Vintner’s Collective Tasting Room: incredible wines without the drive.
Tasting rooms are in abundance in the city of Napa. Each of them unique- some are individual wineries, others are representing larger wineries throughout the Napa Valley, and still others showcase the wines of small winemakers who neither have tasting rooms and lease equipment from larger wineries. Vintner’s Collective is part of the latter- these winemakers don’t make more than 10,000 cases per year. At Vintner’s Collective the winemakers are typically making wine for other wineries in the valley and then have their own grapes to make their own. For example, Rolando Herrera, who has made wines for Stag’s Leap and Baldacci Vineyards, has his own line of wines under the label of “Mi Sueno” (My Dream). We were invited for an event to enjoy the wines they offer and I fell in love with Destino Winery (he is also the owner of Bouchaine). First I tried his Cabernet Sauvignon blend called “Mask” (delicious! and only $30) and then was introduced to his single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon ($50) and drank nothing else for the rest of the evening. I was afraid to move away from something I enjoyed so much. Last year I fell in love with Rolando Herrera’s Chardonnay (rich, buttery, creamy); this year Destino was to capture my palate. There are easily ten or more wineries represented at Vintner’s Collective so there is much more to taste. Because this tasting room is within walking distance of the inn (along with 11 others), you never have to get into your car and don’t have to worry about any crazy drivers weaving down highway 29 in the late afternoon. The other advantage of tasting rooms over the wineries? They usually stay open to 6 or 7 p.m. on the weekends while the wineries close between 4:30 and 5:00 p.m. As a side note, the Taste of Napa cards we sell (currently $35 per couple) give you the opportunity over the course of one year to visit each of the 11 represented tasting rooms on the cards and to receive a single pour from each (although most usually give you the full tasting of wines available).