We are in Paso Robles finishing up a 3 day winery tasting room mapping trip here and in Santa Barbara County. We will soon add 48 winery profiles for Paso and 34 for Santa Barbara County. Most are new or recently open to the public on a regular basis – the criteria for WineQuesters.com.

We met many growers who are now making their own wine and opening tasting rooms. We are constantly amazed how this many tasting rooms can open in such a deep recession. We’ve deleted only five in the past year that have gone out of business. This is a crazy industry!

Jim

Over Memorial Day weekend we drove from San Jose down I-5 / I-210 / I-15 to Temecula, back north to a friend’s home in Crestline in the San Bernardino Mountains, and across the L.A. basin to Santa Barbara and north on 101 back to San Jose.  1,052 miles.

We mapped more winery tasting rooms and gathered data for WineQuesters.com in the Temecula wine region (12) and the Santa Barbara urban wineries (8).

Our new iPad 3G exceeded expectations and performed better than our usual combination of iPhone and notebook computer applications.  We found significant improvements over our previous tools in the following areas:

Prototype iPad stand for car or home use being tested in our van.

Navigation

Without my new center console stand the benefits of the iPad would have been marginal. The stand was FANTASTIC and we intend to produce them for sale.

We use the MotionX Drive  iPhone app for ETA, time remaining to waypoint, and turn by turn directions. MotionX Drive gets directions wrong at times so we have to navigate by map also. We use the new MotionX HD iPad app for mapping wineries and navigation. All this is vastly better with the iPad and stand than the iPhone or a notebook computer.

Within a wine region Winery Quest Pro is by far the best iPhone app for navigating to wineries. Unfortunately Google won’t let developers include directions with their iPhone maps, at least not yet.

The 3G connection is critical as is the unlimited plan at $30/month. The $15/month plan is for 250MB. I activated the unlimited plan Thursday PM (we left early Friday AM) and although we were on WiFi at our friend’s home in Crestline from Friday evening through Sunday morning we used 326 MB on the cell network on this trip. That includes part of a movie on Netflix that my passengers watched while we were driving I-5. The iPad speakers weren’t loud enough in our van so they abandoned watching it after only 20 minutes. However, it would have been great for only one person with headphones.

We use Google Maps for traffic reporting along with the Traffic iPhone app. Google Maps is vastly easier to use on the iPad than the iPhone although sometimes we used our iPhones to run apps concurrently with the iPad. This is like having 2 or 3 monitors. My iPhone dash holder works with the console iPad stand so I would have Google Maps on my iPhone, MotionX Drive on the iPad, and Katya would search around us for a gas station or check the Traffic app with her iPhone. MotionX HD can search for gas and such along the route and this feature is more useful than searches around us.

Data gathering

I used the iPad version of PaperDesk to collect data in tasting rooms.  I set up and copied my interview questions that I have on paper forms onto pages in PaperDesk. I was able to use my index finger to write short comments and check off various features.  The forms can be mailed directly to my data input freelance contractor. This saves us substantial time over the paper forms.

MotionX HD has map caching, along with letting me select Bing, Google, or Open Street Maps. It is an amazing app.  Google Maps caching is dicey so in the past we had to use Google Earth Pro with our Garmin GPS device for mapping rural areas. This costs $400/year for the subscription. With MotionX HD we no longer have the cost or caching problems. Our location is accurate even in the mountains with no cell service. The iPad GPS works very well.

I didn’t think of this idea on this trip but I can open winery profiles from the WineQuesters.com database and enter data changes for existing wineries in real time as we are doing our fieldwork. While possible with the notebook plus a 3G data card  or iPhone these are so awkward that I make notes in emails and sent them to me or make notes on paper. Entering directly in the winery profiles saves substantial time and gives our users more current data. This is a very important benefit that the iPad has over other options.

Brainstorming and note taking

I usually use a paper pad on a clipboard on my lap while driving to make notes when I come up with ideas. This is awkward and looking down while writing is a potentially dangerous distraction. With the iPad on the stand just forward of my right hand I can draw and write with my finger on PaperDesk for the iPad with barely a glance from the road.  My finger writing looks like it will improve with practice but it is legible now.

