CellarPass Thanksgiving Wine Picks

The CellarPass team just got back from their annual "Turkey-Wine Hunt" with some wonderful wine suggestions for traditional Thanksgiving fare. From no-fail options to some very surprising perfect pairings these wine suggestions will help you select the perfect wines to balance and enhance your holiday feast.

CellarPass Wine Picks

Pinot Noir
Some might say Pinot Noir is a boring pairing that's been overdone, but to us this is a classic and classic is always in style. From our point of view, an excellent Pinot Noir can be your Turkey's best friend on the dinner table. 

Saintsbury 2008 Brown Ranch Pinot Noir

"A reticent red berry fruit nose remained so even with 30 minutes of air. The detailed and dusty medium-bodied flavors possess good depth and mid-palate concentration before terminating in a sappy, mouth coating and focused finish."
Available at Saintsbury Napa, CA

Belle Glos Clark & Telephone Vineyard Pinot Noir

"Scarlet in color; bursting with aromas of cinnamon, caramel and hints of ginger-spiced tea." This wine is available (vintage may vary) at Caymus Vineyards.

Syrah
Not exactly the traditional pick, but maybe that's exactly why we like it so much.  The spicy notes of pepper stand up nicely with herb infused stuffing as well as both light and dark meat and robust gravy.

Delectus 2006 Napa Valley Syrah
"The nose advances through a succession of enticing aromas, starting with smoke and tar, opening into lychee, and arriving at deeply concentrated roasted chestnuts, pepper, and sandalwood. The powerful mouth features a condensed center, with jammy and earthy flavors, and a focused yet extremely long finish."
Visit Delectus a luxury winery tucked in an urban environment in Napa, CA

Burgess Cellars 2007 Napa Valley Syrah
"The aromas of spice and varietal characteristics of blueberries and red fruits are quite pronounced and complemented by oak tones."
Enjoy sweeping views of Napa Valley from Burgess Cellars located in St. Helena, CA


Sparkling Wine
A very popular pairing selection, and not just for special occasions. Sparkling wines are elegant and incredibly food friendly, but the flavors of Thanksgiving will really make this wine stand out. Sparkling wines are a perfect selection that can easily take you from appetizers to dessert.

JCB # 69 Brut Rose

"For Jean-Charles Boisset, our dry rosé No. 69 sparkling wine is not a dainty
pink thing. It's a FLAMBOYANT, profound mouthful of serious bubbles. The VIBRANT crispness of No. 69 is thirst quenching. Yet the flavors—evocative
of pinot noir—are beautifully SENSUAL."
You can taste and procure this wine at the JCB Tasting Room in Healdsburg, CA or the JCB Lounge located at Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena, CA.

Mumm Napa Brut Reserve Rose

"The elegant Brut Reserve Rosé displays alluring notes of dark cherry, cranberry, and raspberry on the nose. The yeast characters on the palate nicely balance the fruit, and the wine is notable for its great structure and long finish. The robust quality of this Brut Rosé makes it an excellent wine to pair with many cuisines, ranging from California fusion to Indian curries. It is especially wonderful as an aperitif, served with hors d’oeuvres."
Visit Mumm Napa to sip this delightful wine and pick up a few bottles while you are there.

Rose
We always tuck away a few bottles of our summer rose just for Thanksgiving.  This versitile Thanksgiving wine is a perfect go between for those who are not firmly set on just reds or whites.

Flora Springs 2010 Syrah Rose

"A wonderfully balanced dry rose with essecnce of strawberry and peach and a crisp acidity that begs to be paired with spice, herbs and of course turkey."
Head to Flora Springs' Tasting Room "The Room" located in St. Helena, CA next door to Dean and Deluca.

Sauvignon Blanc
These wines tend to be crisp and bright with abundant citrus flavors that love spice and herbs and the acidity is a wonderful counterpart to rich high-fat dishes. Sauvignon Blanc naturally goes well with turkey and creamy mashed potatoes.

