Jason F.
Yelp
RD Winery is the perfect example of a hidden gem in plain sight. Located where Highways 29 and 12 converge in south Napa not too far from the Napa County Airport, RD Winery is the first Vietnamese owned winery in the Napa Valley. RD Winery is a venture by Dong Van Nguyen, who built his Rong Dong Group into a construction, real estate, and hotel powerhouse in his native Vietnam, purchasing the Napa facility that once housed both a brewery and a sake winery. The plan for RD Winery was to produce high-quality wine for the burgeoning Vietnam market, but with import taxes too high to justify the cost, the owner's niece, who is the CEO of RD Winery convinced them to keep the wine right here for those to enjoy in Napa, and we are all the more luckier for that. RD Winery doesn't own any of its vineyards as they source their grapes from throughout the state. What they do accomplish on site is crushing, and a lot of it, so much so they not only custom process their own grapes for their own wines, but they also crush grapes for a number of other local wineries and winemakers, making them a destination for all. What brought a friend and I here on a chilly winter weekend afternoon was the fact that RD Winery provides one the most accessible food and wine pairings in the entire Napa Valley. Served over the weekends for sixty-five dollars a person, this seasonal Asian-inspired menu from Chef Max Ackerman of Sushi Monkey, which has a series of pop-ups and provides takeout sushi rolls at local markets. When paired with RD Winery's Fifth Moon series from winemaker Timothy Milos, named for the 5th day of the 5th month of the lunar calendar year, it made for the perfect combination.
Sitting out on their patio underneath their heating lamps made for a wonderful afternoon, as our tasting room associate Ed made sure to pour all five wines and explain what each of them represented before we were presented with our selection of food. We enjoyed their 2021 Riesling sourced from Sonoma County, their 2020 Grüner Veltliner sourced from the central coast of California, their 2020 Chenin Blanc sourced from El Dorado County, their 2020 Rosé also sourced from El Dorado County, and their 2021 Red Blend which was a combination of grapes sourced from multiple locations around the state. These wines were paired with their Curried Kettle Corn, Shrimp Cocktail, Veggie Spring Roll, Mushroom Soup Shooter, and a Pulled Pork Slider. Of the wines, all five had something special about their tasting, their Riesling, which was a pleasant wine that was a little sweet, but not overbearing that it went down real smooth; their Grüner Veltliner was both bold and soft with every sip; their Chenin Blanc was a fruit forward wine but had mild after notes; their Rosé was rare as it was not pink in color as they remove the skin from the grapes when crushing them in order to achieve solid fruity notes; and their Red Blend was a solid combination of three wines that gave it a soft easy finish. When paired with menu items such as their poached shrimp marinated in kimchi cocktail sauce or their ginger braised pork served on a steamed bun and with hoisin and red beet bbq sauce, the savoriness of the food was really heightened on the palate.
We weren't quite done with our winery experience, as we adjourned back in their Southeast Asian-inspired tasting room to enjoy their cheese and charcuterie board. Paired with a pour of their Grenache from their Hundred Knot series, we enjoyed a variety of nuts, cornichons, brie and gouda cheese, soppressata salami, and crackers from Rustic Bakery, it really brought out medley of flavors that pair well with every item on our board. But then there was more as we also added onto our order their chocolate and wine pairing, which paired a box of five different truffles locally sourced from Annette's chocolate with a glass of their Hundred Knot Pinot Noir. From savory bites to sweet treats to end our meal, everything was enhanced with luscious yet subtle wines. At about eight-four dollars a person before taxes and gratuity was added in, this was the perfect way to enjoy a multi-course food and wine pairing without breaking the bank. I loved the first two wines we enjoyed so much that I made sure to purchase a bottle each of their Riesling and their Grüner Veltliner to take home with me. With team members as welcoming as Ed, Adriana, and Kandace, our day and experience at RD Winery was one to remember. Where else can one enjoy wine tasting with a pair of metallic chopsticks? With service like that, you know that they know food at RD Winery, and after sampling so many of their varietals, they know wine too!