When I’m done with a page I email it to me.  Back in the office I open the PDF attachment in Adobe Reader and copy my notes into my Microsoft OneNote notebook.

While I didn’t use the iPad app Office HD on this trip I did use it a few days earlier at a seminar.  Unlike similar apps, Office HD lets me take notes by typing in outline form, my preferred layout. It also has a spreadsheet and can import/export to/from MS Office. I have found that a notebook computer is awkward at times or the battery life is too short so I use paper and enter my notes into OneNote later. Office HD and PaperDesk will save me additional steps and time.

I left the iPad on a coffee table during an 11 hour party at our friend’s home in Crestline.  Many guests played around with it and the apps.  We left it on at least 5 hours continuously and the battery was at 50% at the end of the party.  Try that with a notebook computer.

Conclusion:

So in only a week of owning the iPad 3G I have found important uses that other devices and paper don’t do well or at all.  This will be the key issue for most iPad users.  It won’t replace your smartphone or notebook computer but at times it will provide a new way of doing things that the other devices don’t do well.  It will save you time and probably money.  It will also improve your experiences at times and there is plenty being written about that elsewhere.

Some of those uses require the stand I designed and built for vehicle and home use. The stand is critical for navigation and great for lounging at home.  There are no other decent options on the market now.  We’ll commercialize it as soon as possible. It will probably cost very roughly $150 or a bit more.  The main cost will be the fluid type video tripod head that lets you move the iPad easily with one hand.  We tried the much less expensive ball head but it sucks for this use.

To be notified when the stand is available and how to purchase please sign up for our iPhone app newsletter.  Of course it will come with a warning that the driver should NEVER use the iPad for high distraction type activities such as watching movies.  I believe the stand will decrease distractions and improve safety.

- jim

Pellegrini Winery is part of the little group of wineries along Olivet Road west of Santa Rosa.  For a quick day trip this route is easy and convenient.  Pellegrini is by appointment only but don’t let that stop you from making a call.  The grounds and ambiance are nothing special but the family is welcoming and friendly.

Pillegrini Family Vineyards in the Russian River Valley.

We found their wines to be a very good value.  Their Carignan from old vines in the Redwood Valley in Mendocino to the north was a special delight.  If you haven’t tried Carignan, normally a softer red wine, then this is the place to get started.  For a long time Carignan was a blending wine but fortunately it is available as a varietal in a few wineries.  The Pellegrini old vine Carignan has a full flavor and aroma profile but soft and gentle.  We buy Carignan wherever we find it and this one is memorable.

We also recently enjoyed their Cloverdale Ranch brand 2006 Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  It is a traditional Alex Valley full-bodied Cab with lots to explore but at a reasonable price point.  For good and affordable wine drop by Pellegrini.

- jim

Christopher Creek Winery is just south of Healdsburg in the Russian River Valley. It is a small family owned winery with a tiny and rustic tasting room.  We’ve found that the family and staff are a delight to be with and very helpful.

The winery and tasting room at Christopher Creek Winery.

The picnic area is basically in the parking lot and would not be our first choice for a picnic.  Too bad because the setting is nice with beautiful hills to the east and a view of the Russian River Valley.

Christopher Creek has a nice selection of affordable wines. This is one of those few wineries where we see many cases going out the door.

One of our purchases was their 2005 Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.  This is not a robust Cab.  Everything about it was soft but not timid or dead.  There is good nose upfront, a pleasant body with cherry, and a finish that didn’t fade away too fast.  We found all their wines to be very drinkable and a very good value.

- jim

Casa Nuestra is a small old style tasting room on the Silverado Trail in upper Napa Valley.  For those who think that the Napa Valley is highly commercialized this winery (and many others) will give you a shock.  The grounds are more like a small farm than the typical winery and the property is forested with old oaks for a woodsie ambiance. This is a fine place for a relaxing picnic.

Casa Nuestra's tasting room off the Silverado Trail, Napa Valley.

The tasting room is in what looks like a small old barn style house that is maybe one level above being a shack.  It is rustic and charming.  We arrived on a cold and rainy day and the fireplace was keeping the room toasty and cozy.