Robert Mondavi 2009 Fume Blanc

A drier wine that stands out from sweeter Sauvignon Blancs. "Plush, exotic aromas of guava, passion fruit and verbena layer over flavors of ripe white peaches and nectarines on the palate, wrapped in mouth-watering acidity and extending into a lively finish."
Visit Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, CA. Tour the gournds, sip bottled history.

Raymond Vineyards 2009 Reserve Sauvignon Blanc

"Opening aromas of lemongrass, thyme, and white apricots are layered with notes of licorice and tart fruits, followed by citrus and grapefruit flavors with
a crisp, lively acidity. Refreshingly bright, with hints of minerality and a well structured mouth feel.  "
Visit Raymond Vineyards located in St. Helena, CA

Pinot Grigio
Balances quite well with garlic, onions, herb and decadent high fat dishes making this wine an absolute go to pairing for your Thanksgiving meal.

Swanson Vineyards 2009 Pinot Grigio

"Year after year, this is a stunner: vibrant aromas, flavors of ripe peach and pear, and a clean goodbye kiss will leave you feeling strangely tingly, giggly even—and possessed by the perfectly outrageous notion of pairing it with caviar and potato chips (as we do in the Salon), the centerpiece of a picnic in bed or a sunny afternoon doing nothing at all. Wanna know what a Pinot Grigio grape tastes like on the vine? Buy a case and find out; this grape loses nothing in translation."
Swing by the Sip Shoppe at Swanson Vineyards it's like a candy store for adults.

All of us at CellarPass wish you a very Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Fall Cleaning

Most of us are familiar with the term Spring Cleaning. The time of year (usually the Spring) when you clean just about everything to start a fresh for the Spring including to those hard to reach spots that in our home are reserved for dust bunnies.

For me fall cleaning is a tradition and celebration of my favorite season and all that it brings from beautiful colors, bountiful harvest, to deep rich flavors and aromas of fall cuisine and of course the big red wines that pair with them so nicelyHere are some tips for a perfect Fall Cleaning Celebration…
1. Start in your kitchen (just do it) and store anything that is obviously summery and bring out the fall/winter collection of soup bowls and your slow cooker that probably have been pushed back into the depths of your pantry by now.

2. Start preparing a big pot of soup this is great time to make minestrone which will help you clean out your produce in the refrigerator too.
3. While your soup is simmering go finish the rest of your fall cleaning tasks.
4. Dust your wine cellar. While you are there pull out a nice bottle of red wine. You’re probably ready to sip on something not white right about now anyway. A merlot or Syrah would go nicely with hearty minestrone too.
5. Now pour a glass of wine, light some candles and toast to the beauty of fall…enjoy!

-Sarah Elliman

CELLARPASS RESERVATIONS UP 250%, CONSUMER TRAFFIC UP 63%

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Next Generation Reservation Tool Does Double-Duty for Wineries as Traffic Generator and Hospitality Management Tool

 For Visitors, Makes Touring Wine Country Easy with Free
Customized Search Results, Reservations, and Itineraries

(NAPA, CA, June 12, 2011) -- CellarPass, the leading online destination to explore, book and share wine country experiences has announced record reservations growth of more than 250% for appointments placed in May 2011 over April 2011, shattering all previous company records to date.

“The reservation and consumer membership growth for CellarPass has far exceeded industry expectations,” states Sarah Elliman, VP Marketing & Sales for CellarPass. “But that’s only the beginning of the good news, we are also showing a record conversion rate of 25% - meaning more visitors for our customers, not just inquiries” continues Elliman.

More than 10,000 consumers used CellarPass to book their Napa Valley wine tastings and tours, which led to $80,000 plus in winery tasting fee revenues in the month of May. “We’re focused on reaching out to wineries and showing them how easy it is to increase consumer visits and it shows as CellarPass represents more winery clients in more states than any other winery reservation system,” states Elliman. “We’re also endorsed by more regional organizations, further recognizing the service’s leadership and commitment to increasing tourism.”

Continued growth and higher conversion rates are projected for the future according to Elliman, as their new Concierge interface has become popular with the hospitality and travel planning professionals, netting a large increase in reservations for their winery members. “No more leaving messages or trading emails with the winery. Concierges simply go to www.cellarpass.com/concierge, and with a few clicks, they are done.”

