• Crushpad looks toward the Land of the Rising Sun
  The Winehiker is lately impressed with the efforts of Crushpad since their growing pains of recent months. Their latest news? A Crushpad winemaking facility in Japan.
  (tags: crushpad wine news japan)

It was announced last week that Crushpad, the urban winery that is democratizing winemaking, is launching a Crushpad facility in Japan to serve its rapidly-growing base of wine enthusiasts.

According to the Crushpad press release:

No longer will cultural and language differences, distance, or import restrictions hamper Japanese wine lovers in creating their very own luxury California wine. With personnel based in Tokyo and San Francisco, Crushpad Japan will provide Japanese language marketing, sales and winemaking support tailored to the Japanese market – Crushpad’s largest market outside the U.S.

Customers will share in the excitement of the wine harvest through live web streaming reports from Japanese correspondents and connect with other wine enthusiasts through a localized language version of Crushnet, Crushpad’s online wine community. The new entity will also handle shipping and local regulatory issues to make it easy for Japanese wine lovers to receive their wine and will act as a liaison for Japanese visitors to Crushpad’s San Francisco winemaking operation.

To launch the new unit, Crushpad turned to two professionals intimately familiar with the sense of personal expression and accomplishment that comes with making your own luxury wine – current customers Takahide Sugimoto and Makoto Kanda. Mr. Sugimoto has made wine with Crushpad since its inaugural vintage and operates the California Wine Garden and s.l.o restaurant in Tokyo, where he will continue to be based. He also established the California Wine Fan Club, which counts over 1,300 members. Mr. Kanda has also been a Crushpad customer and brings extensive distribution and logistics expertise through his SHIP2U shipping service. He will be based in San Francisco.

“The prospect of living the California wine country lifestyle holds great worldwide appeal,” said Mr. Kanda. “We’re excited to bring that opportunity to the many Japanese wine enthusiasts, formerly restricted by geography and lack of wine industry connections, through Crushpad Japan.”

This blogger is enchanted by the news. Indeed I’m lately impressed with the efforts of Crushpad since their growing pains of recent months. But then I’m enamored of the whole concept of custom winemaking at the citizen level. Enough so that I’m involved in creating the Basic Brick Rhone-style blend at Crushpad San Francisco as a member of the Basic Juice Crew winemaking team. I look forward to our next barrel sample, and bottling will perhaps be scheduled for next Spring.

Source: PRNewsWire

~winehiker

You may not know it, but The Winehiker sometimes drinks his wine from plastic wine glasses. It’s not a preference for me, mind you, but occasions arise when plastic wine glasses, which are (mostly) unbreakable, are the only viable solution to one of Nature’s wine-drinking problems.

The reason why people choose to use plastic wine glasses, if they do at all, is so they can drink wine in a civilized manner while they’re out roughing it. That fine Riedel O glass you like to admire as you swirl and sip from it on your veranda upon a sultry and enchanting evening just doesn’t work in a backpack, especially when you’re bouncing up a trail with a comparatively heavy 750ml bottle of wine adjacent to it. The potential devastation of glass and occasion would be most annoying.

So how do you keep from breaking your good glassware and still maintain a civilized approach to modern wine-tasting in the wild?

Erstwhile award-winning wine blogger Tyler Colman, whom you may know as Dr. Vino, recently attended a lakeside party in which the wine was served, as he described, in “really thick plastic goblets”. Later, apparently annoyed by the low-brow presentation of wine in an otherwise high-brow occasion, the Good Doctor briefly inquired of The Winehiker, asking only:

Hey Russ, what is your preferred stemware for hikes?

Cheers,
Tyler

Being fully aware of Dr. Vino’s penchant for wit and humor – a big part of why we wine lovers read his blog – I replied:

Hey Tyler,

Would you believe me if I told you my preferred stemware for winehiking is high-impact acrylic, with removable stems? I think the brand is “Crudel”….*

Actually, though, I don’t condone drinking while on the hike, for safety reasons mostly. My groups typically end up at a winery, so I let those nice folks handle the stemware. Indeed, when they see us highly-cultured (and sometimes highly-sweaty) winehikers coming, they reach for their best Spiegelau.

But I’ve always known that hiking and food make for a great one-two combination, food and wine do too, and what the heck – why not all three? Kinda helps wash down that pesky trail dust!

I can see it now: your next sip n’ spit will feature stemware for the rugged yet civilized adventurist. Come to think of it, I should display an Amazon ad.

Nice of you to write, Tyler. Cheers back atcha!

*Um, not really! Hey, we’re winehikers – we just swig from the bottle.

Apparently I hadn’t fully assessed the entirety of the Good Doctor’s dilemma, nor his assessment of winehiking, as you might infer from his response:

What – no wine on the hikes?!? Isn’t that false advertising?

So no tips for something good, light and virtually unbreakable?

