Driving FORE Disaster

Guess what? I’m learning to golf! Skills, though, could take years to develop. And it’s not like I don’t already have enough to do. Plus, I’ve been lamenting that I haven’t gotten back into tennis. That was the game of my suburban youth. I miss it enough that when Michael and I go on vacation I choose rooms near the courts so I can hear the pong---pong of the ball. But in Napa, people seem to love golf. A lot. And the weather supports this hobby. For years I have heard how golf is a great business tool, and it does seem easier to make a deal on a nice quiet course than between grunts and volleys on the tennis court. So there you have it, I WILL golf!

I just did my first charity tournament, yet it was no problem for this untrained contender. Each foursome had beginners paired with advanced players. I sort of got roped into participating after a client’s referral resulted in Red House providing the shirts for the event. My fellow golfers were local business leaders, minor politicians, celebrities – and winemakers from all those categories. We wore Red House Honeycomb Performance Pique Polos (RH02) in Everglades green. (Closest to the color of the Master green jackets, but fresher – we are in California after all!)

I was doing pretty well out there, maybe daydreaming a little bit about the party later at the venerable and also beautifully remodeled Sonoma Golf Club (sonomagolfclub.com). One reason I pretty confidant was that I was using one of those “cheat stick” clubs (weighted differently to compensate for the slow swing speed of novices like me). Go ahead and laugh, but I can whack that ball waaaaay down the fairway!

One of the foursome was taking his time setting up a shot, but that was ok. He was our best chance for successful finish. Not only is he a good golfer, but he owns a restaurant that I would love to have as Red House’s newest client. I thought maybe I’d approach him at the dinner afterwards… Anyway, I was admiring the solidity of my 9-iron while sitting in my cart. Yes, biometric designs, polymers and alloys will be key to my mastery of golf. I was thinking about that, and the business I’d get, and maybe the lobster salad and -- BANG! Seems I got lost in the moment and hit the gas, knocking my future client’s Callaways to the ground! Oh, and I messed up his putt too. My face was so red it was on fire. Everyone came running - Was I ok? No, I’m pretty sure I’ve embarrassed myself to DEATH! I apologized profusely, as you might imagine, quickly picking up the clubs and brushing the grass off the bag - which looked to be alligator. I checked for bent shafts but it didn’t appear I’d destroyed any clubs. The rest of the tournament was a bit quiet. We ended up placing 6th – not too bad. I wanted to skip the dinner later but Michael insisted we go. He’s no golfer either, but his foursome placed third. (Must have been a PGA player in that group…)

At the banquet, bottles of wine were awarded for various feats of distance, skill, fundraising acumen, and the donation of stylish tournament shirts. (Yay, Red House!) Suddenly, my former future client/former foursome partner bounded onto the stage with a “Special Award”. Uh-oh. My heart dropped into my stomach atop the lobster salad that wasn’t sitting well anyway. Sure enough, the awardee was I. I was presented with a radio-controlled golf cart to practice with before my next experience driving a cart. There was applause but it was all in good fun. I learned later that a few of these folks had themselves plowed into trees and ponds – and golf bags. I won’t make that mistake again. Meanwhile, I think the kids and I are going to have fun with our new toy. We’ll see if it can carry a cup of coffee to Michael in bed tomorrow morning…

Maddie’s Top 10 for tasting

Last weekend was so incredible! We had the kind of weather that makes people from say, Cleveland give it all up and start a new life in Napa. It was that good here. Now it’s raining. Grapes need rain, and the folks from Cleveland need to get back home.

A friend from New York who follows my business (and my blog!) was inspired by my perpetual gushing to start planning a four-day wine tasting weekend with her husband. This is a woman who used to be part of our dinner club in NY during the carefree years before we had children. Once, she brought a wine from Missouri, though I can’t remember why. Another member of our club, from France, pronounced it “Misery” and I think that pretty much summed it up. Most states make wine. Some should not bother. In fairness, I’m sure others from Missouri are easier to swallow.

