You can take some of the most lavish, expensive wine tours in the world in the Napa Valley, where wines are all about heritage, taste and sophistication. These days, though, even the snootiest oenophile can find a worthy wine tasting in places far from California. And the same goes for the Napa-style custom of wine tours. Travelers in the South or Southeast have lots of pleasurable wine tours to choose from, including self-guided forays, touristy excursions and exclusive itineraries presided over by the wine elite. Georgia, Tennessee and Texas are just a few of the markets that have come into their own in recent decades and have the wine trails to prove it. While you won't be inundated with award-winners on a few of these tours, you can still find numerous high-ranked wines and others that are fun to sample. The vintners are typically small, but accessible, and it's exciting to see newer wineries just starting to make their mark. For a taste of fine wine tours nowhere near … [Read more...] about 5 wine tours a lot closer to home than Napa
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A hidden gem rises from the ashes of Napa Valley
By Tom Stienstra Updated 12:05 am, Sunday, February 18, 2018 Photo: Tom Stienstra, Richard Degraffenreid / Special To The Chronicle Image 1of/1 CaptionClose Image 1 of 1 Lake Marie in Skyline Wilderness Park near Napa is tucked in a gorgeous valley, a hike of 2.2 miles to the lake that can be expanded to 7-mile trip. Lake Marie in Skyline Wilderness Park near Napa is tucked in a gorgeous valley, a hike of 2.2 miles to the lake that can be expanded to 7-mile trip. Photo: Tom Stienstra, Richard Degraffenreid / Special To The Chronicle A hidden gem rises from the ashes of Napa Valley 1 / 1 Back to Gallery Lake Marie is a gem of a pond tucked in a valley in the Bay Area foothills. It passes the “Blindfold Test,” in which you are taken to a park site, the blindfold is removed and with your first glimpse, you … [Read more...] about A hidden gem rises from the ashes of Napa Valley
Stone Brewing heads for Napa
By Jay R. Brooks, correspondent | February 15, 2018 at 6:00 pm Looking for some new beery adventures this spring? Keep an eye peeled for märzenbiers — March beers — and the first bock sighting, a traditional sign of the spring season. In many places, the release of the bocks is celebrated with a “Blessing of the Bock” ceremony, though I’ve yet to run across one here. Surely Oktoberfest can share the spotlight in March. Somebody needs to get on that. Here’s what else is happening in Northern California’s beer world. Stone heads to Napa: More new breweries are heading our way, including San Diego’s famous Stone Brewing. Stone is building a 10-barrel brewery in the Borrero, a historic 19th-century building in Napa. Set to open in May, the 10,000 square-foot space on Third Street and Soscol Avenue will boast Stone’s regular lineup of beers, plus several distinctive new offerings brewed on-site and made with indigenous … [Read more...] about Stone Brewing heads for Napa
Miminashi: Napa’s little-known gem
By Michael Bauer Published 8:48 am, Thursday, February 15, 2018 window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-5', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 5', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-10', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 10', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); window._taboola = window._taboola || []; _taboola.push({ mode: 'thumbnails-c', container: 'taboola-interstitial-gallery-thumbnails-13', placement: 'Interstitial Gallery Thumbnails 13', target_type: 'mix' }); _taboola.push({flush: true}); Photo: Michael Bauer, The Chronicle Image 1of/13 CaptionClose Image 1 of 13 Chicken thigh (foreground) and chicken … [Read more...] about Miminashi: Napa’s little-known gem
Recipe: Napa Cabbage Kimchi
Recipe: Napa Cabbage Kimchi February 14, 2018 Photo: Paul Stephen / San Antonio Express-News Kimchi fermenting in a plastic Cambro storage container. Kimchi fermenting in a plastic Cambro storage container. Makes about 18 (½ cup) servings 1 head Napa cabbage, about 3 pounds, quartered, cored and cut into 2-inch pieces 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally into thin ovals ¼ cup kosher salt 6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced Express Newsletters Get the latest news, sports and food features sent directly to your inbox. Sign up Most Popular 1 Texas rancher sues feds, state after finding surveillance... 2 San Antonio’s Rackspace lays off workers 3 Couple get $8 million for loss of daughter’s body from San... 4 Alamo Heights home renovated for a modern family 5 Uresti declines to testify on his behalf as lawyers wrap up... 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and … [Read more...] about Recipe: Napa Cabbage Kimchi