Wilting Napa Valley temps test but don't turn away wine lovers
NAPA -- It has been a remarkably cool summer so far but, with triple digit temperatures predicted for the inland areas, people on Saturday were once again working out how to cope with hot weather. While others worried about the heat, in Napa they did what wine-lovers like to do -- they partied.
The fortunes of Napa Valley have always depended on the weather so, 18 years ago when they created Festival Napa Valley, they turned to the Farmers' Almanac for a little guidance.
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"We were setting the dates for now," said Festival president and CEO Rick Walker. "And one of the reasons is: There hasn't been rain in Napa Valley in July since, I think, it was 1820 or something like that. So, we know we're not going to be rained out. Yes, we're going to have hot days but we can make sure that our guests are comfortable and it will be a great experience."
Kicking off the festival, "Taste of Napa" is a food and wine tasting event that draws people from all over the country and the world. Under a canopy of umbrellas, restaurants and wineries offered samples to visitors while live music played on the stage. Despite excessive heat warnings for Saturday, the temperature hovered around 99 degrees, not enough to dampen Diana McCormack's birthday celebration.
"They definitely do exaggerate it because, right now, I don't feel too hot," said the San Jose resident. "We're just having fun. It's perfect weather for Napa and I wouldn't have expected any less than this."
It was still pretty toasty and the white wines and rosés, which are usually served chilled, were a big hit. But Napa is famous for its cabernets and servers were scrambling to keep them from getting too warm.
"What we're trying to do today is serve the wines at cellar temperature in hundred-degree weather," said Rich Richardson from Turley Winery. "So, we're juggling, we're pulling reds in and out of ice just to keep them cool."
At Domain Chandon, they make sparkling wines in the champagne tradition, not an easy feat in the hot summers Napa has experienced the past few years. Tess Woodbury said it was actually a relief to have the first really hot day come in July, rather than May.
"I grew up in this area and, when I was growing up, we didn't have 100-degree days in May," she said. "That was saved for this time of year, which we're having a 100-degree day today. But it's kind of going back to what it was a decade ago or so when it was a little bit cooler in the summer."
Jodi Williams, visiting with a group of friends from Texas, thought it was a bit silly to hear people from California complain about how hot it was.
"Really, we kind of laugh at everyone who's like, 'Oh it's so hot!' We're like, 'this is our low!' This is our nighttime weather that we're going to sleep to," Williams said. "All year long, it's pretty much hot summer heat. But, you know, I love Houston -- I love my hometown -- but California, you have done well! I really love it here. Very nice weather."
So, one person's heat spell may be nice weather to someone else. Weather, like wine, seems to be a matter of taste and, if you ask the winemakers, any weather that makes the grapes grow can't be all bad.