But we are a bit jaded here. Napa is the tops. the ne plus ultra of the 12 California wine regions. Sonoma, you could characterize as the Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella. (Ugh – Delia has me watching too many Disney classics!) Sonoma has a reputation as a more low-key, less-intimidating wine-tasting destination, but Napa should not rest on is lovely laurels. Sonoma wines are superb. And they actually have far more climactic diversity over there. My friend wanted my recommendation for ten wineries to tour in Napa and ten in Sonoma. That’s 20 wineries in four days. Okaaaay… I look forward to hearing how far they get. Wisely, they’ve opted to leave their children with family for this speed-touring trip.

So here’s my list, and a caveat: some wineries are listed for the wines alone and some for the experience, the setting or the gardens. So if they don’t like the wines I’ll bet they (and you!) will remember the roses:

Napa:

Schramsberg, Calistoga (schramsberg.com)
Frank Family Vineyards, Calistoga (frankfamilyvineyards.com)
Rombauer Vineyards, St. Helena (rombauer.com)
Silver Oak, Oakville (silveroak.com)
Far Niente, Oakville (farniente.com)
Nickel & Nickel, Oakville (nickelandnickel.com)
Opus One Winery, Oakville (opusonewinery.com)
Clos du Val, Napa (closduval.com)
Trefethen Family Vineyards, Napa (trefethenfamilyvineyards.com)
Darioush, Napa (darioush.com)
Pine Ridge, Napa (pineridgewinery.com)
Grgich Estate, Rutherford (grgich.com)
Hall, St. Helena and Rutherford (hallwineries.com)
St. Supéry, Rutherford (stsupery.com)

(Oops – is that 14? I could go on and on!)

Sonoma:

Ledson Winery, Kenwood (ledson.com)
Landmark, Kenwood (landmarkwine.com)
Mayo Family, Kenwood (mayofamilywinery.com)
Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves, Sonoma (gloriaferrer.com)
Tantalus, Sonoma (tantaluswinery.com)
Cline, Sonoma (clinecellars.com)
Eric Ross, Glen Ellen (ericross.com)
Benziger Family Winery, Glen Ellen (benziger.com)
B.R. Cohn, Glen Ellen (brcohn.com)
Arrowood, Glen Ellen (arrowoodvineyard.com)


The wineries I’ve listed are grouped roughly in geographic proximity. Most have regular tasting room hours and are open to the public. Schramsberg, Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel are by appointment, only. Do call ahead and you might be able to arrange a special tour or tasting. Stay tuned - my favorites in Healdsburg, Alexander and Russian River Valleys are yet to come!

Corked!

I DID IT! Not alone, mind you. A huge thanks you to Natalie, and Andrew and Delia’s sitter Melinda and her four friends. They are true Jr. Seamstresses of America – though I doubt they’ll ever want to pick up a needle and thread again. Together we made sure those winegrowers had buttons, their buttons, on time.

Let me back up - I rushed out yesterday without explaining exactly what the problem was - the customer wanted cork buttons! REAL cork. And get this – he sourced them himself! A small business in the valley creates buttons from used wine corks. When I went to meet with my customer yesterday he had a shopping bag filled with these buttons on his desk. He’d have helped with the sewing too, though he claimed not to know how (ha ha). That’s when I called Melinda for help. (Michael was relieved that he wouldn’t be recruited for a second night of sweatshop duty, especially now that the good wine was gone!) The girls enjoyed helping me assemble and deliver the gift bags at the hotel too. We added an orange and a croissant as a perfect, portable wine country breakfast.

The moral of this story is that the customer is right. I mean that too. After seeing how the shirts looked with the new buttons I agree that ours didn’t say “wine growers” quite so…literally. Ideally though, the request for new buttons would have been agreed on well before the event (!) Red House does custom work all the time – changing details, colors, thread, even adding a pocket now and then. But we out-source and carefully monitor the process. This takes time – which we did not have in this instance. I guess you could say I did this due to an adrenalin rush, temporary insanity or both. And believe me, once was quite enough. Live, learn and drink wine! Speaking of that, I’ve got to go – eyes are glazing over. I wish I had saved the Opus One for tonight – I want to celebrate!

Yes, we have no buttons

You would not believe my day – or my last night - and it’s not over yet. I literally have a sandwich on top of the computer as I have about ten minutes before I need to get out the door and into the car again. My mission: to please a customer with a very unusual request. “Meet me at my office at 1:30” was the message he left when he called this morning, “I have what you need.” Note to myself: PLEASE LET ME BE ABLE TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM!