While Casa Nuestra (“our house” in Spanish) is open by appointment only they occasionally hang an open sign from their winery sign on Silverado Trail.  That means walk in and make an appointment, which we did.

I hadn’t tasted there since the 1980′s and finally found the time to stop in. The warm hospitality and friendly staff were as I remembered.  The wine selection is broad and deeper than I recall from decades ago and it took us a while to get through it.  One of our purchases was their 2009 Riesling.  It is lighter and dryer than most with mild aroma.  We recently paired it with halibut tacos and it was perfect and an excellent and maybe even a bit unusual choice.  We wanted a wine that didn’t overcome the wonderful flavors of delicate halibut and avocados and this Riesling worked.

If you are looking for an old-time Napa Valley winery experience then add Casa Nuestra to your travel plans.

- jim

1978 was the last year of a drought in California.  The vines were stressed as were just about everything living in California then.  A massive fast-track water pipe project that took up lanes of the Richmond Bridge saved Marin from drying up.  Times were tough but when that vintage’s bottles were opened starting about 1980 we realized that the Cabs were real treasures.

Jordan's palacial estate winery above the beautiful Alexander Valley.

I especially like the Cabs from the Alexander Valley and around Gilroy and bought cases of them. Yes, in them thar days you could afford a case of Jordan or Silver Oak Cab and still have money left over.  There were no tasting fees even at Silver Oak.  It all existed in a galaxy far, far away.

I think the last time I had Jordan’s 1978 Cab was in a hot tub high above Napa Valley in the mid-1980′s.  David (David’s Jewelers in St. Helena) and I crawled under his house and found a broken case of Jordan 1978 Cab. The bottles were lying in the dirt and scattered about.  It was more of an archeological scene.  We headed to the hot tub to share it with our naked wives.

I noticed Jordan on Twitter last fall (@jordanwinery) and asked if they had an old bottle of their fabulous 1978 Alexander Cabernet laying around.  They still have a small stash of magnums in their library collection and had one left available for 2009.  $400.  Ugh, but I wanted to share it with my wife.  She has heard me bragging about Jordan 78 Cab for 15 years and she needed to try it.  I drove up to Jordan and bought it.

Our engagement anniversary is more special to us than our two weddings (Vladivostok, Russia and Anchorage, Alaska).  I proposed to Katya in front of the Parthenon in Athens then taught her how to sail through the Greek Islands on a charted boat for a week.  That’s another wine story but back to Jordan.

Our bottle of 78 Jordan Cab in Katya's table setting design with our Greek dinner.

For our 15th engagement anniversary on April 15 this year (special date, I was a CPA) we decided to open our precious bottle of 78 Cab.  Katya brought home a Greek dinner from a local restaurant and we sipped the Jordan Cab with it. The old spicy Cab was still there, beautifully preserved, but the tannins were softer.

We tasted the wine for the next three days and it was wonderful each time.  I injected argon inert gas into the bottle each day and that worked very well.  There was no sign of oxidation.

I’m telling this story because it is a decent story.  DO NOT BUY ALL OF JORDAN’S 1978 Cab and leave none for me!  Try some other years or just dream but don’t act.  Get it?

- jim

It wasn’t really our plan to stay in the Napa Valley after a Saturday video shoot at Clos Pegase Winery.  Our budget is tight and Napa Marriott, always helpful that way, was full up and couldn’t take us.  As we headed down Silverado Trail from Clos Pegase for a late lunch in Yountville we stopped in at Paoletti and Casa Nuestra for tastings. Again, not planned  but their open signs were too tempting.

Scene from the bed into the wonderful courtyard of the Hotel Luca, Yountville, Napa Valley

It was 5:30 PM when we left Casa Nuestra and a big storm was approaching.  Katya called around to several hotels but they were full. Our destination was the warm and inviting Piero restaurant in the upscale boutique Hotel Luca.  We knew we couldn’t afford this hotel but Katya pleaded that we are wine travel media which everyone knows doesn’t have a budget for such places.

The Hotel Luca folks pitied us and took us in from the gathering darkness at a rate we still couldn’t afford but at least much less than normal anyway.  Only one night is really not enough there but that was the best we could do. What a beautiful, warm, inviting, and cozy little Tuscan style hotel!  We are in LOVE with the place.

