Platypus Wine Cruise November 9-16, 2017

Private Tours Brochure

Looking for a private tour? We offer customized tours for 1 guest up to 80 guests. We’ll work with you on wineries, food and all other creative wine country offerings. Please call us at 707-207-4236 for more information.  Please view our brochure for more details.  2015 Platypus_Brochure

New Video on the Platypus Wine Tours Home Page

Check out the new Platypus Wine Tours Video on our home page! We’re excited about this new video, especially the aerial shots. It really does convey the unique nature of our tours – they’re social and fun and really get the our clients into the hidden gem wineries, where they can have a more intimate experience away from the crowds at the mega wineries.  www.platypustours.com

Platypus Wine Tours No. 3 on TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Tours in the U.S.

Platypus Wine Tours is thrilled to be ranked No. 3 among the “Top 10 Tours in the U.S.” recently by TripAdvisor and its users. The list is based on the quality and quantity of reviews among travelers around the country by the World’s Largest Travel Community, with more weight given to reviews submitted in the last year.

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3. Platypus Wine Tours, Napa, California (4,294 reviews, 5 out of 5 bubbles on TripAdvisor)

Wine novices and oenophiles alike are sure to savor the sips throughout this intimate experience. During shuttled group tours that are capped at 12 participants, guests visit four impressive wineries and are treated to a delightful picnic lunch and savory cheese platters. “The great thing about Platypus is that the drivers/hosts know the wineries that are the hidden gems and they are extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of Napa Valley and the wines,” commented a TripAdvisor reviewer.

Pricing: Small group tours of Napa and Sonoma are $110 per person, North Sonoma/Russian River/Healdsburg tours are $99 per person; private tours are priced upon request; winery tasting fees are not included.

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While the types of tours that made TripAdvisor’s Top 10 list vary greatly, the fact that Platypus Tours was included, and ranked so highly, demonstrates the popularity of wine tours in general, as well as Platypus Wine Tours’ position as an industry pioneer in this highly competitive segment.

We always strive to provide exceptional customer service and deliver the most amazing, and fun, wine tour possible every time. With our customers, and, of course, TripAdvisor users consistently giving us such positive feedback and 5 Star Reviews for our Napa and Sonoma Valley and Russian River/Healdsburg Wine Tours, and our resulting placement on this Top 10 Great U.S. Tours list, we have all the validation we need that we continue to get it right. Thank you to TripAdvisor and everyone who took the time to give us a stellar review – we could not be more pleased!

View the entire Top Ten List and the Trip Advisor press release.

Wine Country Recipes – Red Quinoa Salad

Here’s another of our favorite Wine Country Recipes we’d like to share with you – Red Quinoa Salad, which is occasionally part of the picnic lunch we provide on our Platypus Wine Tours. Enjoy!

Red Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups red quinoa
• 1 small onion coarsely chopped
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 3 yellow and/or orange bell peppers, quartered
• 2 medium zucchini, chopped and blanched
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice (I like a little more than the recipe calls for)
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• White pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 scallions, chopped

Preparation

Prepare grill for cooking.

Wash quinoa in at least 5 changes of water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off water, until water runs clear. Drain in a large sieve. Add quinoa to a saucepan of boiling salted water and cook 10 minutes. Drain in sieve and rinse under cold water.

Set sieve over a saucepan with 1 1/2 inches boiling water (sieve should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, about 10 minutes. (Check water level in pan occasionally, adding water if necessary.) Spread quinoa on a baking sheet to cool.

OR – the easy way is to put in rice cooker with a brown rice option and follow directions provided by the rice cooker for brown rice, 2 parts liquid to 1 part dry. For extra flavor, add the chopped onion with the quinoa and broth in the rice cooker.

While quinoa is cooking, grill bell peppers on a well-oiled rack set 5 to 6 inches over glowing coals until slightly softened, about 4 minutes on each side. Cut bell peppers crosswise into thin strips. Peel the peppers after grilling for a nicer salad.

After quinoa cools completely to room temperature, whisk together oil, lime juice, soy sauce, and cumin in a large bowl and stir in quinoa, bell peppers, zucchini, cilantro, scallions, and salt and pepper to taste.

Chef’s Notes:
You can make quinoa salad 1 day ahead and chill, covered. Bring to room temperature before serving. If you prefer, grill bell peppers in a hot well-seasoned ridged grill pan over moderate heat.

Stay tuned for more of our favorite Wine Country Recipes from Kathy’s Kitchen at Platypus Wine Tours!