CellarPass Benefits for Wineries

•   Allow guests to reserve their wine tasting or tour 24/7

•   Generate additional visitor traffic, both online and in your tasting room

•   Improve back office management

•   Increase consumer database

•   No software to install with CellarPass.com’s web-based system

•   Seamless integrated with popular industry Point of Sale and Ecommerce systems

About CellarPass
Launched in January 2010, CellarPass^SM is the leading wine tasting and tour reservation website that offers consumers easy and free access to customized winery searches, real-time confirmed reservations and shareable itineraries. Cellarpass provides the tools wineries need to promote events nationwide while connecting with their guests in ways that enhance the visitor experience and build long-lasting relationships.

For more information, please contact Sarah Elliman at (707) 255-4390, or email selliman@cellarpass.com. Follow CellarPass on Facebook at http://facebook.com/cellarpass and on Twitter at http://twitter.com/cellarpass to get the freshest updates.

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The Do's and Don'ts For Visiting Wine Country

If you have ever gone wine tasting then you may have witnessed a faux pas or two by fellow tasting room guests.  If you haven’t well, then shhhhh, it might be you, just kidding.  In our travels and wine tasting adventures, we have seen it all from the most polished  to the “I hope no one saw that” moments and this week we share our tips so you hopefully will never experience the latter.  

Do’s

1.       Invite friends or family. Wine is meant to be shared and CellarPass makes it easy to add guests to your itinerary (just sayin’)

2.       Ask questions. Don’t be shy if you really want to expand your knowledge about wine then speak up.  Your tour guide or tasting room host is eager to share information and educate you on their wines.  Here’s your chance to get all your questions answered- you might be surprised what you will learn.

3.       Plan ahead. Many wineries offer unique tours and tasting, but have limited space. So waiting until you arrive in wine country to pick your wineries to visit may limit your choice of experiences as many of the special tours and tastings require at least 48 hours notice- some even longer depending on demand.

4.       Have a designated driver or hire a driver or car service. There are plenty of options out there to meet just about everyone’s budget and you don’t want your memories of wine country to be the about how nice the police officer at the station was.

5.      Eat. Yes, it seems simple enough, but as you work your way through your selected wineries it can be easy to forget about. Plan to stop for lunch in between wine tastings or select a winery that has picnic ground for you to enjoy and bring a bountiful basket of goodies to share with your friends.  Many wineries also offer catered fare from box lunches to abundant spreads depending on your desires. CellarPass.com even allows you to book reservations with restaurants in Napa, Sonoma and beyond, so check it out.

6.     Drink. Water that is. Be sure to sip water between your tastings to keep hydrated especially on the beautiful summer days. Most people recommend a glass of water for every glass of wine. We recommend way more than that in the summer as it tends to get pretty hot (and humid) in wine country and the best way to make it through the whole day is to keep your fluids up and the hangover monster away.

Don’ts

1.     Don't be Late. Plan to arrive at least 5 minutes early for your tasting or tour.  Your timely arrival will give you time to check in and allow your host to provide you with a memorable experience.  Unless you know the area you are visiting very, very well leave at least 30 minutes between tastings to allow for driving time.  It can easily take 45 minutes or more to get from Calistoga to Napa in the famed Napa Valley.

2.     Don't be a No Show. If you can’t avoid being late or gulp, need to cancel your appointment, have the courtesy to call the winery to let them know. This will allow the winery to take other appointments or at least not rush the other group out the door in preparation of your scheduled visit. The cool thing about CellarPass is that you can cancel in most cases right through your My Account page.

3.      Don't Overbook. Keep your winery visits to no more than 4 wineries per day.  Nothing is worse than being rushed to get through your wine tasting.  Relax and enjoy, that’s what this is all about.

4.     Drink too much.  We understand that you want to have a good time, however, know your limit. If you’re drunk, you can’t appreciate the wines and chances are you’ll annoy those around you too. Many wineries are on the lookout for these sorts of people after lunch and have no problem '86ing you no matter who you are.

