When John Sweazey’s staff at Sonoma’s trendsetting Anaba Red wines recommended a red wine and doughnut pairing, he was unsure.
“I thought it was the dumbest concept ever,” he said. He was wrong. “It just removed like a rocket ship.”
Anaba coordinated with Bay Area empire Johnny Doughnuts to take the stuffiness out of red wine and food pairings for the tasting called “Glazed & & Confused. “Rather of matching Chardonnay with buttery Dungeness crab or scallops, for instance, Anaba chose a vanilla old-fashioned doughnut.
Leading: Amin Jahani (left) and Eamon Jahani play bocce at Anaba White wines in Sonoma. Above: Anaba host Carlos Reyes serves white wine to customers.Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle
Glazed & & Confused represents the ever-evolving white wine tasting experience, which this year seems poised to turn away from the extravagance that characterized Wine Nation in 2022. Elegant wine tastings won’t disappear, but visitors will likely see a broader series of offerings, specifically amid fears of a recession. Some wineries will trade exclusivity for availability, and sharpen their efforts on drawing in younger demographics with fun, lighthearted tastings that are without pretense, such as pairing doughnuts with wine.
It was less than 50 years ago that most Napa and Sonoma tastings occurred right in the wine rack around a barrel or at a makeshift bar. The owner or winemaker would pour a flight of red wines, typically at no cost, and no one tried to sell you on their club membership. It was a no-frills, no-pressure scenario that was all about the red wine. Today, with roughly 1,000 options divided between Napa and Sonoma, wineries are in a continuous state of one-upping their next-door neighbors. Tasting experiences are getting progressively imaginative, fancy and pricey. While visiting grand, multi-million dollar estates, Red wine Country tourists can pair red wine with horseback riding, a Michelin star-quality meal or loads of caviar. Red wine is the anchor, but less the focus.
In 2023, wineries will likely continue to forge ahead on ultra-exclusive experiences that cost as much as, or more, than a meal at the French Laundry. This expansion shows that the need exists, no matter outcry from people who argue Red wine Nation has gotten too pricey.
Napa winery Stalworth, for example, simply released a $15,000 experience, which provides a group of 8 the unusual chance to deal with Stalworth’s winemaker to craft the last 2021 white wine blend. The expense likewise includes a multi-course lunch prepared by a French Laundry alum and 4 5-liter bottles of the wine repaired with a limited-edition label of the group’s own design.
An Anaba white wine club membership includes access to the winery’s pickleball and paddle tennis court, plus a totally free lesson. Santiago Mejia/The Chronicle While the pandemic-inflicted, by-appointment design isn’t going anywhere, some wineries are ending up being more versatile. A handful of estates– including Napa Valley’s Clos du Val and Cuvaison– now enable visitors to avoid the conventional tasting in favor of enjoying white wine by the glass or bottle. Clos du Val charges each person $10– essentially a corkage fee– to purchase white wine a la carte on its garden patio. Cuvaison uses wine by the glass or bottle throughout the last visit of the day for no surcharge. “It still gets us great direct exposure to the brand, and they do not have
to purchase a$60 tasting,”stated Cuvaison estate director Brendan Finley. Afterwards, some individuals wind up scheduling a standard tasting for later on in their trip, he said. The delighted hour occasion at Gundlach Bundschuis a casual night of wine, pizza and listening to vinyl.Brian L.
Frank/Special to The Chronicle Cuvaison is also part of a growing pattern of wineries hosting occasions targeted at residents, or travelers searching for something to do before supper but after most wineries close. This spring, the winery will begin a delighted hour around sunset on Thursdays with music and white wine. Likewise, Gundlach Bundschu launched a regular monthly delighted hour last fall including $10 red wines by the glass, pizza and listening to records in its relaxing indoor tasting space. Up until now, every occasion has actually been incredibly popular. “I believe there are a lot of individuals looking for something to do because time slot, to amuse their night and be out and socialize with people,” said Katie Bundschu, Gundlach Bundschu’s vice president of sales and marketing. “We have the ability to cast a larger net and most likely draw people in who perhaps don’t wish to can be found in on a weekday since they work, or a weekend due to the fact that it’s crowded.”
Sonoma local Tom Fisk, who was going to Gundlach Bundschu for
Frank/Special to The Chronicle Red wine Nation visitors can likewise expect to see more fresh and informal takes on the white wine tasting experience this year. These seem curated for a group the wine industry is notoriously desperate to engage: Millennials. Bundschu put in a shuffleboard court at Glen Ellen’s Abbot’s Passage, the winery she founded, and check outs conclude with a complimentary aperitif mixed drink. Claypool Cellars in Sebastopol purchased a wiener-shaped wagon off Craigslist in 2020 and uses it to offer $8 gourmet hot dogs in Dutch crunch bread alongside tastings on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
“It sounds odd, however it does in fact pair well with Pinot Noir,” stated co-owner Cheney Claypool, who likewise hopes to introduce trivia nights this year. “It’s an excellent product, but likewise truly casual and laid back– not a stuffy thing.”
Gundlach Bundschu owner Jeff Bundschu greets visitors to the tasting space of the winery throughout the winery’s delighted hour in December.
Brian L. Frank/Special to The Chronicle
Anaba likewise offers a pizza, Pinot and bocce experience, and club members have access to the winery’s pickleball and paddle tennis court. All of these unconventional ideas recommend that while 2022’s wine tasting theme was “extravagance,” 2023’s could be “luxury and chill.”
“Our focus is creating an environment where everyone is looking around at people and thinking, ‘This is actually fun,'” Sweazey said.
Jess Lander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: [email protected] Twitter: @jesslander