For baby boomers who love good food and wine and want more to their travel to Napa Valley, here are some unique educational programs and wine courses.
CRUSHPAD WINE’S RESERVE EXPERIENCE. Crushpad is the Napa winery where you are the winemaker. Bored with the same old tasting room experience? Pull back the cellar door and spend a hands-on afternoon in the cellar with an actual winemaker from Crushpad’s award-winning team. During this unique wine experience, you will go on a behind-the-scenes tour of the winery and walk through the barrel rows. The winemaker will then lead you through an intimate barrel tasting focused on exclusive Napa Valley vineyard sites from which Crushpad sources grapes for clients. You’ll gain an intimate understanding of the different terroirs of Napa, and be able to witness how the sense of place affects taste as wines evolve in the barrel. In addition, you’ll also compare the differences between different barrel types and their effect on the wine. This reserve experience and personal interaction with a real winemaker is like nothing else in Napa Valley. Sessions last about 90 minutes. Please contact Hayden Moulds (hayden@crushpadwine.com) at 707-927-1136 707-927-1136 with inquiries. Reserve Experience: $250 for 2 people, $50 for each additional person. Limit 6. Other make your own barrel options run between $5600 and $13000.
For a gourmet retreat in Calistoga, check out CasaLana. You may choose a gift certificate for a length of stay, for cooking classes or any stated dollar amount. THE CASALANA “BOOT CAMP FOR COOKS” for example is geared to advanced level cooks who want to expand their skills using the concept of ‘master’ recipes to afford more creativity in the kitchen. Topics covered include primary and secondary sauces, egg-based sauces, bread baking, pastries, ingredient selection and storage, menu planning and entertaining; essentials for a well-stocked pantry and sample menus that can be created from your pantry to enhance every-day meals; also different products with comparative tastings and how to use them to enhance favorite recipes. Students will harvest herbs, vegetables and fruits from the gardens at CasaLana to use in the recipes prepared. Menus are seasonally adjusted but may include items such as _Gingered Carrot Soup with Creme Fraiche; Vegetable Strudel with Sauce Soubise; Semolina Flat Bread with Grilled Vegetables; Hand-made Raviolis with Roasted Vegetables and Pesto; Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb; Pan-Seared Salmon; Creamy Risotto; Warm Chocolate Souffle with Creme Anglaise_ and more. In addition to daily kitchen sessions, the class travels to culinary points of interest throughout The Napa Valley such as an excursion to Chalk Hill Estate Winery for a three-course food and wine pairing. Or to Oxbow Public Market or the Culinary Institute of America for a cooking demonstration and garden tour, a boutique winery to meet the winemaker, a local food producer or farmers’ market to learn about food at the source, how to select the season’s best picks and pairing food and wine when planning menus. Boot camp cost is $1450/pp. All classes include printed recipe handouts and a generous sampling or meal of the food prepared served with wine/beverage. Knives, tools and equipment are provided. Accommodations at CasaLana B 5-day culinary learning vacation $1150. Accommodations begin at $290/night. To order your gift certificate, you can fill out the secure form at https://gourmetretreats.com/gift_certificates.php or call 877-968-2665 877-968-2665 .
CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA AT GREYSTONE’S “A JOURNEY INTO SENSORY AWARENESS: FOOD AND WINE PAIRING.” Spend an afternoon exploring and refining your culinary sensory awareness. During this class, Chef John Ash will review the dynamics of how we taste and then dive into an exploration of how food and wine interact with each other. You’ll come away with some basic templates to operate from to help you put food and wine together. You’ll also have a much better understanding of how to make positive matches happen, whether you’re dining at a restaurant or in your own home. Buy a gift certificate for a CIA class (use the gift certificate to enroll in a class, call 1-800-888-7850 1-800-888-7850 .)
At JUDD’S HILL WINERY THEY HAVE CREATED A BOTTLE BLENDING DAY CAMP experience that allows visitors to work with a wine maker and create their very own Bordeaux style cuvee. They have blending options for 3, 6 or 12 bottles that range in price from $195 to $690. Description: One of Judd’s Hill’s winemakers will guide you through a personal tasting, education and blending session as you choose your perfect Bordeaux-style blend from four barrel samples (two Cabernet Sauvignons from different vineyard sources, one Merlot and one Cabernet Franc, all Napa Valley appellation). Once your favored cuve has been decided upon, they’ll lead you through hand-bottling, labeling and dipping the bottle tops in wax. You then get to take your personally crafted wine with you the same day. The Bottle Blending Day Camp at Judd’s Hill has several options: $195 enables you to take home 3 finished bottles of wine; $370 results in 6 bottles; $690 is a 12-bottle adventure. A 24 case, full barrel option, is also available (bottling will be at later date). Reservations for this experience can be made with at least 24 hour notice by calling (707) 255-2332 (707) 255-2332 . This link has all the information:http://www.juddshill.com/juddshill/page/blendingcamp.jsp
CONN CREEK WINERY AVA ROOM BARREL BLENDING EXPERIENCE provides guests a rare opportunity to learn about, taste, and blend wines from the many distinctive regions that make up the legendary Napa Valley. Guests get to play winemaker for a day and take home the fruit of their labors in a bottle they custom blend themselves from over a dozen barrels. The two-hour seminar is offered twice daily 10:30am/2pm by appointment; available for up to 10 guests. Open Thursday -Tuesday. Price: $95 per person. What’s Included:
* A Napa Valley AVA overview led by a wine educator
* A guided walk-around barrel tasting
* Instructions on blending techniques and strategies
* A bottle of your custom blend
* A tasting of Conn Creek’s Current Releases
http://www.conncreek.com/Blends/ShareYourBlend. Conn Creek Winery, 8711 Silverado Trail, St. Helena. Ph:707-963-5133 707-963-5133 .
For more info on travel to Napa Valley, it’s culinary traditions and wine courses, please visit www.LegendaryNapaValley.com .
The post Food and Wine Courses Enhance Travel to Napa Valley appeared first on Retire WOW.