43 interlock cotton polo shirts hang in the balance. Without buttons. Why no buttons? All polo shirts have buttons. My 43 Red House Double-Mercerized Cotton polo shirts (RH04) in classic red that were destined for the annual meeting of some single -vineyard winegrowers did. The shirts, by the way, looked great. Never one to wait until the last minute for quality control. I made sure every shirt was checked and perfect last week. Embroidered logo where it should be? Check. Colors consistent? Check. Loose threads? None. Buttons evenly placed and well anchored? Of course! There’s just one thing…during the meeting yesterday when I was to place the 43 in gift bags for their recipients, I got the news - the stuff of nightmares, or at least really bad headaches. My customer wanted different buttons. Now the buttons are gone. 3 buttons x 43 = you do the math. Michael and I did the removing - during several hours we might have otherwise enjoyed sleeping. Instead, I opened a bottle of Opus One I that was saving for a special occasion. Oh, this was special! The winegrowers’ meeting is TOMORROW and the shirts will be delivered to 43 different hotel rooms at some point during the night tonight. With buttons. Somehow it’s going to happen. I think…

Maddie’s Tips for Tasting

I just had to devote a blog entry to the little things I’ve learned that might make your visit to our bountiful valley even better. The first thing you need to know is: Take your time! When we first got to Napa, I mapped out a touring plan that would’ve made General Patton proud. What can I say - I was fresh out of NYC and knew how to move quickly. And after all, with 100’s of wineries I needed to see as many as possible as quickly as possible, right? No! Attempting to visit 12 wineries in a day was just ridiculous. Now, Michael and I have adapted to a pace that allows us to savor the wine, the beautiful settings – the experience!

My advice to wine tourists is to allow about an hour per winery and 10-30 minutes for travel between wineries. If you have a few must-visit wineries, try to see others in that same area to minimize driving time. Save the scenic drives for sunset as most wineries close at 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. And do stop for lunch. It may seem you are wasting valuable touring time, but trust me: you will need a little break and some non-liquid (!) sustenance. A picnic is quickest. Stop at Dean & DeLuca in St. Helena (deananddeluca.com) for delightful provisions. Lunchtime is also a good opportunity to visit restaurants that are booked months in advance for dinner. If you can, make your lunch reservations in advance too. We usually picnic, but when I have a little more time I adore the very French Bistro Jeanty (bistrojeanty.com) in Yountville. Mais oui!

If you are new to wine, don’t feel like you are alone. Napa is The Big League. Some of the best wines in the world are made here. The loftiness can be intimidating to novices, but not to worry. Your first stop should be one of the big wineries like Mondavi (robertmondaviwinery.com). Stroll the beautiful grounds and get a feel for the place – it’s really something. Then, go ahead and taste! They’ll have some of your favorites but be sure to try something new. Not mad for Malbec? Neither am I, but at least now I can distinguish it from Marsanne – and you will too.

On occasion you may encounter a surly tasting room employee who tells you are holding your glass wrong or corrects your pronunciation. As we say in NY – fuggetabout it! Maybe they are having a bad day and wish they were out wine tasting like you. Just don’t be like the character in the movie Sideways who comes into the tasting room chomping gum, that would make me cringe too. Keep palate-cleansing plain crackers and water with you while touring. And save the Reserve wines for your “sophomore” trip.

Wineries ship to most states, which Michael’s and my parents are grateful for. If you are buying wines to take with you, do kept them in a cooler or insulated wine carrier if you’ll be leaving them in a car for any period of time. It can get HOT very fast and heat destroys wine.

So, open your mind and the palate will follow. As trite as it sounds, do sniff the flowers. And talk to the staff and winemakers you might encounter. It’s the most enjoyable education I’ve ever had and I hope you’ll agree. Cheers!

The orange jumpsuit or piqué polo, hmmm….?

First, The Natalie News: Now we know my niece’s fate for the Reckless Driving conviction: she will be spending two weeks picking up trash along the Silverado Trail. Time for her to put on the distinctive CDC-emblazoned (California Dept. of Corrections) orange jumpsuit and experience a world I hope she will not revisit. She has been very apologetic, after taking her time as far as realizing the gravity of the situation. I forget that she’s young. She forgets that she’s old enough to know better. We all hope she will put trouble behind and find her own passion, whether it’s school or work, or, I guess, Stefan, who she is still seeing. She relies on him (and his motorcycle) for rides though she is also getting around by bike. The spring weather makes it nicer, and I don’t think she’d dare ask to borrow one of our cars again.