Sounds like the Good Doctor wishes to convert to Winehikerism! And who am I not to gently guide him along the winehiking path?

Tyler,

Oh, so you’re serious! Well, my goodness. Take a look at the following products on the REI website.* If you don’t have an REI in your neck ‘the woods, Tyler, I believe most sporting goods stores will carry the first item, of which I own a few. If they’re not knocked around too much – the weakest part about them being the male-threaded gazinta – they should last at least five years of moderate camping use. They won’t look particularly pretty then, being that they’re of a softer material and therefore wear and tear will scratch them up a bit more than if they were glass. They’ll still be quite functional, however, and you can stuff a few of them into most backpacks – leaving room for wine, of course (yes, occasionally I do bring wine on the trail, but please don’t mention that to the authorities).

And yet, if thrown with adamant aplomb into the campfire after a well-executed toast, Lexan stemware – as oxymoronic as that term suddenly seems to me – may crack and be rendered useless. (Sigh!) Alas, they just won’t have that satisfying shatter that real wine glasses have. (Sigh twice!)

But I seriously digress. Check ‘em out!

GSI Lexan Wine Glass, $5.95
http://www.rei.com/product/634314

GSI Small Lexan Wine Glass, $4.95
http://www.rei.com/product/736982

~Russ

*Yes, I’m an REI member. I’ve come to the conclusion that “REI” stands for Russ Equipment Incorporated.

To which Dr. Vino replied:

Thanks Russ! I wondered if there was something better. Indeed, this looks good. Now I just need to find an REI…

Happy trails! Cheers,
Tyler

If you’re ever caught in the act of passing time in an expansive oasis of scenic lakeside splendor and find that you’ve got a serious jones for the mannerly assimilation of oenologic libation, it’s nice to know that you had the foresight to pack along these plastic potationals.

~winehiker

The Winehiker also recommends other must-haves for civilized forays into the wild. Just check out the sidebar to your right (or search this page for “winehiker recommends”) for such goodies as a Deluxe Picnic Backpack, a Wildflower Guide, and a Victorinox Swiss Army Knife with obligatory corkscrew. And yes, Lexan wine glasses for (as of this writing) 20 cents cheaper than at REI. What’s more, if clicking through on any of these items results in a direct purchase, you’ll be well-equipped for winehiking, and The Winehiker will be most grateful.

• Dave & Bill’s Excellent Picnic Adventure
  If you like hiking and you’re living in or planning to visit Sonoma County, you should consider hooking up with Dave & Bill.
  (tags: sonoma hiking hikes dave bill picnic wineries)
• Hiking Trails in Sonoma Valley
  Best in Sonoma is a website that showcases the best activities and events in the Sonoma County region. Here’s a list of what they consider to be the best Sonoma area hikes.
  (tags: sonoma hikes hiking best)
• Sonoma County California Hiking Trails
  From Mountain Travel Guide: a simple list of hikes in Sonoma County.
  (tags: sonoma hikes hiking trails)
• Sonoma Valley Sun
  A local area newspaper’s write-up about Dave & Bill Hikes.
  (tags: dave bill hikes sonoma valley sun newspaper article)

If you like hiking and you’re living in or planning to visit Sonoma County, you should consider hooking up with Dave & Bill. This coming Sunday, in particular, is the day in which Dave & Bill host their annual picnic at Spring Lake Regional Park near Santa Rosa, California. Naturally there’s a hike involved. That is, after the bratwurst is consumed!

I chanced to join the “Bill half” of Dave & Bill last Saturday at Kunde Winery. It’s not often that visiting a winery will result in a four-hour hike, but that’s the time it took to circumnavigate Kunde’s 1800 acres of fifth-generation family estate-owned vineyards. With the gentle, good-natured guidance of local docent, Bill Myers, about 20 of us learned a few things about the Kunde family, its winery and vineyard operation, some local lore, and the names of a few Sonoma Valley landmarks. And, being that it was a fairly warm day, we were all understandably ready for a post-hike tasting of Kunde wines in their cool and inviting tasting room, which Bill led us safely back to.

I wrote to thank Bill for putting such a pleasant event together, and was delighted by his response:

Russ, it was a pleasure meeting you. If I can ever be of assistance to you up here in Sonoma Valley, please don’t hesitate to ask. You have a creative business idea and I wish you the best. I perused your website yesterday and was amazed at the effort that went into it.

Kinda makes me want to give Bill a call from time to time. Maybe do a little partnering!

Many of Dave & Bill’s hikes are sponsored by the Valley of the Moon History Association, the California State Parks, and the Sonoma County Regional Parks. Together, Dave and Bill organize and lead monthly hikes, typically on Saturday mornings. In fact, their remaining 2007 hike dates are 9/15, 10/27, 11/17, and 12/15, and may have you cavorting over the finest trails at Sugarloaf Ridge, Jack London, Annadel, Hood Mountain, Shiloh Ranch, and Spring Lake parks.

