-
Step 1
Select a California Napa Chardonnay to include in your wine tasting arsenal. Especially in the northern area of the Napa Valley, chardonnay grapes ripen on the vine longer than in other parts of the world, helping the grapes to achieve a delicate balance of sugar and acid.
-
Step 2
Include a Cabernet Sauvignon from the Napa Valley region to represent one of the so-called "black" varieties of wines and their hardy fruit flavor. Cabernet accounts for a large percentage of Napa's harvest for red wines. A Cabernet is a good choice for the tasting, since it's made from a thick-skinned grape, which stands up well if California gets a lot of rain.
-
Step 3
Represent wines from the Lake County of Sonoma for a distinctive flair and different taste in your selection. Get a Pinot Noir made in the Russian River Valley region, where the conditions are ideal for growing the pinot noir grapes. Adding this wine will round out your tasting options with black-cherry flavors and substantial tannins, giving the wine added bite.
-
Step 4
Find out how to buy wine from the many regions on the West Coast. You can locate an array of California wines and vineyards through Calwineries.com (see Resources below).
-
Step 5
Choose a variety of California Zinfandels to tantalize the taste buds of those in your tasting room. Select a bottle from Madrona Vineyards, such as its classic Estate Grown Zinfandel (see Resources below). For another blend, choose a Zinfandel from Carol Shelton Wines, which has the fruit flavors typical of this wine combined with spicy aromas (see Resources below).
