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

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

Wow, 25 wineries during the 3 day first weekend of the Barrel Tasting event.  We spit and dumped so ended the day quite sober.  We also preserved our palates by avoiding the barrels and focusing on finished wines.  And we spent way too much money on wine for our budget.  Our budget should be focused more on the development of WineQuesters.com and Winery Quest Pro, our iPhone app, than on wine for blogging.  Sometimes we seem to lose control

Spring Vineyard Scene - Dry Creek Valley

We tasted mostly at wineries that are open by appointment only.  It is nice to visit without the hassle of scheduling.  This next weekend we’ll be at some we’ve never tasted at before.

The weather was a little pissy on Friday and Saturday but Sunday was terrific.

We’re working of course. As always we do photography for our upcoming videos and collect winery data for their profiles.  We were also evaluating wines on a scale of 1 (soft) to 10 (robust) so we can develop a filter to help tasters find wineries that generally serve red wines they prefer. We’ll prototype this new feature by summer with wineries in the Dry Creek, Alexander, and Russian River regions.  Other than wineries in RRV that focused on Pinots most of the wineries rated between 6 and 8.  South of Monterey County the wineries will rate lower.  Temecula will have many in the 1 to 4 range.

Did we have some favorite wineries?  We liked them all but two really stood out for friendliness and the robust wines we prefer – Battaglini and Robert Rue in the Russian River Valley near Santa Rosa.  I’ll write more about them when we taste their wines at home but stop by for a warm welcome and great wines.

- jim

Recently we drove to Livermore for a photo-shoot at Tenuta’s winery, a favorite.  Since we were in the area we decided to explore Deer Ridge Vineyards, a newer winery with nice Tuscan architecture.

Deer Ridge winery, tasting room, and events area.

Besides the pleasent ambiance and very friendly staff they have a nice choice of wines available.  In the last few days we’ve worked over their 2004 Livermore Valley Cab and a killer “Chocolate Silk” Port from Madera grapes. Their Port is VERY addicting

Their Cabs work for us. We like decent nose, full body, and a long finish. Wines have been softened so much for the broader market that we struggle to find interesting reds.

We enjoyed all of their wines but especially the Cabs, Merlot, Zin, and a Pinot with great aroma.  The selection should please most tasters.

The staff is friendly and talkative.  The tasting bar is curved and comfortable.  There is a little art gallery in the hall and sometimes in the meeting hall during events.  Outside is a patio with a nice view of the mountains.

Adjacent to the winery is an early California style  2 bedroom guest house.  It is new, beautiful, has a great view, and a large oak shelters it.  $375 for the first night is probably competitive. We would love to hang out there for a week – with a good stock of Deer Ridge wine.

- jim

Little Satori Cellars is a new winery north-east of Gilroy in the southern Santa Clara Valley.  They are only open the 3rd weekend of the month now but intend to be open on all weekends starting in July 2010.  Please visit their WineQuesters.com profile for much more information.

We were driving along a back road after visiting the Tom Kruse Winery when I decided to drop by Satori to see if they were open on a Sunday afternoon.  We stumbled into a winery event.  We were handed a string of beads to exchange for glasses of wine.  There were a lot more beads on our string than our ability to drink wine.

The lawn area was surrounded by crafts booths and a band played at the far end.  I pretty much focused on the wines and BS’ing with the locals, including a Gallo. This event was more social than many I’ve attended in the Gilroy area.

We came home with their attractively labeled Oh-So Zin, Cabernet Sauvignon of the Blue Hand, and Estate Merlot of the Violet Flame – all 2006.  These are quality wines with good structure and moderate nose, body, and finish.   We will definitely drop by and purchase more of their wine.  Maybe we can exchange some nice glass beads for wine.

- jim

Cameron Hughes isn’t a winery and doesn’t have a tasting room.  Cameron is a real guy in San Francisco who buys premium already made wine, bottles and labels it, and sells it mostly through Costco and Safeway.

Yep, vintners around California have already made the wine but need to pawn off some for a variety of reasons, such as need money now, too much to sell through their distribution system, or it isn’t quite what their niche market wants.

At the 2008 Wine Bloggers Conference in Santa Rosa I was heading to my room in the hotel when two Cameron Hughes staff came toward me carrying bottles of wine.  I told them it was my wife’s birthday and I would love to bring her some wine in our room.  I scored two bottles of Sonoma County Cab.  That was the first I had heard of Cameron Hughes.  We loved the wine!!  Katya was delighted with the gift.

The past couple of years all of our wine, lots of cases, have come from our tasting room adventures.  A few weeks ago I headed to Costco and spent about $300 on various wines in the $8 – $10 range.  I came out with quite a haul and so far we like almost all of it.  Two bottles were Cameron Hughes.