5.     Don't forget where you’ve been.  All too often when we meet fellow winery visitors we find out they cannot remember which wineries they visited on a previous trip. Sadly, they almost always really enjoyed the wines they tried, but darn it if they can’t tell us the name.  Keep a note pad or wine journal for your reference.  CellarPass keeps track of your booked wineries, so you don’t have too.  Now, you will have no problem finding the name of that really great winery next time and where you went last. 

6.     Don't be a victim of fashion. Ladies this one is for you. We love our Jimmy Choo’s too, but many wineries are well, surprise…rustic.  Some of the best wineries have gravel roads and non-stiletto friendly environments. Be smart and pack a pair of flats just in case.  You’d hate to turn down an impromptu invitation from the winemaker to do some barrel tasting in the cellar…right???

Did you know that CellarPass is not only a great place to plan your visit to wine country, but you can also view hotel accommodations, restaurant guides and more?

Pet Friendly Wine Country

Wine Country Is the Ultimate Getaway For Your Pampered Pooch

It is safe to say that people are pretty much taking their dogs everywhere these days.  If you happen to be one of them and you enjoy the wine country as much as we do, then read on dear friends…

Some of us here at CellarPass like to bring our furry friends on outings as often as possible, even as I write this our resident daschund, Brandi is relaxing on her office bed.  As much as we like to travel with our best friends it can sometimes be difficult to find places that truly welcome and can accommodate Fido.  That being said, we are lucky that wine country is such a perfect place to visit with your pooch and from wineries to luxurious lodging here are some ”five paw” recommendations for you. 



Photo Courtesey of Napa River Inn



The Napa River Inn located in the historic Napa Mill is a wonderful boutique inn with echoes of a bygone era. The property is conveniently surrounded by shops, galleries and some of Napa Valley’s top restaurants most offer romantic outdoor seating as well.  Your pooch will be spoiled with the Inn’s VIP (Very Important Pet) program. Some of the highlights of this special service include a custom-designed pet blanket with a color coordinated place mat, Napa Valley Cab-Bone-Nay or Char-Dog-Nay dog biscuits and a personalized welcome letter with a list of local pet support services from dog walkers to on-call veterinarian.   Visit the Napa River Inn website to reserve your room today. http://www.napariverinn.com/about-us/pet-services.cfm

When it comes to dining you can always grab a quick sandwich or smoothie and head to the park for people watching and fetch. But half the fun of visiting wine country is the fabulous restaurants too. So, when the humans in the group prefer a meal actually served at a table your choices can be quite limiting. Fret not, during the warmer months many establishments in this wine and food mecca have wonderful outdoor seating options which typically allow well behaved dogs (but it is always polite to ask first).  But to give you a couple ideas, here are two we find dog-gone good…

Bistro Don Giovanni, this Napa Valley favorite is very pet friendly. They won’t necessarily go over the top for your tail wagging friend, however, their outdoor patio and art clad courtyard offer both canine and human an excellent choice for fine dining.  A more casual option is Downtown Joe’s in Napa. This brew pub “welcomes all species (including K-9)” and serves up traditional American favorites and incredible hand-crafted micro brews.

Of course we couldn’t write this article without mentioning our favorite dog friendly, errr dog crazy winery, Mutt Lynch located in Healdsburg, CA.  We think the name says it all, but don’t be fooled by the tongue and cheek label the wines are every bit as balanced and refined as those from more serious names.  This appointment only property will host you and your four legged buddies in their rustic barn tasting cellar.  While you sip and enjoy the bounties of wine country, your pampered pooch can nosh on complimentary dog biscuits and stretch out on the cool cellar floor.  Mutt Lynch is also a supporter of local canine rescue and charity organizations. What is not to love about this place?

To view more pet friendly wineries visit Click Here and select "Pet Friendly" in the Advanced Search.

How To Do Red, White and Blue In Wine Country

If you want a fun and festive getaway this 4^th of July weekend, then get ready to head to wine country.  We’ve got the info for release parties, barbeques and hometown celebrations and of course where to view the best firework shows in wine country regions coast to coast. 

