Sweet City Love: Trefethen Family Vineyard

Trefethen -

I bet you couldn’t say it blindfolded and backwards! Much less early in the morning or after a day of wine tasting (we tried...). But ooooh do they make great wines! On the first day, after the geyser and petrified forest extravaganza, the boys and I headed to Trefethen. We had had a mediocre first wine tasting and were still waiting to be wowed by the vino. My mom and dad went to the Trefethen vineyard several years ago on a trip to Napa Valley and became members of their wine club. Every other month, the vineyard sends members 2 bottles of their delicious wine. Luckily, C and I happen to be invited over for dinner whenever these bottles come in the mail, so we know just how great they are. We had high hopes for Trefethen, a family owned vineyard that has been making wines for forty years.

William and Christopher (my sweet brothers-in-law) came to Napa with open minds to learn to enjoy a taste for wine. Naturally, cheap college beer and cabernet sauvignon aren’t always equal on the tasting palate. C and I were so excited to go with them anywhere and everywhere as we wanted to experience with them as they learned to enjoy wine. For our last stop of the day, we drove into the pearly gates of Trefethen, down the tree lined lane, past acres and acres of vines, and to their main tasting room. Because mom & dad are club members, we got two tastings for free (a deal...yes!) and were whisked away inside this understated yet chic barn style building. The boys and I were ready to taste!

The woman who was giving our tasting helped make this experience so memorable. Not only did she latch onto the boys wanting to help them find their wine “style”, she also genuinely loved the wines made at Trefethen and wanted us to love them too. Of course, that was the easy part. Every wine was fantastic. Smooth, rich, bold reds and crisp, light and easy to enjoy whites. The tasting was quickly thrown out the barn door as she poured countless glasses of different wines. The verdict: William liked smooth whites while Christopher liked whites that were more flavorful and tart (slightly fruity). We tried a surprisingly good dessert wine, a single vineyard (made by only one grape from their vineyard, not a blend) and many reds and whites. We bought several bottles to go, including a dry reisling that was amazing!!! Reisling, especially from Germany, is usually so sweet that it leaves you wishing you had ordered something else. Not this one! It was crisp and light and had an ever so slight sweetness.

We were all to share this bottle before we left, but somehow, it ended up in our bag back in NYC. What a shame... :)

William and Christopher loved the vineyard, we loved the vineyard and I can still enjoy mom & dad’s wine club membership month after month. This is a vineyard vacation that keeps on giving...love it! Thank you to Trefethen for the energy, enthusiasm and genuine love for your craft of wine making.