Exploring the Roots of Napa

On October 2^nd, 7 p.m. at the Hilton Harrisburg, come learn about the past and experience the present of one of the premier wine regions of the world, California’s Napa Valley, with a tasting guided by Brian Grant, wine lover and Napa Valley wine aficionado.

While Napa’s wine history dates back to the 19^th century, the region really came into its own in the 1900s after the end of Prohibition, when the wineries and vintners of the region integrated modern winemaking techniques allowing them to capitalize on the almost ideal climate and soil for making world-class wines.

Napa wine producers and American wine lovers knew about the quality wines that were being produced by the mid-1900s, but it took the Judgment of Paris in 1976 for the world’s perception of American wine, particularly California’s, to change.

This blind taste test organized by a British wine merchant in Paris using a panel of highly respected French wine experts pitted French white Burgundies against California Chardonnays and French Bordeaux wines against California Cabernet Sauvignons.

To everyone’s great surprise, particularly the French who truly believed that French wines were the finest in the world, Napa Valley wines won both categories!   The winning California Napa Valley Chardonnay was a 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, and the winning Napa red was a 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon.

That California wines could beat French wines as determined by French judges was a staggering result and truly allowed Napa Valley and California to take their places among the top wine producing regions of the world.

While we won’t be tasting the winning 1973 vintages, with a bit of effort, we have been able to obtain recent vintages of the winning wines.  Among the other great wines from Napa Valley that we’ll be tasting are a 2022 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay and 2022 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cabernet Sauvignon.

In addition to this pair of stellar wines, we’ll taste two other highly rated wines of these varietals – Rombauer Chardonnay and Frank Family Cabernet Sauvignon.  However, Napa Valley produces more than top rated Cabernet Sauvignons and Chardonnays.  To demonstrate the variety of Napa wines, we’ll sample a Sauvignon Blanc produced by Stags’ Leap; a rosé made from Syrah, Mourvédre, and Grenache (Lasseter Enjoue); a Rhone-style blend (Lasseter Chemin de Fer); and a Stags’ Leap Petite Syrah.  All these wines are highly rated and, most importantly, extremely enjoyable. 

To complement these exceptional wines, the Hilton chefs will be preparing three small plates. For the lighter wines, we’ll start with a Crab Salad, Cucumber Cup, and Grilled Peach with a Lemon Tarragon Dressing.  As we move into the bolder flavors, the next plate will be Roasted Pork Belly, with Fig Jam, Arugula and Pistachio.  For our robust reds, the final plate will be a Braised Short Rib, with Thyme Fondant Potato and a Red Wine Reduction.  These foods paired with great wines will make the evening unforgettable.  Please e-mail any food allergies or other food restrictions to the PWS Treasurer.

This is an event you do not want to miss so sign up early.   The reservation deadline for this early October 2^nd event is Tuesday September 29^th, so don’t delay!

Traveling to attend?  Contact the Hilton Harrisburg here for room reservations.

Purchase reservations on the Shoppe Page of this website.

        Members—$125

        Patrons—$120

        Nonmembers—$145