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Mandi Robertson, ASP/DipWSET | The Surburban
The Napa Valley AVA is located in Northern California, just 50 miles northeast of San Francisco and tucked away between the Mayacamas Mountains to the west and the Vaca mountains to the east. The Napa Valley is celebrated for consistently producing wines of the highest quality as vintners are committed to a culture of excellence, environmental leadership, and careful winemaking practices. For a region that’s only 30 miles long and a few miles wide, California’s Napa Valley has an iconic reputation for producing some of the finest wines in the world.
One of the reasons for Napa’s high quality wines is its rare Mediterranean climate, which only 2 per cent of the world has. The Valley’s generous climate allows for a long growing season that assists in the grape’s complexity and flavour. The sunny, dry, and warm days, followed by cool evenings, is the ultimate combination for allowing grapes to ripen slowly and evenly.
Another contributor to Napa’s wine quality and delicious freshness is its proximity to the ocean. As hot air in California’s interior valley rises, it creates a vacuum effect which draws in moist, cool air from the ocean, forming fog. This pattern repeats most days during the warmer months of the year. Except on rare days, summer fog will burn off by mid-morning and essentially help retain acidity in grapes.
The climate, in combination with an incredible diversity of soil, allows for the production of a wide variety of grapes like Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir and perhaps most famously, Cabernet Sauvignon, which has found quite a comfortable home in the area.
Napa Valley certainly has a long history of grape growing, but it was George Yount who planted the first grapes and in 1861 Charles Krug was credited with creating the first commercial winery. Not long after that, other producers, like Beringer, followed suit. Napa has had its fair share of challenges with phylloxera destroying vineyards in the 19th Century and of course Prohibition in the 1930s. It wasn’t until 1950s and 60s that the Napa Valley started get back on track when producers like Andre Tchelistcheff, of Beaulieu Vineyards, and Louis H. Martini started to invest in recovery of the region.
We can’t talk about Napa Pioneers without talking about Robert Mondavi. He established his winery in 1966 with a clear vision to creates Napa Valley wines that would stand up to the world’s finest. He coined the term “Fume Blanc”, worked hard to improve the quality of Cabernet Sauvignon, and with a fierce determination and drive, became an advocate for the region and produced incredible wine that the rest of the world would eventually fall in love with.
Another important point in Napa’s history was the Judgment of Paris of 1976. Top wine critics and journalists were tasting top French wines against wines from California. To everyone’s amazement, the winning wines were from Napa Valley. This pinned Napa and California on the international stage for top quality wine production.
Since then, winemakers in Napa Valley collectively aim to do one thing — consistently improve and produce hauntingly delicious, high quality wines that are brimming with elegance and finesse.
A contributing factor to the Napa’s success is their efforts in investing into their community, winemaking technology as well as their dedication to the environment and health of their vineyards. They have been investing in environmental leadership with its Napa Green Certification whereby producers are certified sustainable and are constantly improving soil health and increasing efficiency with energy and water use, for example. Napa Valley truly stands out a leader in exemplifying sustainability, but also as trailblazers given the high standards of winemaking and consistent, top quality wines
It’s my firm belief that Napa Valley is an affordable luxury that should be constantly gracing the tables of Quebec. Montreal is a gastronomic city and we love and appreciate good food and wine. We have refined palates that values unique, quality driven and elegant wine.
The wines of Napa Valley comfortably fit into our budget and lifestyle more than we realize. When it comes to accessibility at the SAQ, these wines often sell themselves so once they are available for purchase it would be wise to grab them while you can. In no particular order, here are but a few of my personal favourites that close to my heart.
About Napa Green: The Napa Green 501c3 is a global leader in sustainable winegrowing, setting the highest bar for sustainability and climate action in the wine industry. Napa Green facilitates whole system soil to bottle certification for wineries and vineyards, and provides the expertise, boots-on-the-ground support, and resources to continually improve. Learn more at https://napagreen.org/participating-members/.
Anna Brittain
Napa Green
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‼️ Save this Itinerary ‼️
Check out this itinerary by @danpetroski of participating @napagreen wineries and vineyards that contribute to the long-term health of our land and ensure that Napa Valley remains a thriving and beautiful region for future generations.
📍 @larkmeadvineyards
📍 @silveroakcellars
📍 @vsattui
Looking for holiday experiences that create deep meaningful connections and support local, sustainable businesses? Check out our climate smart itineraries - you really can’t go wrong.
#winetasting #sustainablewine #winetastingitinerary
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This is not your typical itinerary by @abrittain – wetting your palate for wine producers that are difficult, perhaps impossible, to visit. However, if you are a wine connoisseur seeking exceptional wines from sustainability and climate leaders you should absolutely put in the effort to secure wines from these @napagreen certified producers.
📍 @dominusestatewinery
📍 @lailvineyards
📍 @adamvs
Looking for holiday experiences that create deep meaningful connections and support local, sustainable businesses? Check out our climate smart itineraries - you really can’t go wrong.
#winetasting #sustainablewine #winetastingitinerary
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This itinerary is ideal for a girls’ trip or a day out with friends! Discover the sustainable side of Napa with @goodfriendsgoodfood itinerary, which celebrates diversity and offers wines tailored to a range of palates.
These @napagreen certified wineries provide beautiful settings to connect over fantastic wine, all while supporting positive change within the wine industry.