Sirah vs Syrah vs Shiraz vs Sera

Syrah, Petite Sirah, Shiraz . . . they’re all the same, right? Not quite. While all of these grapes produce big, bold, spicy red wines, one of these things (varietals) is not like the others. In short, Syrah and Shiraz refer to the same type of dark-skinned grape grown in two different regions, while Petite Sirah is a related but different grape.

Syrah and Shiraz wines tend to be very full bodied, bold wines with notes of pepper and dark fruit flavors like blackberries. Generally, European wines are labeled Syrah while Australian wines are labeled Shiraz.

Petite Sirah is an entirely different grape varietal than Syrah (otherwise known as Shiraz) and produces a deep-colored, robust, full-bodied peppery wine with lots of tannins and tends to age well. Petite Sirah never really took off in France, where it was first grown, as it isn’t well-suited to the growing climate, but it became popular in California (particularly Sonoma, Napa, and Mendocino), where it thrived for some time. It’s not as popular today as it once was in its heyday in the 70’s.

People seem to either really love or hate Petite Sirah because of its spicy and peppery intensity, compared to Syrah’s smoother, more refined qualities which make it more of a general crowd-pleaser.

Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) is a catchy little number written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans in 1956 and featured in Alfred Hitchcock’s film The Man Who Knew too Much starring Doris Day and James Stewart.

Tedeschi Family Winery

We love Tedeschi Family Winery because they make hand-crafted, premium old world style delicious wines the old-fashioned way, in small batches (about 1200 cases annually) with no shortcuts and offered with family style hospitality.

Tedeschi believes that wine is ultimately defined by the vineyard, and they make their wines to showcase the high quality fruit grown at Tedeschi Family Winery. Their Bordeaux-style wines are balanced, lower in alcohol, and offer complex flavors and aromas, making them perfect for food pairing.

The Tedeschi Family has been producing wines in the Napa Valley since 1919, when the first generation immigrated to America from Pisa, Italy. Emil Tedeschi set out in 1991 to accomplish his dream of redeveloping his father’s orchards in Calistoga and starting his own small family operated winery. To this day, Emil works alongside his two sons, Emilio, Mario, and his daughter, Elaine as they continue to produce handcrafted wines in the tradition of his own Italian heritage.

Tedeschi wines include Cabernet Sauvignon from their dry-farmed Calistoga Estate, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Petite Sirah, Chardonnay, Viognier, and a dry Rosé. And they will be adding Primitivo to their portfolio in the coming year, which we’re all very much looking forward to. With an annual production of about 1200 cases, the workmanship and family aspect of The Tedeschi Family Winery is truly characterized by quality over quantity.

We love coming here for our Join-In Wine Tours, which often includes a personalized tour given by one of the family wine makers showing everything that goes into making their wine – from how they plant, care for, and hand-harvest the grapes, to the aging, blending, and hand-bottling process – making for a truly unforgettable wine tour experience.

If you would like Tedeschi Family Winery to be included as one of the four wineries we visit on your upcoming wine tour please be sure to request it when you Reserve Your Platypus Wine Tour online or call us at (707) 253-2723.

Tedeschi Family Winery
(707) 501-0668; 2779 Grant Street, Calistoga, CA 94515
www.tedeschifamilywinery.com

Napa Valley Earthquake Update

As you have no doubt heard that this past Sunday, in the wee hours of the morning, Napa and the whole wine country underwent the rough & tumble experience of a 6.0 magnitude earthquake. While we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for everyone, it will certainly make a great story for our grandchildren!

We are touched and very grateful that so many guests, partners and friends have reached out with concern about our employees and our business. We are happy to report that all of the Platypus family is safe and our operation was not significantly affected by any earthquake damage.

While we were very lucky, the cleanup for some of our partners may take a bit longer. We support them in their efforts to get back in the business of caring for the Valley visitors.

The media coverage has been significant and the question continues to be raised: ”Will Napa Valley ever be able to recover from this?” Of course we will, and we assure you that we and the vast majority of this region are OPEN FOR BUSINESS!

We offered limited tours last Sunday. By Monday we were back at 100% with all tours running in Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley and Northern Sonoma. We’re excited for a busy Labor Day holiday weekend and can’t wait to share all of our stories with you. It’s a beautiful time to be here and predictions are that we’re going to have an amazing wine harvest!

Thank you again for your thoughtfulness! We urge you to continue with any plans you may have to visit. If you didn’t have plans… well now is a great time to start looking for that hotel promotion!

