Joey M.
Yelp
GEORGE: "You telling me that wine is better than Pepsi? Huh! No way wine is better than Pepsi!
JERRY: "I'm telling you George, I don't think we want to walk in there and put a big plastic jug of Pepsi on the table."
- George Costanza & Jerry Seinfeld
Sorry George... Wine IS better than Pepsi!
Da SCENE: Staycation get away for these East Bay folks. In Yountville at the Napa Valley Railway Inn, we wandered twice to the V Marketplace, not much open but the wine & chocolate shops, we indulge in both after a rainy drive in.
Da GRUB: After a short chat w/ Alan, we tasted several from the menu, with some cheese & crackers to nosh on... he set us up inside in a side room surrounded by walls of wine, very idyllic setting for a misty day.... nice start to our 3 day stay. They have a small selection of cheese, crackers and imported crunchy snacks to enjoy with your tasting. We take several bottles for later, and I inquired about a port, as I like to linger after dinner with a bit of Bleu cheese and cigar...he pointed us to a nice Topaz dessert wine from Alexander Valley instead. YUM!
Da SERVICE: I'm a wine novice at best, but Alan made us feel right at home. Since on night 1 we killed half of our bottles... we stop in again and were warm welcomed. There was a little hub bub in the main sitting area, but I decided to grab a glass and a cigar for later, along with a few more bottles to re-supply in anticipation of more poker and conversation after dinner. As I wandered the store, glass in hand looking at potential trinkets for gifts, Alan surprises me with another glass... apparently the wine maker for Shafer Vineyards, the owner of the wine shop and other wine dignitaries were hanging out, among other things they were enjoying a 2015 OnePointFive Cab and Alan had scored me a generous pour... EXQUISITE. The 2015 is a tough one to find and really a treat. I made sure to walk over and thank our host/s, I found a 2019 bottle in the shop so I sheepishly asked if I could get it signed, he was gracious and I now am looking forward for an occasion to open it.
While only midway through our stay, V Wine Cellars has made it a memorable trip already, HUGE thanks and shout out to Alan for being such a warm and welcoming presence. RUN, don't walk to this spot, enjoy a few glasses, maybe a cigar, step out on to the patio and ENJOY. I can't guarantee a wine maker signature bottle, but you can't win, if you don't play, so check them out!!