#Napa Wines

How to Purchase Napa Wines For Corporate Gifts

by nptadmin on 2014-10-17 in Filed Under: Uncategorized

Gift giving can launch any business relationship to the next level. As the holiday season approaches many key executives allocate significant budgetsto corporate gifts and holiday corporate entertaining. What you gives speaks volume of the quality, character and potential of your business relations and for that reason alone you must take extreme care in selecting presents that match the stature of your clients.

The web has significantly dropped barriers of access and provides access to endless trinkets goodies and gifts at a very low cost. Due to this trend selecting a gift that is not easily purchased may just be the key to showing your clients how your organization has an eye for exclusivity. If your goal is to deliver a gift that opens doors and consolidates relationships consider coming to Napa to secure the finest limited edition direct purchase wines.

The Best Napa Wines Are Not Available at Local Wine Shops

Some of the most exclusive wineries limit their production and manage distribution from winery to consumer. These wineries make their wines available exclusively to their club members who receive early notification regarding availability as well as priority in purchasing the wine if they belong to higher tiers such as platinum or presidential level.

The Best Napa Wines Can Be Customized for Your Brand

Many of the lead wineries are willing to work with you and design labeling that best represents your brand and corporate objective. Your logo in tandem with the best that Napa Valley has to offer will without question deliver a great first impression and create ultimate synergy.

The Best Napa Wines Can be Combined into Memorable Gift Baskets or Trios

Don’t limit yourself to a single winery. With the help of a wine buying professional from NPT you can assemble beautiful wine gifts that incorporate the best wines from top boutique wineries. Your gift of Napa wine will standout as a toughtful present that can’t be duplicated.

The Best of Napa Wines for Corporate Gifting Requires Planning

Be ahead of the game by coming to Napa early and purchasing limited edition cases of the best wines from each vintage. By buying limited editions you will have the confidence of a priceless gift that is certainly not run of the mill. We also work with several vendors and can help you create combined gifts with other Napa gourmet products such as olive oil.

How Much Should You Spend in a Wine Corporate Gift?

How much you spend is fully your decision based on your gifting budget. We recommend that you create tiers and select the wine gifts based on the overall business value of the relation. As a rule of thumb a gift should be equal to about one to four hours of income of the party receiving the gift. For doctors for example the value of the gift can range from $100 to $1,000. Special consideration should be made when gifting CEOs and COOs.

How Should I have my Wine Gift Delivered?

If you have tiered your wine gifts based on the value of the business relationship it is essential that the gift is not distributed at a public event where differences in pricing may result in a social faux pas. Napa Private Tours in tandem with our partner wineries can help you coordinate shipping to the final recipient of the wine gift.

When Should my clients receive their wine gift?

Anytime after December 1st but before December 24 is a great time for your clients to receive their wine gift.

How do I make sure I pick a wine that will satisfy and impress my client?

Our wine coaches can point you to the best wines for gifting. Additionally, when in doubt we highly suggest gifting clients a wine trio that includes a white, a red and a sparkling wine. By sending a trio you can make certain your client will enjoy at least one of three of the wines selected.

How do I make sure my gifting is inclusive of our client’s beliefs during the holiday season?

Our shippers normally use neutral wrapping for your wine gift. To personalize the gift we suggest you include a color and theme neutral card with your logo or on your personal letterhead wishing your client the happiest holiday season.

Who Should Receive a Corporate Gift From Us?

Corporate wine gifts are gestures of appreciation for prior business and a way to further the relationship for future business opportunities. When creating your list of those due to receive a corporate gift of wine account for both past business and future potential and include clients and leads accordingly.

Napa Private Tours specializes in hosting corporate wine buying trips. Let us help you make the upcoming holiday season a true success. Should you want to entretain clients by inviting them to the most exclusive of wine tours do give us a call. We will make sure their experience is flawless, memorable and business-conducive.

Looking forward to helping you,

Javy

Rosé for Wine Collectors: An Insider’s Guide

by nptadmin on 2014-09-19 in Filed Under: Uncategorized

Talking about rosé wines is most likely to happen at the very start of summer when culinary experts begin pairing their menus with light and refreshing wines best enjoyed al fresco. At Napa Private Tours we march to a different drummer and today as summer comes to a closing and days are shorter we want to pause for a moment and share with you a little about “pink wine”.

Up until a decade or so ago mentioning rosé was stigmatic to say the least. Most rosés were and afterthought in the wine making process and you seldom saw them as part of the most coveted wine collections. Today, through the efforts of creative and dedicated wine makers rosé has gained significant recognition and having a part of your cellar specifically devoted to this beautiful drink is a smart and delightful move.

The Flavor Profile of Rosé Wines

As wine makers explore the possibilities of this type of wine the flavor spectrum has expanded tremendously. Made mainly with Pinot Noir, Grenache, Sinsault, Syrah and Zinfandel. Rosé wine is generally perceived by the palate as fresh, crisp and having character in the form of acidity, notes of summer fruits such as strawberry, raspberry, lingonberry and watermelon come to mind and herbal aromas are present in some. Rosé wine can be dry or sweet and the method of fermentation will also surface in the flavor and bouquet. Rosé is generally served chilled and many wine makers are offering their better rosé wines from tap. Rosés are not generally aged for a long time inviting the wine collector to enjoy the current vintage with reckless abandon without the burden of what it might have become with time.

