Wining and dining at V. Sattui's Crush Party

So it is that time of year for most of the winemakers in the Napa Valley area. My friends and I attended V. Sattui's Crush Party - an event filled w/ good food, good music and good wine. My only two regrets are

Not being able to participate in the grape stomping event.
Not being able to take photos of the wine making process.

Everyone was in good spirits. There was plenty of laughter and beautifully dressed people. Mr. Dario Sattui, looking sharp in his sage colored sports jacket, greeted us and gave us an outline of what is to come. We were handing a wine glass on our way in. Tasting and dining are located in the outside tented areas , barrel room tasting and dining and courtyard tasting and dining. Their fountatin was beautifully decorated with flowers and the feather-like flowers of possibly the Cogon grasses I see along Airbase Parkway in the town where I live. My favorite was the 2007 Zinfandel and their Gamay Rouge (I'm always a Gamay girl). They served ham forest pizza, mussel and shrimp/mozarella pizzas, great assortment of meats such as steak, goat, pork and chicken. They also served two types of Paella on the inside area and polenta and some type of sausage. I was looking for desert but I Angelica and Gamay Rouge did the trick for me.

As the evening falls and the stars twinkled overhead, the festivities heightened in a sweet drunken stupor. The courtyard was softly illuminated by artificial hanging lights, tea lights and intricate brass lanterns. Every station offers every different types of wine and you get to meet their "makers".

The most interesting one I've tried was Madeira which was presented in its pre-commercial form in huge jars. There were there types presented but the only two I remember were Master and Tertiary - sweet and high in alcohol - very nice :D.




















Well-wined and well-dined, my friends went to the gift shop to buy themselves a bottle. I always enjoy V. Sattui's gift shop because of the cheese and chili overhangs they have, oh and their chocolate samples.

When everything was winding down, I can hear a burst of drunken laughter here and there. There was a group of women taking their photos by the fountain and I can tell that they were under the spell of the number of the V.Sattui wines the've had and one of them ended up pinching her friend's ass while their photos was being taken. None of us got drunk, I didn't want to because I have about a 5 mile drive from my friend's house where I left my car.

The night was cool and crisp. I think it was the wine the kept me warm because while we were in the vineyard, we all noticed that we can see our breaths but I did not feel cold at all.

By the time we got home though, the delta breezes were marking their way through and after 2 seconds of being exposed to it, I felt my self shivering and I rarely feel cold.

This is a gem of a treasure in the area where I live in. People from all over the country come to the Napa Valley area to taste and experience this wine growing region - I should come here often.