Napa Valley

4^th of July in Napa Valley is a perfect time to visit with the family as you will have a hard time not finding something incredibly fun to do from fairs to spectacular winery parties you are sure to have a memorable holiday.

Calistoga - Napa Valley

Annual 4^th of July Parade – July 4^th @ 11:00am

Calistoga has long been host to the Silverado 4^th of July Parade.  Come grab a street side spot right downtown and view this community tradition filled with floats, clowns, classic cars, horses and more.

Napa Country Fair - July 1 – 4^th

If you love a hometown celebration, then the Napa Country fair in Calistoga is where you’ll want to be.  Get your corndog and cotton candy fix and spend a great day with kids exploring the Antique Tractor & Truck exhibit, be a farmer for a day, pony rides or just play on the midway at the Carnival.  Fair hours July 1^st 4pm – 11pm, July 2 – 4^th Noon – 11pm. Admission $8

Fireworks Spectacular - July 4^th @ 9:30pm the Fair Grounds

For more information visit http://www.napacountyfair.org/County-Fair/index.html 

St. Helena - Napa Valley

Cheers! St. Helena – July 1^st 6pm to 8pm

Enjoy fine wine, restaurants, entertainment, and shops. Bring your friends, meet new friends and welcome visitors as we celebrate here in St. Helena, Napa Valley's Main Street.

Flora Springs and Clif Family Winery

Spend your day wine tasting with our friends at Flora Springs The Room and http://www.cellarpass.com/Clif-Family-Winery-Farm.aspx, both have cold crisp whites perfect for a summer day.  Just as dusk starts to set in, find your way just outside of town near Louis M. Martini winery and Sutter Home and find a spot to view the show.  Bring a blanket and a basket filled with some goodies to enjoy during this truly amazing fireworks show.

Show starts around 9pm and is paired with a music presentation that can be heard by tuning your radio to 88.1 FM.

Yountville - Napa Valley

4^th of July Celebration & Fireworks – July 4^th Noon – 9:30pm  FREE

You can’t get much more American than the Yountville 4^th of July Celebration & Fireworks show at the Veterans Home of California.  Join the veterans at this historic and beautiful property for a day of American pride, live music, food vendors and more.  Stop by Page Wine Cellars in down town Yountville and try some of their wonderful hand crafted wines before making your way to the Veterans Home.

New York

Finger Lakes Wine Country

4^th of July marks the first official weekend of summer in Finger Lakes Wine Country and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than spending time with friends and family visiting the many wineries and beautiful lakes of this incredible region. 

July 2^nd & 3^rd

Glenora Winery – Dundee, NY

Visit Glenora Wine Cellars on beautiful Seneca lake for the release of their new Chillaxin Red wine.  The tasting room will be festive in celebration of Independence Day and this cool new wine. 

July 1^st – 3^rd

Three Brothers Wineries -  Geneva, NY

Kick off the holiday weekend in style! At Three Brothers Winery & Estate enjoy live music while visiting the three wineries and the War Horse brewery, yes that is four different places to sample wines and brews all on one estate.  Then relax with some wine and tapas to share as you take in the fireworks display over the lake from the Stony Lonesome terrace. 

Wine Country & race cars…vrooooooom!

Head to Watkins Glen International “The Glen” in beautiful Finger Lakes wine country to take part in the Camping World Grand Prix IndyCar Series. Your admission includes access to the IndyCar autograph session, Saturday night concert featuring Phish and more.

Buy Tickets

Napa Valley Boutique Wineries

The CellarPass team has been hard at work researching unique wineries off the beaten path, thoroughly evaluating fine estates, caves and unbelievable views and even sampling small production hand-crafted wines all to provide you with this week’s CellarPass picks and for that our research team thanks you. 

If you are planning a visit to wine country, but large wineries and their crowds send a shudder down your spine or you just prefer the extraordinary, you will love the CellarPass picks for an intimate Napa Valley experience.  These boutique wineries will ensure you receive personalize service, access to unique and often private wine tasting experiences ranging from sit down tastings of flights or verticals in private estates to progressive tastings working from the vineyard into the caves for barrel tastings providing a glimpse of what the wine country lifestyle is all about and giving you very memorable trip to Napa Valley. 

