A few years ago, Power Tasting ran an article called “Rainy Day Tasting”. It provided tips on how to enjoy yourself while making the best of bad weather. If you should be travelling in wine country when it gets cold, there are some of the same considerations to keep in mind but also a few that are unique to the winter months.
Photo courtesy of the Napa Valley Register.
Of course, our mental image of Wine Country contains bright blue skies with grapes hanging heavy on the vines. Very few wine making areas are immune to cold weather and many depend on it for various reasons. Canadian wineries use the freezing cold to make their famous ice wines. In most others, a period of dormancy is the basis for a finer harvest the next summer.
If you are visiting Wine Country from late November through March, here are a few tips to keep in mind.
- Dress for the weather. Ignore the mental image previously mentioned and bring a heavy coat, gloves and a hat. You probably won’t be sitting outside sipping wine (although there always a few polar bears who like to do just that). But you may have a long walk from your car to a winery’s door and you might want to walk around one of the towns. Be prepared for it.
- Watch out for icy roads. It does freeze in Wine Country. We well remember a trip to Napa Valley in December where the temperatures descended into the 20’s…during the day. You can be fairly certain that the major thoroughfares will be de-iced, but a lot of the places you’d like to visit are on small, windy roads, sometimes up in the mountains. Keep your eyes open and drive carefully.
- Be doubly careful about the amount of alcohol you consume. If you do hit an icy patch on a back road, you want to be attentive and quick in your reflexes. Too much alcohol doesn’t help. Remember the name of the game is tasting, not drinking.
- Find a hotel that features fireplaces… Many of them do, specifically because they want to attract winter visitors. There’s nothing like opening a bottle of local sparkling wine and snuggling with your loved one while you’re in Wine Country. Some hotels have gas units while others have real, working fireplaces. They usually supply you with one of those fake logs, and in the United States you can find more of those – or real firewood – in the local pharmacies. Fair warning: those with real fireplaces don’t always have the best ventilation, so be prepared to open a window, even if it’s freezing outside.
- Or firepits. There are other hotels that have firepits where you can gather with your loved one and friends outside, despite the cold. This is an awfully nice way to spend an evening, too.
- Add some wine tasting to a ski trip. No, not at the same time. But there are many ski areas that are relatively near to vineyards. For example, the slopes in Bear Valley, CA are not far from the wineries of Amador County. And in Europe, many of the most famous mountains are in the general area of where wine is made.
Have fun tasting wine in the cold, both by taking extra precautions and taking advantage of winter’s special treats.