• Robert Mondavi Winery Tour – Napa Valley – Oakville – California

    Robert Mondavi Winery Tour – Napa Valley

    The North Coast is home to the grape region and has put California wine on the world map. So when I visited the west coast of US, I made it a point to tour one of the winery and my brother Umesh Jadhav, residing in Sacramento, introduced me to the world-renowned Robert Mondavi Winery visitor center located in the heart of the Napa Valley.  We took their 90 minutes signature tour and tasting. This in-depth winery tour follows the path of the grape from the vineyard to the cellar to the finished wine.

    Robert Mondavi Winery – Napa Valley

    The stylish architecture with the bell tower and amazing archway gives the entrance a stunning look. As you look around, you come across several statues, paintings and other works of art giving the entire area a classic touch of elegance.

    The entrance

    Once you are in you have this wonderful looking garden with the Welcoming Muse sculptured by John Waddell. An ideal place to relax and taste wine is on the benches and stone walls near this main lawn.  

    Welcoming Muse by John Henry Waddell the famous Sculptor and Painter

    Here is where we meet our wine educator who then takes us through the signature tour and tasting. He shared an informative overview of the winery, it’s rich history and general information about the region.

    Vineyard

    The vineyard looks breathtaking. We toured for a quick vineyard overview which was followed by a visit to the impressive fermentation room.

    Tour Educator

    The barrel aging room located below the tank room is a spell bounding sight. Mist released from ceiling and the lovely light creates a distinctive atmosphere in this massive barrel aging room. Two private tasting rooms anchor each side of this barrel room.

    Cellar

    Finally, we head to the tasting room which we were all looking forward to so eagerly. Here we tasted the Rose, Reds, Whites and the Sparkling Wine. We go through the much needed nuances of the wine tasting and different ways to appreciate the wine – Clarity, Color, Nose, Palate and Finish. So also well needed knowledge on pairing the wines with food was part of this tasting.

    Tasting Room

    The tour educator was such a gem of a guy full of knowledge and lively humour. A big thanks to him for such an educational tour.

    With the Sommelier

    The retail shop in the premises is filled with memorabilia and we did shop a couple of reds and whites and also picked up their dessert wine – Moscato D’oro.

    The Shop

    Overall it was a dream come true of having visited one of the famous Winery in Napa Valley.

  • New Glarus Brewery Company – Wisconsin

    New Glarus Brewery Company – Wisconsin

    While driving to Indiana alongwith my folks, Sudhir Shinde, my brother residing in Algonquin, decided to take us to Wisconsin which is famous for Glarus Brewery for production of world class hand crafted beers. Magnificent location. The entrance is amazingly beautiful. The Swiss chalet style building overlooks farm pastures and creates a nice vibe to drink beer and relax.

    New Glarus Brewing Co. Wisconsin

    For the New Glarus Brewing Company, “Only in Wisconsin” — its slogan — refers literally to the the decision to sell only in Wisconsin. It is the largest craft brewery in the state of Wisconsin. The brewery’s best-selling beer is named after the Holstein cows . The brewery founder is Deb Carey and her husband, Dan, co-owner and brewmaster.

    Tasting Room

    The brewery has the state of art technology and produces some fabulous beers – Spotted Cow, Two Women Lager, Moon Man Pale Ale, Wisconsin Belgian Red cherry ale, and Raspberry Tart fruit ale. None has an ABV of over 5 percent.

    Bottling Line

    There was an area called stairway to heaven which takes you to the top of the vats where the yeast does its work. It also has its traditional logo horse with a beer wagon.

    Stairway

    The old brew kettles were imported from Germany, and restored to production with stainless-steel linings and energy efficient heating elements.

    Copper Pot Kettle

    Overall, had a most fascinating time at New Glarus Brewery. The town is also known as Little Switzerland for it folksy appeal of town. Picked up a few memorablia from their gift shop offers which has several options available in clothing, hats, mugs, glasses etc.

You must be 21 years old to visit this site.

Please verify your age

- -