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Wine Country Tours Adventure Blog

Dessert Wines Will Be Great This Year

Fleet Week was a rousing good time, as usual, largely being missed by the unusually early rains we’ve had.  There wasn’t much, to be honest, but it was enough to add a few grey hairs to the heads of some our winemakers and growers who were trying to let the grapes get sweeter for another week or two.  Lots of rain at this time of year would be a minor disaster, as the vineyards get muddy, and the grapes might even get moldy if left to soak too long.  As it turned out, the rains have been followed with spectacular warm summer-like weather, so the late harvests will be sweet enough to make some great dessert wines again this year.  The fall colors seemed a little late in coming this year, but they’re starting to make the green stripes of Wine Country a patchwork of green, yellow, and orange.  We’re looking forward to the reds and purples yet to come.  The great thing about fall colors up here is that there are so many different varieties of grapes and microclimates that there will some spectacular colors SOMEWHERE on your tour from now until mid-November, at least.  Come on up, grab the camera, and bring along some thirsty friends!

A Just Right Harvest

Nature has done a superb job of not screwing it up this year, and the harvest is humming right along, with temperatures being at a Goldilocks-like “Just Right” for the last few weeks of ripening going into October.  Fleet Week reservations for tours and hotels are filling in the last few slots, so if you are planning a trip to the Bay Area for next week, stop reading this and book now!

The Vineyards are Buzzing with Activity!

The vineyards are buzzing with activity as the early grapes are being picked, and every day sees truckloads of grapes moving from This Vineyard to That Crushpad at the Other Winery! 

Things will get even busier in the City during Fleet Week, October 4-9, as families and friends come to visit and tour the multitude of ships that park here in San Francisco for 6 days.  The highlight of the week will be the spectacular air shows on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, featuring the Navy’s Blue Angels.  Some of those people will trade in the hustle and bustle of the city for a day or two in Wine Country, where the fall colors will be creeping into the vineyards, making October one of the best times to visit. 

Winemakers are working 7 day weeks as a new batch of grapes might arrive any day, and earlier batches are at various stages of development, all needing the loving attention of their creators, or should I say nurturers.  One of them I know humbly says that his job largely boils down to choosing the best fruit, letting nature take its course, and not screwing it up!

Here’s to not screwing it up!

Labor Day in San Francisco Wine Country

Harvest time is here right on schedule, as I predicted, I might add.  The winemakers are getting their crushpads ready for the first arrivals.  August and September are the two busiest months for tourism in the San Francisco Bay Area, and this is the busiest year of the century.  Every week in September will bring more and more activity as the grapes are turned into California’s tastiest liquid exports.  The staffs at the wineries and tasting rooms are gearing up for another great “Crush” season, helping people like you have many Happy Hours of winetasting and touring.

Breaking Records!

Activity and sales in Northern California’s appellations are up this year, for the 4th year in a row, after the early century “recession” caused by a rising supply meeting a steep downturn in tourism after 9/11/01.  Last years new restrictions on carry-on liquids caught everyone by surprise in August, but within a few months, almost every tasting room offered checkable (and shippable) cartons with extra padding so you can bring your new discoveries home to share with your friends. We’re breaking new records with our volume this year and are working hard to offer the Wine Country Novice AND veteran alike a great experience to delight all 5 senses.

Welcome to our San Francisco Wine Country Tours Adventure Blog!

Hi, all.  Welcome to our San Francisco Wine Country Tours Blog!  It’s approaching late summer in the Wine Country, 2007, and the vineyards are alive with anticipation for the first “average year” in a long time.  The last two years had very wet winters, the first followed by a very hot summer with an early harvest and the second a very cool one, with harvest lasting well into November.  This year looks to be average, in that harvest will start around Labor Day and last for about 2 months.  Word on the street, or is it on the crushpad in this case, is that 2007 should be a “good year” for grapes.  But then any year can be good for some variety in some vineyard, so for us every year is a good year somewhere, and it’s noon somewhere, so let’s start pouring!  But why choose between driving safely and tasting great wine with your honey or good friends – just leave the driving to us!  That’s why we’re here, so even the natives and wine experts from the Bay Area can enjoy wine country and return home safely.  Give us a call and schedule something for September and October, when the vineyards are buzzing, and the fall colors are exploding.


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