
belly up to the bar and get a couple of two-finger pours. Depending
upon which winery or tasting room you visit, you might be able
to select from tasting menus that offer recent releases, library
wines, and reserve tastings to explore some of the county's finest.
The cost to taste runs anywhere from about $5 to $25, even more
if you opt for food pairings or specialty tastings that include
classes or are offered in exclusive locations.
This is a practice that has been firmly in effect for around
10 years now and gradually almost all of the wineries in this
popular wine growing region have yielded to the pressures of
economics and have put a price on something that was once offered
here - and still is in many other wine growing regions - for
free.
It's a little known secret, but there are at least two holdouts
in Napa County that offer tastings for free.
Fairly new on the tasting room scene, August Briggs Wines opened
their Calistoga tasting room in 2004 - though winemaker August
"Joe" Briggs has been making wine in the valley for some time.
Their space is intimate and set back off the northern reaches
of Silverado Trail. They offer several wine varieties and vintages
to try, though obviously not all are available at all times.
Of interest: Napa Valley Pinot Meunier, Napa Valley Charbono,
and their petite sirahs from Lake County and Napa Valley.
August Briggs Wines
333 Silverado Trail, Calistoga, CA
Tasting Room hours: Thurs - Sun 11:30am to 4:30pm
Frank Family Vineyards
 Far from being the newcomer on the block, Frank Family Vineyards
was first constructed as the Larkmead Winery in 1884. The winery
was refinished with native sandstone from the nearby hills in
1906 and is on the National Register of Historical Places and
is listed as a Point of Historical Interest in the State of California.
A happy and fun tasting room, visitors start with handcrafted
Champagnes made - and sold - on site. After exploring the sparklings,
visitors move to another tasting room where they can check out
the still wines -- Chardonnays, Zinfandels, Sangiovese and several
distinctly different Cabernet Sauvignons.
The historic winery was once owned by wine legend Hans Kornell,
who made his reputation crafting California Champagnes. The tasting
room has numerous pictures of Marilyn Monroe who it is said visited
Hans frequently.
Frank Family Vineyards
1091 Larkmead Lane , Calistoga, CA 94515 1 800.574.9463
Tasting Room hours: Open daily 10:00am to 4:00 pm |
