I’ve recently invited a number of the people in my life, both present and past, to take note of my new endeavor, and to subscribe to the forthcoming premier issue of my newsletter, Wine Hiking. I am not only delighted with the responses I’ve been receiving, but also tickled to read so many of your encouraging words. It’s been especially nice to hear from folks I haven’t seen or talked to since high school! I sure hope we find a way to enjoy some time again together. You know, I believe I’ve got a way to do that with California Wine Hikes.

If Winehiker Witiculture is a chronicle of things experienced, Wine Hiking is a promise of what’s to come. Those of you who read this blog are welcome to taste what’s fermenting in the winehiking barrel by signing up for our premier issue. If you like what you read here, chances are you’ll enjoy reading Wine Hiking. Simply go to the California Wine Hikes website, enter your first name and email address, and zip-zip-zip, you’ll be all queued up and ready. Wine Hiking should arrive in your inbox by February 1st.

~winehiker

The trails of the Bay Area offer a real treat in Winter. As storm systems pass, there are often a few days of clear weather that provide the freshest air one can breathe as one walks the coastal hills. I led a group of hikers at Big Basin State Park for a 6-mile hike through stately redwoods to a ridgetop. Upon our descent, we beheld Nature’s finest shades of blue – the brilliant clear sky, the ridges of the coast, and the deepest blue of them all – the Pacific Ocean. From our vantage point, the view to its horizon appeared as an optical illusion, as if it were above our heads.

It was a view worth savoring. Nearer to us, however, one of our sharp-eyed crew spied the tracks of a bobcat, which had worked its way downtrail ahead of us. It might have been searching for rabbits or rodents, but quite possibly it was after deer, which they’ll hunt in winter months when other food is scarce. The tracks I had seen moments earlier, being small-hooved and traveling in the same direction, suggested a young Black-Tail – easy to spot in the trail mud after the recent rains, and easy prey for a hungry bobcat.

In my trail haunts over the years, I’ve sometimes encountered wild cats. It can feel as if you’re whistling past the graveyard when a predator makes eye contact with you. But it’s a safe bet that a bobcat will turn and run, leaving you with nothing but a fleeting dash of yellow-brown fur, a blip of a tail, and a story to tell. What I find interesting about bobcats is that they’re highly adaptable to changes in environmental conditions. Some biologists even believe that there are more bobcats in the United States today than there were in colonial times. Despite their rare and elusive nature, that could be reason alone why I’ve seen them at all.

If I’ve learned anything, it is that being out there on the trail, in any season, can lend wonderful richness to one’s curiosity – and therefore one’s life – if one merely stops to observe what is happening as one passes between what we think we need and what we don’t realize we should have.

I like to stop and admire the comings and goings of Nature. If I loiter long enough, there’s often a story hidden there, waiting to be unveiled. These simple natural phenomena are my connection to the real adventure that so many of us seem blind to. I’m rewarded then, when my fellow hikers take the cue and, before we know it, we’ve gained honest memories – memories that make us want to don our boots and return to savor them anew.

~winehiker

Last night at the San Carlos home of my friend Brad Brooke, our monthly group enjoyed a comparative blind tasting of seven wines made from the Barbera grape. Just like last month’s Cabernet Franc tasting, this tasting reflected an astounding aspect: though there’s not a lot of pure-varietal Barbera available in the local marketplace (despite the reported fact that Barbera is the fifth-most widely-planted grape in California), we again managed to not duplicate any labels. What an intrepid and resourceful group of wine shoppers we have in our circle!

Of our seven wines, 3 were from Northern California, and 4 were from Italy’s celebrated Piedmont region. The consensus of the group was that we like the Barbera produced from both geographies. There was no clear favorite, but rather 3 wines that rated significantly higher than the others.

Each of the wines listed below are ranked top-down, most favorite to least favorite; each is followed by the wine’s heat, or alcohol content. My purchase was the Sunset, which has been awarded 3 gold medals, one of which was the Best of California Gold Medal at the 2002 California State Fair. Funny that the group liked it more than I did – but not too much more!

Group Ranking
1998 Torti Incanto, Lombardy 13.5
2002 Sunset, Napa Valley 14.9
2003 Preston, Dry Creek Valley 14.5
2003 Seghesio, Sonoma County 14.6
2002 La Spinetta Ca di Pian d’Asti 13.5
2001 Cascina Castle T d’Asti 14.5
2002 Ruggeri Corsini Armujan d’Alba 14

Winehiker’s Ranking
2002 La Spinetta Ca di Pian d’Asti 13.5
2003 Preston, Dry Creek Valley 14.5
2002 Sunset, Napa Valley 14.9
1998 Torti Incanto, Lombardy 13.5
2001 Cascina Castle T d’Asti 14.5
2002 Ruggeri Corsini Armujan d’Alba 14
2003 Seghesio, Sonoma County 14.6

Next month, in tribute to the Olympics being held in Torino, Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, we’ll continue with the Italian theme, choosing Sangiovese as our grape. I’d like to wish a special viaggio buono to fellow wine-taster Dave Medlicott, who is about to jet off to Torino. Dave is a troubleshooter in video production technologies, and will be working non-stop during the Olympic telecast. I expect Dave will also get in some great skiing and wine tasting, especially if his girlfriend Debbie has anything to say about it. I believe we sent them off in good fashion last night.

~winehiker

Technorati Profile

In my first post, you may have read about Kevin McNeese, the web developer who built my californiawinehikes.com website. Now that it is live, I thought I’d share what Kevin has to say about our site on his portfolio page.

We are pleased to announce that our new site for californiawinehikes.com is now live. The company, based in Sunnyvale, CA, offers guided hikes, wine tastings, fine dining and accommodations in the California wine country with a series of rotating scheduled events. The new website, our 73rd design and our most complex database we’ve built to date, allows the company to completely control the content of the site as well as add and feature tours. The site will continue to grow in development in 2006. Database solutions provided by QualityClix.

Here’s what I had to say about Kevin:

“I chose to work with KMWeb Designs because I was immediately impressed with the design and functionality represented in the company’s portfolio as well as the spectrum of services the company offered. Principal designer Kevin McNeese’s cogent up-front questions and very reasonable fees were also compelling. I wanted to build a site that would set new standards for usability and e-commerce in the active travel market, and therefore outshine my competitors. Having been involved in corporate website usability issues, I was just dangerous enough to present a challenge for Kevin, but he was ready for me. His tenacity, quick grasp of the big picture, fine understanding of the details, ability to create a strong presentation, keen willingness to learn, and calm “bedside manner” have combined to deliver a unique and engaging new website to the world. KMWeb Designs’ work represents my path to a rewarding future. It’s a real pleasure knowing that. Bravo!”

~winehiker

I’m happy when
Everything goes right
Just because I tried
And I made others happy.

I’m happier when,
Straight from their souls,
Friends speak their thoughts
And encourage me onward.

I’m happiest when
I’ve got a hat on my head
Boots on my feet
And a trail before me.

I’m pretty happy that my site went live today.

~winehiker