After leaving downtown Grass Valley I am off to a further part of Grass Valley, close to Nevada City, the location of Naggiar Vineyards and Winery. I will be interviewing owner Mike Naggiar, who after many years with Hewlett Packard, was looking for a second challenge. Right now my challenge is in the GPS getting me to the entrance.
I suddenly thought about the Beatles’ song, Long and Winding Road, if you get my drift and soon spotted an obvious posted red and white sign welcoming me and another, underneath, with an arrow pointing me to the direction of the winery, tasting and office.
Talk about a beautiful landscape, I just had to take a photo of the main road going into the winery. There were the vineyards in the background, a lake, and a covered building with a raised deck. I was led to the tasting room. Just outside of the tasting room was a curved stone sign announcing the name of the vineyard. Foliage rested below giving it an appearance as if you were entering an “estate,” which it is.
Having arrived a bit early, I took a seat at what appeared to be their shaded patio area quenching my thirst with bottled water that I provided for the drive. Thoroughly enjoying the ambiance I looked around, to see a table of family and friends that caught my eye. There was much laughter as they shared a meal with a bottle or two of wine. It was here that I met Mike. Being the usual hot summer day, Mike thought that it would be better to chat indoors, an air conditioned room near the vineyard’s kitchen. He shared the history of the vineyards and its growth to what is now 100 acres.
“This includes the tasting room located near a small pond. The actual building is made of brick with the shaded patio for people to buy the wine, sit outside and have a picnic. As the bistro is presently closed at this time, we encourage our customers to bring their own food, although not allowed to bring wine from another winery. We do sell snacks in the tasting room such as peanuts, salami and cheese in a shrink wrap, cheese and crackers in case you didn’t bring any food.”
Temperature in the high 90s, Mike and I were off in
a truck taking us to the vineyards. It
looked like rows of small trees until I got up close. Prior to venturing here,
I had listened to a pod cast from Whirl With Merle on blogtalk radio. Merle Exit
had interviewed Mike who said, “The first part of the vineyard was planted in
1998 with thirty acres of grapes; twenty more acres in 2001; and an additional
10 acres in 2005. Many of our grapes are Italian. At this time of year the
grapes all look alike as they are all green.
White wines will turn a yellowish green while red wines will turn a
purplish color.” I did notice that at this point, the white grapes having an
appearance of green olives.
“Each of the varietals of grapes, for each type of
wine is labeled,” Mike stated. “Then there are wines that will be blended. Once
they are ripened you can generally taste the wine but without the sugar or
fermenting content, so they will taste bitter.”
He continued to say that they grow 17 different
varietal of grapes. “On any particular Saturday day, we have seven different
wines to taste in the order of white, rose and red. Names such as ‘Rhone’ is the area where the
varietal originally comes from. Dry
wines are not sweet and mostly food wines.
Wine tasting tends to become a hobby.
Very sweet wines are considered to be ‘dessert’ wines to be enjoyed as
an after dinner drink.”
As for pairing wines with food, Mike said, “The theory
is that If you pair the right wine with the right food each is supposed to
enhance the other one. For instance, Viognier is a white grape Rhone varietal
that likes hot weather that is not sweet. Root 49 Cabernet Sauvignon is a red wine. A main
rule is to try and pair combinations based on the intensity of the food. As an
example, Osso Bucco is ‘heavy’ and contains a lot of fat, thus what might be
considered as a ‘winter food’ should be paired with a red wine such as the Cabernet
Sauvignon or a Sirah. If you pair a steak with a white wine or rose, the food might
overtake the flavor of the wine. Fileted fish, like salmon, should not be paired
with a heavy wine. You need a light white wine.”
Mike continued telling me that the sauces you prepare
for your meal can overtake the flavors of the wine. “Most flavors you taste in a wine come
through your nose which is why some people slurp the wine in order to obtain
the aromas.”
At one point
Mike brought me to where I could get an
outside view to where both the barrels and vats are fermenting the grapes. Not
all vineyards have cool or cold underground cellars as they are not necessarily
needed. Fermentation of the grapes requires temperature controlled rooms. I
think people might tend to “romanticize” walking through wine cellars. I’m
guessing that temperature controlled rooms may be a bit newer and more readily available.
We discussed the fermentation of the grapes
in a vat vs. an oak barrel and how it affects the flavor of the wine.
Although I have fancied drinking wines, this was my first
experience of engaging in a Wine Tasting.
Mike was on hand to explain the steps.
Here is what I learned. In tasting, only a small amount of wine is
poured into the wine glass. You should
first hold the stem of the glass so as to not allow any heat from your hand to
affect the wine as well as being able to note the wine’s clarity. Swirl the wine and then place your nose into
the top of the glass in order to obtain the aromas. Place a small amount of the
wine into your mouth and swish it around in order to access the flavors
allowing your various taste buds to experience the sweet, acidic, and perhaps
notes of fruit. If you are at some of the wineries, a spittoon of sorts is
provided for you to either dump the remaining or spit out what you tasted. Do not try this in a restaurant! FYI even if
you spit it out, enough remnants will trickle down to the back of your
throat.
The tasting room provided 7 wines to allow you to taste a
white, rose, and red. The ones that I tasted were: White, Viognier; Rose, off
dry; Route 49 Red Blend; NV Dahlia Noire, Red Blend; Barbera, Italian
Varietal; and Mourvedre, Rhone Varietal.
Wines from Naggiar include: Rhone:
Viognier • Marsanne • Roussanne • Grenache • Syrah • Mourvedre • Petite Sirah •
Cinsault • Counoise Italian: Muscat Canelli • Sangiovese • Barbera • Primativio
Bordeaux: Malbec • Cabernet Sauvignon • Cabernet Franc • Petit Verdot
Spanish:Tempranillo Blends: several fine blends and Reserve wines crafted from
the varietals listed.
If you want a dessert wine, the sweetest available,
you can get the Late Harvest of Viognier.
Grapes remain on the vine for a longer time and not all of the sugars
are removed during the fermentation. Mike
recommended enjoying a crème brulee with it.
We had returned to the air conditioned room and
schmoozed while his wife, Diane, presented the tasty and filling snack plate.
Being a family run business, it is Mike’s daughter, Mary, who is in charge of
public relations. Afterward I sat outside to continue relaxing and enjoy the
music.
In the summer months the vineyard has complimentary
music every evening between six and nine.
Once a month they have a concert on a Saturday where they do sell
tickets. Food is catered and performed
as a tribute concert to some band. These
event concerts are limited to 400 tickets due to parking issues. If people prefer, there is a beautiful lawn area
near the pond where they can bring a blanket or low chair. Music at these monthly concerts, start at
about 6pm where most people place themselves near the stage as they tend to get
up and dance.
I intend to go back many times and bring friends
(one of which will be the designated driver).
We will most likely pack some food and buy a bottle of wine at the
tasting room. FYI, if you purchase a bottle of their wine from off the premises
it doesn’t count. Naggiar Vineyards and Winery is located at 18125 Rosemary
Lane. If it helps with the GPS, put in the zip code of 95949. For further information go to www.naggiarvineyards.com