These are certainly some of the winehiker’s favorite places to earn a fabulous wine-tasting reward.

If you’d like to attend Dave & Bill’s annual picnic, just send Bill Myers an email at fmi@sonic.net. For more information about the picnic and their program, check out Dave & Bill’s website. Then grab your pack and lace your boots!

~winehiker

It’s good brain calisthenics to challenge your thinking processes in new ways. Can you step outside of the upper left quadrant box – logical, analytical, and quantitative – to explore the visual upper right brain: holistic, intuitive, and synthesizing?

Why, I believe I can easily visualize enjoying a petrogasm at least once a day, if not more often. To see what I’m talking about, check out this new way of reviewing wine. It may even leave you breathless for the next petrogasm.

~winehiker

• A two-fer from Mario Andretti
  Andretti Winery, named for the legendary race car driver, is offering a two-for-one wine tasting coupon for a limited time. Here’s how to find it.
  (tags: wine tasting two one 2 for 1 coupon andretti winery winehiker http://www.californiawinehikes.com)
• Goosecross Winery Special Offer
  2 for 1 tastings, 10% off any wine puchase & 100% free shipping on cases at Goosecross Cellars. That’s just good stuff.
  (tags: wine tasting coupon discount goosecross)
• The Hess Collection Winery Special Offer
  A complimentary 2-for-1 tasting coupon from The Hess Collection. What are you waiting for?
  (tags: wine tasting coupon hess collection winery napa)

It’s no secret that, in an effort to capitalize on foot traffic, many of Napa Valley’s chi-chi wineries are charging $25 or more for their no-frills tastings. Isn’t it nice to know, then, that one popular Napa Valley tasting room is bucking that trend to offer a 2-for-1 tasting coupon? That’s right: you and a friend can enjoy tasting wine in a nicely-appointed Tuscan-style villa in the heart of Napa Valley when you print this coupon and present it to the tasting room staff at Andretti Winery.

Andretti Winery is a namesake of the legendary Mario Andretti, who achieved fame in the 60′s as a champion race car driver. Mr. Andretti is currently the vice chairman of the winery, which produces five wines from the Napa Valley, three of which are very limited production estate and reserve classified wines under the Montona label. These limited wines are available only through the winery’s tasting room, and are not found in general distribution.

Andretti Winery is located at 4162 Big Ranch Road, on the northern outskirts of the town of Napa. So print that coupon, grab your best guy or gal, and enjoy your tasting!

~winehiker

• Bruce Cass Wine Lab
  Bruce Cass founded his Wine Lab to make exploring wine come alive for his students in a fun, informative, unpretentious environment.
  (tags: bruce cass wine lab education tasting class learning)
• Wine Tasting Kit
  A $39.95 course offered by The Naked Grape.
  (tags: naked grape wine education tasting class learning)
• Professional Wine Studies Program
  Wine courses in Napa Valley offered by the Culinary Institute of America’s Pro Chef program.
  (tags: wine courses learning education study cia)
• Wine 101 for Beginners
  A brief overview of wine basics and wine for beginners with the Vino! Wine 101 wine primer.
  (tags: wine 101 basics guide education)
• Free “Wine Tasting 102″ Class offered by Copia Center
  Copia’s Senior Director, Peter Marks, is offering a free online version of his new Wine Tasting 102 class later this month. Y’all might want to check this one out.
  (tags: wine education class copia)

On August 29th, you have an opportunity to participate in a wine tasting webinar hosted by Peter Marks, Master of Wine and Senior Director of Wine and Food at Copia: The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts.

The class, titled Wine Tasting 102, is new to Copia’s lineup of hands-on wine education offerings. The decision to offer the class online is also a new one. The hands-on session is priced at $15 for 30 minutes at the Copia Center in Napa. It covers topics such as grape-growing methods, varietal and clonal selection, fermentation techniques and use of oak, and the aging and storage of wines. A comparative tasting of two or three wines is also included in the hands-on class; I assume that for the free online version, Mr. Marks will probably skip this step. But this winehiker may not!

Marks is one of 20 American members of the Institute of Masters of Wine, which is headquartered in London, England. He is also a member of the Society of Wine Educators and is the Education Coordinator for the Institute of Masters of Wine practical (tasting) exam in the USA.

Does Mr. Marks offer a Wine Tasting 101 class? Yes, you can bet he does. After all, before you learn about grapegrowing and winemaking techniques, it’s natural to first want to learn the ABC’s of wine-tasting, including spit bucket etiquette.

To get a sense of what he’s all about, here’s a Wine Flight video featuring Peter Marks on TasteTV.

The free Copia webinar is offered Wednesday, August 29th, at 4:00 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Here’s where to sign up.

~winehiker