📍 @domainecarneros
📍 @rdwinery
📍 @trefethenfamily
Looking for holiday experiences that create deep meaningful connections and support local, sustainable businesses? Check out our climate smart itineraries - you really can’t go wrong.
#winetasting #sustainablewine #winetastingitinerary
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This itinerary by Sommelier and Vintner, @danpetroski, showcases a rich variety of regional efforts from @napagreen certified wineries with a diversity of style, size, production and profiles, where each place focuses on varies in accordance with their distinct microclimate.
Be sure to check out the second 1/2 of this itinerary to complete your visit!
📍 @ashesxdiamonds
📍 @cliffledevineyards
📍 @hydewines
Looking for holiday experiences that create deep meaningful connections and support local, sustainable businesses? Check out our climate smart itineraries - you really can’t go wrong.
#winetasting #sustainablewine #winetastingitinerary
@closduval’s bottles from Verallia are 30% lighter than traditional bottles, which represents a 34% reduction in carbon emissions from glass production alone!
Lightweight glass saves natural resources, lowers transportation costs and emissions, and reduces the risk of employee injuries. Not only is it infinitely recyclable, it’s also beautiful!
Get a bottle (or several) of this @napagreen certified wine to feel and taste the commitment sustainability from soil to bottle.
#winetasting #wineindustry #climateaction #lightenup #lightweightglassbottles
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Get insider information and tips to make the most of your trip to some of @reyeswine.mw’s favorite Napa Green certified wineries with this exclusive in-the-know Itinerary.
📍 @rdwinery
📍 @sequoiagrove
📍 @schramsberg
Looking for holiday experiences that create deep meaningful connections and support local, sustainable businesses? Check out our climate smart itineraries - you really can’t go wrong.
#winetasting #sustainablewine #winetastingitinerary
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This itinerary, by Master Sommelier, @andrearobinsonms, will take you to @napagreen Certified wineries, where we can see and taste the commitment to our planet and our community that pays off now in great wine, natural beauty and soil health, while paying it forward.
📍 @chandonusa
📍 @grgichhillsestate @grgichhills
📍 @troisnoixwine
Looking for holiday experiences that create deep meaningful connections and support local, sustainable businesses? Check out our climate smart itineraries - you really can’t go wrong.
#winetasting #sustainablewine #winetastingitinerary
Congratulations to @twentyrowswines for @napagreen Winery Certification!
Twenty Rows crafts small lots of their Napa Valley wines, at the @fiordisolewines certified sustainable facility. These wines are not only made with environmental impact in mind, they reflect honest varietal character and showcase the terroir where the grapes were grown.
#sustainablewine #sustainablewinery #napavalleywine
‼️ Save this Itinerary! ‼️
This itinerary by @abrittain will take you to @napagreen certified, tucked away spots, run by some powerhouse women, deeply dedicated to the stewardship of the Napa Valley.
📍 @tressabores
📍 @viadernapavalley
📍 @spottswoodewinery
Looking for holiday experiences that create deep meaningful connections and support local, sustainable businesses? Check out our climate smart itineraries - you really can’t go wrong.
#winetasting #sustainablewine #winetastingitinerary
Congratulations to @etudewines for achieving @napagreen winery recertification!
Etude Wine’s sustainability initiatives encompass everything from cover crops, solar powered facilities, recycled water use and water-wise landscaping, wetland and habitat restoration, wildlife corridors, stunning pollinator gardens and more. For a truly immersive sustainability experience with expressive wines with a holistic winemaking approach.
#climateaction #winetasting #wineindustry
Being with a community of people who are excited about biodiversity, healthy ecosystems, and climate resilience is good for the soil and the soul!
Whether you’re regenerative curious or ready to get regenerative certified, reach out to join this community! You’ll get access to support, resources, practical guidance, and incredible field days like this one @bedrockwines with @napagreen and @regenerativeviticulture
#regenerativeviticulture #OneBlockChallenge #climateaction
There’s still time to register for the @napagreen and @regenerativeviticulture #OneBlockChallenge informational sessions!
Register for either session at the link in our bio:
December 9th from 9:00-10:00 am
December 11th from 9:00-10:00 am
#soilhealth #regenerativeviticulture
@napagreen and @regenerativeviticulture partnered to bring the #OneBlockChallenge to Napa County winegrowers!
Tomorrow is the first virtual informational and onboarding session, so bring your questions, curiosity and excitement and hop on zoom to learn more.
#climateaction #regenerativeviticulture
Help us celebrate this historic milestone!!
100% of @napagreen’s Certified Vineyard members successfully phased out Roundup, setting a new standard for wine industry leadership.
Thank you to all of our members for your continued leadership and dedication to sustainability. Your choices impact meaningful change in our industry.
#climateaction #winebusiness #regenerativeag
What makes the #OneBlockChallenge so special? Hear from @regenerativeviticulture Co-Founder, @stephen_de_mirabeau!
The first informational session is next week so come with your questions. Learn more or get involved at the link in our bio.
#regenerativeag #regenerativeviticulture climateaction
@napagreen is a non-profit focused on climate action in the wine industry!
This #GivingTuesday consider donating any amount to support regenerative farming practices, sustainable wine production, and strengthening our community.
#climateaction #nonprofit