Bialla Vineyards

Perched 1700 feet above the Napa Valley in the Atlas Peak Appellation, this boutique winery enjoys exquisite terroir resulting in very highly rated wines.  Bialla is a very private estate that offers dramatic views of the Napa Valley where you may taste their limited production (500 cases max) wines.  Bialla is best visited during the weekdays for the best selection of appointment times.

http://www.cellarpass.com/memberdetails.aspx?id=6320&stdt=6/21/2011

CADE Winery – Howell Mountain

CADE Winery, the latest project from PlumpJack, is located in the heart of scenic Howell Mountain in Angwin, CA. CADE Winery is a unique, state-of-the-art winery, awarded LEED Gold Certification by the U.S. Green Building Council.  CADE winery is proud to be Napa Valley's first organically farmed, LEED Gold Certified Winery.  The CellarPass team recommends, enjoying your wine tasting outdoors and take in the sweeping views of the Napa Valley below, among a dramatic hillside of Manzanita trees, while relaxing in the cozy lounge chairs a perfect place to sip a glass of CADE’s small production Sauvignon Blanc.

http://www.cellarpass.com/Cade-Winery.aspx

Caymus Vineyards - Rutherford

One of the most famed wineries in Napa Valley, Caymus has been producing award winning Cabernet Sauvignon since 1972.  Your visit to Caymus will be a private wine tasting experience with personalized service by their experienced staff.  Due to their popularity commitment to a quality, personal experience advanced reservations are highly recommended and are pretty much necessity during the peak season. 

http://www.cellarpass.com/memberdetails.aspx?id=95&stdt=6/21/2011

Keenan Winery – Spring Mountain

This rustic stone winery located on beautiful Spring Mountain will not disappoint. While the beauty and history of the land are appealing, it is the richness of the soils that makes the hillside perfect for an estate winery. These soils are, in great measure, responsible for the dramatic intensity of the fruit associated with the ultra-premium wines produced at Robert Keenan Winery. The winery recently completed a solar power system on their property. The system will supply all of the winery's power needs.

Keenan Winery has earned its rank among CellarPass’ most loved wineries.  This is a great place to enjoy a picnic lunch and linger just awhile longer on a summer afternoon.

http://www.cellarpass.com/memberdetails.aspx?id=4171&stdt=6/21/2011

Ladera Vineyards – Howell Mountain

What is it about this particular area that yields such amazing mountain fruit wines and breathtaking winery estates too?  Whatever it is, it’s working! The CellarPass team loves visiting Howell Mountain wineries. Ladera is sure to please for those looking for something special; the Estate Tour is an intimate and comprehensive experience of the LADERA story from dirt to table. Hear about the winery’s history as you walk through the vineyard. Learn about their gravity flow winemaking techniques and explore the restored 1886 stone winery. Enjoy the cool air of wine caves and then share the best from the Estate Vineyards in Ladera’s private Great Room.  

If your plans allow you for a mid-week visit, Ladera’s Howell Mountain Experience is an absolute must.  Although advanced planning is required (2 weeks notice to be exact), this full day tour and tasting package is all you will need for a most unforgettable experience. You will visit three of the Valley's most well respected family-owned Cabernet producers. This is a chance for true wine lovers to taste exceptional wines that exhibit the unique terroir that makes Howell Mountain so special.

http://www.cellarpass.com/Ladera-Vineyards.aspx

Vine Cliff Winery – Napa

The beauty, the history, the wines we simply cannot gush enough about this winery estate.   This small, family-owned winery located in the Oakville appellation of Napa Valley is nestled in a quiet canyon high above the valley floor.  Each appointment is private allowing their attentive staff to provide a unique and educational experience where you will learn about the rich history of this property and taste their acclaimed wines from the estate vineyards.  

http://www.cellarpass.com/Vine-Cliff-Winery.aspx