My new car is pretty much the same as my totaled BMW, and with the added advantage of that new car smell and fewer Cheerios lodged between the seats. (No, I’m not blaming Natalie for those!)

Now, I want to get back to one of my favorite topics lately - wines and wineries. Now that spring has sprung I feel even more excited about living in Napa. And of course talking about it! For most of you, visiting our impossibly picturesque valley will have to do. So make your plans! You’re probably wondering what to wear and I’m not shy about offering my opinion on this. First of all: go for layers. Your grandmother may have mentioned this to you, and without even knowing about the microclimates we “enjoy” here. The temperature and humidity can vary wildly in short distances. While this is great for creating variation in types of wine grapes grown, it makes it harder to choose what to wear while wine touring. If you start out in the mornings (and you should – a winery that opens at 10:00 am will be a peaceful place to experience) take Grandma’s advice and opt for a cashmere sweater and a light jacket. I wear my own Red House Pure Cashmere Cardigan (RH17) and Pima Interlock Knit Jacket (RH08). By sunny afternoons I’m down to my Silk Baby Piqué Polo (RH14) and have stowed the sweater and jacket in my Micro Twill/Leather Tote (RH33). This is what I call my touring tote as it holds my layers and a few bottles of wine, water and sunscreen – a must for those exploring via convertible. Michael’s wine touring apparel is simple and sophisticated: The Red House Textured Silk Polo (RH10) and 100% Silk Twill Jacket (RH128). Once in uniform, we are ready for new discoveries in wine knowing that we look put-together and feel relaxed and comfortable. Another plus: won’t need to change clothes if we end the day with Northern Italian cuisine at St. Helena’s delightful Tra Vigne! (Check out the menu: travignerestaurant.com)

We see a variety of people on our explorations – tourists off the bus (often seen at the bigger wineries) sometimes sporting T-shirts advertising their favorite malt-based beverages. Then there are the sometimes-sweaty bikers clad in day-glo spandex. Oh, and the occasional over-the-top Versace-clad pair that you’d think just flew in from Vegas (And maybe they did – flush with winnings at least they’ll be spending them on good wine!) People watching is part of the fun when exploring Napa wineries. Smaller wineries provide a more intimate experience and often better education, but don’t fear the tour buses: the big wineries provide historical context and often some incredible gardens and structures. And yes, you might find a wine or two there that you really like. Enjoy!

The Pink Airplane

First, The Natalie News: Never let it be said Maddie gives up on her niece. I met with a customer in San Francisco yesterday and Michael came in to join me for dinner in the city, which is always a treat. Natalie babysat for the first time since the crash and I expected no problems. However, we arrived home to find no Natalie, Delia or Andrew. Instead, there was a note from the neighbors saying the kids were with them (!!) Natalie had left them “briefly” to go on a motorcycle ride with Stefan. Can you believe it – leaving an eight and five year old alone?! She thought they’d be fine! And they were, until the popcorn was gone and they realized they were missing two things: adults and dinner. That’s when Delia took her brother by the hand and asked the neighbors if they could come in! Fortunately, the neighbors had a sense of humor about the whole thing, and I’m hoping they don’t think Michael and I are the worst parents in Napa County. Natalie seems genuinely sorry and promises better judgment. (And I think next time I’ll hire a sitter for all three of them!)

This “Home Alone” incident made me vow to make it up to the kids by being there for them as much as possible. But there is a little problem: a truly irritating mom at Andrew’s preschool who I’m constantly running into at pick-up, drop-off, school teas and mommy & me craft days. She rapid-fires questions at me, pretending to be interested in the answers, only to set me up for an insult or an undermining. (New Yorkers have nothing on Madame X!) She constantly asks me about Red House. How did I get there? What if I fail? (!) Curiosity is one thing, but a vein of insincerity is just below the surface. What was she getting at?! Finally she told me – she was introducing her own line of wine country-inspired clothing and starting a retail store in St. Helena. Weeks ago I had mentioned (foolishly) that a store was in my own five year plan for Red House! Ordinarily, I welcome the competition, as I know no one can touch us on the stellar combination of quality and customer service. And knowing there’s someone nipping at my heels keeps me on my toes, but please let it not be this woman! Red House is the culmination of dreams - my carefully considered passion. Mme. X thinks what I do is easy, a hobby! And get this – she’s calling her shop the Pink Airplane. Red House, Pink Airplane. Coincidence? You tell me.