The restaurant Piero is becoming a favorite not due only to the good menu and food but we really like the staff and sitting at the counter observing the kitchen activity.  We feel a bit like gulls waiting for treats to be thrown at us but it’s fun to watch everyone’s meals being prepared and chatting with the kitchen staff.

The room we had at the hotel was on the small side, especially with the king bed upgrade they gave us, but the bath was huge.  The bath travertine tile floor is heated which was good because the storm was rather cold and very wet.  There are two sinks, a large tub, and a separate shower, all better than usual.  The courtyard that all the rooms share is architecturally interesting with a Tuscan village ambiance.  I dipped in the hot tub on Sunday morning for a while before their included breakfast at the Piero.  There is a pool available and a spa.

While not within our travel budget means this little hotel will stay in our dreams.

- jim

The Santa Cruz Mountains Passport is one of the best.  Buy a Passport and it doesn’t expire.  You can visit each winery once, and there are plenty of visit.  A mostly unexplored section of this wine region is on the southern end north of Watsonville.  This past January we decided to see what is there.

Alfaro Family Vineyards and Winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Alfaro is a working winery in a big barn with a long tasting room to one side. Nothing special about the ambiance but the surrounding hills are beautiful and they have a nice little picnic area behind the barn.

Is Afaro worth your time to visit? Yep. The reason?  Pinot Noir. This is Pinot that reminds me why I like Santa Cruz Mountains Pinot. It isn’t too light like many.  Soft and refined but full nose, flavors, and a nice long finish.  Most Pinots are a bit too soft for us. This one, and the estate Pinots at the nearby wineries, are not Pinots for newbies only. They are fun and interesting to drink.

Visit Afaro as part of a tour of the southern Santa Cruz Mountain wineries near Corralitos.  There are enough wineries for a full day. Bring a picnic and enjoy the hospitality.

- jim

There are a lot of wineries to explore and discover in the Russian River Valley. It is tempting to only hit the biggies. However, there are little quiet sleepers throughout the valley. One of these is the River Road working winery on the west side of the valley near Graton.  This is a little family owned by appointment only winery so call before visiting.  They want visitors so don’t be shy.

The River Road Vineyards winery.

We visited during the recent Wine Road Barrel Tasting event and of course River Road had several barrels open for us. They also poured their finished wines.  We enjoyed their whole collection but came home with their 07 Cabernet Sauvignon, 09 Sauvignon Blanc, and 08 Hopkins Chardonnay.   Nice to find some special whites.  The Cab seemed more robust in the winery than at home but the soft nose is full of fruit, the medium body should work for almost everyone, and the light refined finish did linger around for a while. Not big wines but not wimps either.

A big draw are the wine prices. Here you find very nice wines in the teens and twenties. Tasters walk away with cases.  Combine that with no tasting fee and this is one of the better wineries to stock up for the long haul.

The tasting room is TINY so don’t bring a crowd unless they want to hang around outside. Tasting at River Road is a wonderful experience with the family pouring their wines for you.

- jim

While Pedroncelli wines can be found on store shelves nationally it is still a little family run winery at heart.  The tasting room isn’t huge, the staff is friendly and happy to host you, and the wine selection and quality is excellent.  It has an old-time winery ambiance.  They source much of their fruit from local vineyards that have been in the extended family for generations.

Pedroncelli Winery in the Dry Creek Valley hills

We finished a nice bottle of  Pedroncelli 2007 Mother Clone Zin and after drinking a LOT of Zin at various events recently were surprised that we were surprised how good it is.   This and other Pedroncelli wines prove that boutique wineries are not necessarily better.

The wines tend to be on the higher end of mid-range between soft (1) and robust (10) scale.  We rate their wines from 4 to 7.  Most tasters should find something special for them with no wimpy wines and no big bombs.

Pedroncelli is a relatively old winery, started in 1927, and somehow survived Prohibition by selling grapes to home winemakers.  Now the fourth generation of family is working their way into the business.  Not many California wineries can boost that kind of longevity.

-  Jim