California: Articles on California Wine & Wine Regions

Enjoy these little fun facts about our beloved Napa Valley next time you are wine tasting, at a dinner party or playing Trivial Pursuit.

1) Napa Valley hosts an annual Mustard Festival from January to March, celebrating the " food, wine, art and rich, unique agricultural bounty of the Napa Valley". For some great tips on pairing wine with mustard, check out this article – Courtney gives some great advice.

If you take a moment to ponder who deserves the title as Father of Californian wine, a few names may pop into mind. Limiting our scope to recent generations, Robert Mondavi might be the most obvious choice, as he helped to transition Napa Valley from its post-prohibition bulk wine doldrums to its rightful place among the greats of the modern wine producing regions.

IntoWine.com asked our panel of wine experts their recommendation for one California Central Coast wine worth seeking out (but which won't break the bank):

Tucked into the sun-drenched hills of Paso Robles, the vineyards and winery of L’Aventure continue to impress. Directing the project from the soil up is Stephan Asseo, a ‘renegade’ vigneron who understands that incredible wine must be and can only be a truthful expression of place. Never short on sensibility, Asseo planted his warm Central Coast vineyards to Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Verdot in the late 1990’s and has since been reaping the benefits. During a recent visit to the estate, I had the pleasure of tasting the 2006 L'Aventure Optimus, a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 45% Syrah, 5% Petit Verdot. This is a big, big wine that is as friendly and approachable when young as it is soft, supple and voluptuous while it ages. If you can find it, try it. This wine frequently sells out and is highly sought after. (About $45) - Benjamin Spencer, a diploma student with the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, writes for IntoWine.com about wine from a winemaker's perspective.

Attend the 2009 Rhone Rangers Grand Tasting March 22 in San Francisco

10. Spit in public!  The best way to appreciate samples of some of the 500 or so wines available from about 125 American wineries is to use the provided spit cups in front of about 2,000 utter strangers.  Well, it’s ok to swallow some of your very favorites.  But using the spit cups most of the time sure enhances the experience and lets you enjoy a great dinner in San Francisco afterwards.