Again, the Cameron Hughes wine, a Napa Merlot (Lot 112), is a favorite and the price is great. You would pay $22 or more in a tasting room.

Buying at Costco lacks the experience of a cozy tasting room and a road trip but hey, this is not to be ignored.  CH wine is a delight and the variety is an adventure.

- jim

This past weekend we finished off a bottle of Holly’s Hill Vineyards El Dorado 06 estate Grenache.  Medium body with an earthy Pinot-like nose and a fine lasting finish.  It has just a light hint of sweetness but is not a sweet wine at all. Nice and dry.

A view through the tasting room to the amazing Sierra Foothills view from the deck.

So what’s the story about a visit to Holly’s Hill?  Well, for one Holly’s Hill and nearby Sierra Vista and Narrowgate are well off the beaten track.  Most wineries in El Dorado County are along or not far off the Carson Road east of Placerville and north of US 50, or closer to Amador’s wine region in Fairplay.  Holly’s Hill, Sierra Vista, and Narrowgate are between these two areas.

They seem to get less traffic and offer  a quality mountain winery experience.  Holly’s Hill has a friendly, warm, and cozy tasting room.  The big attraction is the view from the deck and picnic tables!   If there is not much haze then you can see far south down the Sierra Foothills and across the Central Valley.  The deck and picnic area have a southern exposure which can be a bit toasty on hot days but wonderful during the cool months.

A visit to Holly’s Hill and the nearby wineries is a special treat year-round.  Bring a picnic lunch and have a feast with a view!

- jim

Napa Valley Marriott guests are invited to a complementary tasting in the afternoons most days.  The wines are from quality vintners in the Napa Valley, many of them very small operations, and the pouring is done by the vintners or their staff.

Tasting Salvestrin's fine Napa Valley wines at Napa Valley Marriott

Most of the wineries seem to be by appointment only types so this is a chance to taste their wines without an appointment.  But that isn’t the only attraction.

This is a great opportunity to meet with visitors from around the world and discuss a wide variety of topics.   The people who hang out at this hotel are interesting and well traveled.  The lobby design encourages mingling and socializing, a far better design than most hotels.

The afternoon of this photo we were tasting Salvestrin’s wines. Salvestrin is a small winery just south of St. Helena on Highway 29 that also includes a B&B.

They poured their 08 Sauv Blanc, 08 Cab which is Napa robust with nice tannins, and an interesting Super Tuscan blend with Sangiovese.  I found all their wines to have interesting nose, flavors, and finish to explore. None just disappeared on my palate.

After a long day of tasting wine in Napa Valley it is SOOOOO nice to sink into a Marriott bed and take a nap before heading out to the fine dining available nearby.  When I lack energy for dining elsewhere I dine in their cozy and comfortable cafe which has excellent food and ambiance.

- jim

I picked up sisters Amber and Britney at SFO early Wednesday AM a couple of weeks ago and headed across the Golden Gate bridge for adventure. I’ve known them since their births in Alaska and now that they are out of college we found the time to do a little two day tour of the Sonoma wine regions. This was their first wine tasting trip and besides the pleasure of showing them the ropes I also wanted to see wine tasting from the perspective of newbies. I learned a thing or two about WineQuesters.com and our Winery Quest iPhone app as they work now.

We drove up Highway 1 and then inland along the Russian River to the Russian River Valley. They wanted Pinot so I took them to Arista and C Donatiello wineries. Next we crossed into Dry Creek valley for Zins and Cabs at Mill Creek and Passalacqua Wineries. Not a bad tour for their first day. We spent the night at the Geyserville Inn, a favorite of mine, and the next day they shopped Healdsburg and we tasted at Alexander Valley Vineyards and Hanna Winery.

I was doing much more thinking than tasting. Selecting a few wineries to visit with such a huge selection available is a real challenge. You can go online or subscribe to magazines and get loads of advice about wines and tasting rooms but who has the time for researching hundreds of wineries.

Our search engine lets you select from over 100 criteria which helps if you know what you are looking for. However, Amber and Brittany had only vague requirements such as dry reds. When I suggested landscaping, architecture, friendly staff, ambiance, etc. it helped to narrow the field a bit more.

Of course I have my preferences based on my experiences but should those be used as the default selection criteria on WineQuesters.com? I don’t think so. I need to find a way for tasters to narrow their selection quickly and get the results they imagine from their wine tasting experience.

I believe what we need in WineQuesters.com is a wizard. The search engine is pretty good and the data is improving almost daily but a wizard will help tasters focus on their own interests with more of a conversational approach. I’ll develop a wizard we’ll see how it works.

- jim