If you have any questions regarding a tour, please feel free to reach out to us at 707-253-2723 or email us at info@platypustours.com.

BottleRock Napa Valley Festival Starts Today

BottleRock Napa Valley is back! Come to Napa May 30 – June 1 for the second annual live music, food, wine, and beer festival featuring over 60 bands on four stages. This year’s three-day festival starts today and includes some of the most well-known artists in alternative rock, pop, hip hop, and country music including: The Cure, Heart, Barenaked Ladies, Third Eye blind, LL Cool J, Weezer, and Outkast. And, of course, some of Napa’s best food offerings, dozens of top wineries and plenty of beer on tap.

Single Day Tickets, VIP and Platinum Passes are still available from the BottleRock Napa Valley website.

The Ins and Outs of Wine Glasses

Have you ever noticed during your wine travels that different wine glasses are used for different types of wines? Have you ever asked yourself why this is done? There are many reasons why and I’m going to explain them to you now.

Diagram of the different parts of the standard wine glass

There are many types of wine glasses and they each have a slightly different shape depending upon the varietal of wine poured into them. All wine glasses are shaped in a way that will help direct the wine to the part of your mouth where its flavor and aroma will be most appreciated and enjoyed by the taster.

The bowl of the wine glass is designed to be tapered upward with a slightly narrower opening at the top than the bottom. The reason for this is that the shape helps to capture and distribute the wine’s aroma toward your mouth and nose.

There are three things a person will do when tasting a wine. First, they look at the wine for its color and opacity. Next they smell the wine because our sense of smell is critical in properly analyzing the glass of wine. And finally, you taste the wine. Was it sweet, sour or bitter? How was the wine’s acidity? Was it well balanced?

Examples of the different shapes of wine glasses and the kinds of wine they should hold

Our focus here is on how the shape of the glass helps the taster to enjoy the “nose” of the wine (aka: the smell) and its taste. The nose of the wine gives a good impression of your wine’s aroma. As you place your nose down into the glass and inhale through your nose it provides certain impressions of the wine such as: do you smell oak, berries, flowers, vanilla or citrus? Furthermore, the wine’s nose is an excellent indicator of its quality and other unique characteristics.

As with most wine glasses, the bowl must be large enough to swirl your wine because swirling your wine really does serve a very important purpose: it opens it up to more air allowing its aromas to be released.

A red wine glass bowl will be fuller and rounder with a larger opening to allow you to dip your nose into the glass to partake of its aroma. The flavors of red wine demand a glass with a larger surface area so the wine comes into contact with as much air as possible for the sake of allowing the tannin molecules to attach to one another thus mellowing the wine.

Bordeaux wine glass

For red wines, you may want both a Burgundy and a Bordeaux glass. A Bordeaux glass is taller, yet the bowl is not quite as large. It’s designed for full bodied, heavier red wines such as Cabernets and Merlots. The height of the glass allows the wine to proceed directly to the back of the mouth to maximize its flavor.

Burgundy wine glass

A Burgundy glass is for lighter, full bodied wines such as Pinot Noir which is my personal favorite. It’s not as tall, but the bowl is larger than that of a Bordeaux glass and it directs the wine to the tip of the tongue allowing you to taste its more delicate flavors.

White wine glass

A white wine glass bowl will have a more “U” shaped design and will be more upright allowing the aromas to be released while also maintaining a cooler temperature. For white wine you may also want to use two types of wine glasses. One could be used for younger, crisp whites while the other can be used more for more mature, fuller whites. The wine glass for younger whites has a slightly larger opening directing the wine to the tip and sides of the tongue to taste its sweetness. The glass for more mature whites will be straighter and taller to dispense the wine to the back and sides of the tongue to taste its bolder flavors.

Sparkling wine glass

A sparkling wine glass, or “flute,” on the other hand will be upright and much narrower to retain the carbonation and capture more of the flavor.

 

 

 

Dessert wine glass

And finally, a dessert wine glass should be smaller to direct the wine to the back of the mouth so the sweetness doesn’t overwhelm the palate. Dessert wines generally have a higher alcohol content and the smaller glass will be perfect for a smaller serving.

So, now you know why there are so many different types of wine glasses and the reasons behind them. The next time you are out tasting wine, impress your friends by explaining why you are enjoying a particular wine in that certain wine glass. Go forth and taste wine with knowledge!

Written by tour guide Chris Largent