The Making of Rosé

Rosé is made by allowing red grapes to ferment with skin for a short period of time and then removing the skins. The duration of the maceration period (time in which the clear juices are in contact with the grape skins) will determine the depth of color of your rosé wine.

A more common but less coveted way of producing rosé is the soignée method. This is done by bleeding off a small portion of juice during the red wine production resulting in a highly concentrated rosé. Rosé can also be achieved by the mixing of white and red wine but this is the least desirable of methods generally not endorsed by finer wine makers and wine connoisseurs.

Our Rosé Picks From Napa Valley

If you are a wine collector and you would like to expand your wine library by including the most gorgeous rosé wine from Napa and Sonoma we look forward to hosting you during your stay in Napa. We will be honored to point you to the best of the best in rosé production.

Fun & Fantastic Napa Wines Under $40

by nptadmin on 2014-08-14 in Filed Under: Wine Pairings, Wine Trivia

Once or twice a month your personal wine consultants at Napa Private Tours head out on discovery trips to sample the best that Napa has to offer. From restaurants to new wineries, spas and tasting salons we strive to be exposed to the best and newest in order to design the most spectacular itineraries for our guests and friends.

Last week, thanks to Jona I had the fortune to be introduced to Acme Wines. A lovely wine tasting salon located in St. Helena. Erin, their GM hosted us with radical grace and utmost hospitality and we arrived to a lineup of the most exquisite hand-curated wines!!

The salon is absolutely gorgeous. Their wine selection lining their walls is the stuff dreams are made of. With wines ranging from $20 to $600 your budget is the limit. The selection is so sublime I felt like a little kid in a candy store!

It was awesome to see cult wines like, Levy & Mclellan,(a personal project from Bill Harlan), Pulido-Walker, Hundred Acre, Buccella, Araujo, Fantesca, Dancing Hares, Vice Versa, Keever, Entre Nous, V29, Realm, Seven Stones (this gem of viticulture is sold out-enjoy yours).

As Erin, Jona and I talked shop I decided to ask Erin about her favorite Napa wines under $40. She displayed tremendous product knowledge and Jona and I took note. We can’t wait to introduce our guests to some of these fantastic wineries.

Below my favorite finds:

Ryme Cellars, “Hers”, Vermentino, Carneros 2013 – $24
Own by Ryan and Megan Glaab are an adorable couple that met in Australia while working at Torbreck Winery. After getting married, between the two of them they have worked at the likes of places such as Pax Wine Cellars, Peay Vineyards, Sine Qua Non, and Marcassin. In 2007, they started Ryme Cellars, producing sustainable, food-friendly wines from mostly Italian varietals. At only 11.2% abv, this wine is all about refreshing herbaceousness, minerality, and zippy acidity.

Stony Hill, Gewurztraminer, Napa Valley 2012 – $24
This 2012 Gewurztraminer is floral elegance in a bottle. Intensely aromatic, honeysuckle and citrus, with a lively mouthfeel and a lovely viscosity.

Farella, La Luce, Sauvignon Blanc, Coombsville 2013 — $20
From the stunning Farella Estate in Coombsville in the south east of Napa Valley, this Sauvignon Blanc is called “La Luce” both as a tribute to Tom Farella’s Italian heritage, and to the spectacular scenic beauty of this west-facing, 30 acre property.

Winemaker Tom Farella, along with Massimo Di Costanzo, worked together to make this fresh, buoyant and zesty SB, one which is vibrant and complex enough to pair with any summer dish imaginable, but also so dang pleasing that you can make it your poolside standard, too.

Frith, Grenache, Napa Valley 2012 – $34
If you ask a winemaker, sommelier, wine shop team member or winery personnel what their grape of choice is these days, they will likely tell you Grenache. Whether it comes neatly packaged in a Chateauneuf du Pape blend, or with the Spanish name Garnacha from Priorat, or simply as a proprietary name like “Upside Down” from Sine Qua Non, this varietal is appealing to many more people as of late. Why? It is typically lighter in style and can be closely related to Pinot Noir in the body department, but it can also be full-bodied and pack a punch; it all depends on the producer.

Chester’s Anvil, Malbec, Mount Veeder 2011 – $40
Just 49 cases produced! While normally wines from Mount Veeder tend to be age-worthy, (read: quite tannic) this wine is an absolute pleasure right out of the bottle – violets, plush blue and black fruit, chocolate, mint, and almonds mingle effortlessly together with a long, harmonious finish. It’s so seamless it’s almost too easy to drink.

Experience, Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2011 – $20
A local (anonymous) winemaker used his industry connections to save some premium Napa fruit and create the Refuge Wine Company, and their first wine, Experience. We love the juicy, pie-spiced fruit, the warm cedar notes and the chocolate finish. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.

I am thrilled to share our discoveries with you. These amazing wines are within reach and can be enjoyed at anytime. I take great pleasure in writing about the finest that Napa has to offer but I want to also give you options to enrich your wine cellar with everyday wines that don’t break the bank. Like always, it is my great pleasure to share with you the little secrets of this wonderful and fun industry.

Love & Hugs

Javy