I had to know more so I called my new friend Denise (from the nutritional business seminar), herself a boutique owner in St. Helena. She had heard of Mme. X and her retail intentions but laughed when I said “Pink Airplane”. That, she said, was a joke on me. The shop’s name will translate as “L’Avion Rose”, also a play on mournful songstress Edith Piaf’s La Vie en Rose, and get this – she is not competing with Red House at all – hers will be a “French-inspired travel accessories shop”. Will be?Apparently Mme. X’s retail venture is at least a year away from taking off, and Denise says she’s scouting for Francophile backers. Bonne chance, madame! I no longer dread our encounters. Maybe her brashness is just insecurity and we’ll even find some common ground while gluing macaroni to cigar boxes!

P.S. Thank you, guardian angels of Red House for protecting the integrity of our brand, and for making me laugh at myself for taking it all too seriously. I will light a candle in your honor and listen to as much of an Edith Piaf record as I can without getting depressed.

The Secret on Larkmead Lane

I want to tell you about a winery that is not to be missed on your Napa explorations: Fabulous Frank Family Winery. Actually, I added the Fabulous. Go there and you’ll see what I mean. You’ve probably never heard of Frank, and that’s because they sell much of what they produce right at the winery. Wow, does Frank have some terrific wines! And you can almost walk there from Calistoga Ranch. That was my plan on Easter weekend when Michael’s and my parents were out, though I’m glad we ended up renting bikes with baskets for bringing home the bubbly, as it would have been quite the hike otherwise.

I’m letting out a little secret here: Frank is one of the few Napa wineries that don’t charge for tasting. And, I think the only producer of sparkling wines that doesn’t. They offer four sparklers. Delightfully unusual is the garnet-hued Rouge. Last year, I found a recipe in Sunset magazine pairing it with grilled burgers. Now that’s my kind of summer dinner! I seriously doubt they could make a wine I wouldn’t like. Their chardonnay is simply lovely, oaked but not intensely so. Their zinfandel is so popular (and its higher alcohol level packs such a punch) that there’s a little acronym they’ve come up with to describe its effect. THAT, you will not hear from me, but the slightly randy and highly knowledgeable gentlemen behind the counter will be only too happy to tell you and watch your face turn crimson. These guys are real characters. Though I’d like to see them in Red House polos, it’s hard to imagine them wearing anything other than Hawaiian shirts. Do not for a minute think their casual demeanor means they are not serious about wine. They know what they pour. And wait until you try the exquisitely complex Winston Hill cabernet!

The co-owner, Rick Frank, had a quite a storied career as a TV and film exec with Disney so you’ll see some memorabilia on the walls of the tasting room, which they could just have just papered with all their wine awards. Frank’s passion for Napa led him to his additional career. Would I ever do the same? While it sounds romantic, one of the first things I heard when I moved here was that buying a winery is the quickest way to turn a large fortune into a small one (!) So no, I’ll stick to outfitting the wine country lifestyle (And anyway, Napa has no shortage of wineries. Check this one out: www.frankfamilyvineyards.com.)

While we were at the winery, I overheard a heated argument between between two business associates. I had to wonder what was so important that they’d mar a beautiful day of wine tasting with such negativity. Well, it ‘s a small tasting room so I found out. One had lost an account and the other had lost his cool trying to get it back. Ah yes, the backbiting, the fear, and the confidence-crushing intensity I remember from my New York life in design. The tone (and the accent!) almost shattered my idyll and yet hey, I’m out of there – the city and the state of mind! They’re on vacation and yet are missing out because they’ve brought their problems to Napa. I don’t mean to sound smug, but I’m grateful. I get to live in this lovely place, got to enjoy our family for Easter, and I constantly reflect on my happy turn of events since Michael and I started Red House. Thanks to SanMar, our customers (and of course Michael!) for taking a chance on something new. We won’t disappoint!