Tomorrow is the first day of winter. Depending on where you live, this probably does not come as big news; it certainly hasn’t felt like summer for a long time.
Some people embrace the season; others hate it. But if there’s one thing we have learned in life, it’s that when it comes to the weather, there’s not much we can do about it.
But we can find ways to deal with it, and one great way is to attend “Winter in the Wineries,” a Napa Valley event presented by the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce.
“Winter” came early to Calistoga, as this special event kicked off on Nov. 30. But you still have plenty of time to be a part of it, as “Winter in the Wineries” continues through Feb. 10.
More than a dozen Calistoga-area wineries are taking part in the “open house”-style event, and a number of local restaurants and lodging destinations are offering special deals to participants.
A “Winter in the Wineries” passport costs $50, and full information is available here.
If you’d prefer to not burn vacation time so early in the year, and you know how to convert Euros to dollars, does Napa Valley’s Chateau Potelle have a deal for you. It’s a true “insider’s” tour of Bordeaux, scheduled for next September (the 8th through the 14th, to be precise).
The package includes:
- Visit, tasting and lunch at Chateau Angelus, featuring a special retrospective tasting.
- Spa time at the luxurious Caudalie Spa, located at Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte.
- A cooking class (“Cooking With Red Wine”), followed by dinner at Chateau Haut-Bailly.
- Visit, tasting and dinner at Chateau Canon, a property that has been totally renovated by the luxury house, Chanel.
- A unique visit to and tasting at Chateau Margaux.
- A visit to the organically and biodynamically-farmed Chateau Pontet-Canet, where horses are used in the vineyard caretaking.
- Lunch at Leoville-Poyferre, a rising star in the Medoc.
- A gala dinner at l’Orangerie, part of Chateau Branaire-Ducru.
And that’s just a sampling of the itinerary, according to Chateau Potelle’s Jean-Noel Fourmeaux du Sartel. The cost is 10,950-Euro per couple, and further information is available by emailing jean-noel@chateaupotelle.com.
Calistoga in the winter… Bordeaux in the late summer.
Decisions… decisions.
