A loaf of bread, a jug of wine...and snow!

by Eric
(San Diego, CA, USA)

I didn't realize it snowed in Napa Valley until my last visit there, and oh was it ever memorable.

We flew into Sacramento between Christmas and New Year's and, no surprise, the surrounding Sierras were snow-capped. Hmm, I thought, this should be interesting.

I had always visited wine country in the spring, summer or fall, and this would be my first yule time visit. After a short drive through the Davis area, we finally approached Napa. I remember a dizzying array of tastings with some splendid Cabs, a Pinot Noir to die for, and Chardonnay that I could have happily drowned in. Truth be told, I sort of did....But anyhoo, that's neither here nor there, our last tasting was the most divine of all.

We pulled up to Mondavi and went out on their back tasting porch, overlooking the vineyard (well, what there was of it in the winter). Then, the snowflakes started to fall, lightly dusting us at first, then more vigorous, settling onto our eyelashes, our tongues as we caught them. The flakes frosted our wine glasses, giving the Pinot Grigio we were sampling an odd frosting to it. The other tasters fled the cold, seeking solace by the Mondavi fireplace indoors. But, we knew better. This is where we were destined to be. A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and snow.