2005-08-26
by Charles Neave
For years, those who know the wine country of the Napa Valley have known that there is, in fact, an alternative to the well-traveled Route 29, the main road that runs south to north through this 35-mile-long expanse of cities, towns, vineyards and hills. It is the Silverado Trail, a road that is almost as long as its busier parallel road to the west, but is seldom as crowded. It also offers a different perspective, literally, as few views are obstructed in any way by commercial structures, save for wineries. In many places the road rises up in elevation as well, so travelers are rewarded with a view not through vineyards at eye-level, but across them. Looking up at the steep hillsides on one side, then across thousands of vineyards on the other, is a great experience.
The Silverado Trail Wineries Association is a collection of over 35 wineries that have one thing in common: their proximity to the Silverado Trail, a road steeped in history. They are wineries both large and small who share one other attribute, and that is a desire to make the best wines possible. Established in 1989, the association also stresses that hospitality, along with fine wine, is another of their most prized and appreciated qualities.
To otherwise characterize the wineries that belong to the Silverado Trail Wineries Association would be a difficult if not almost impossible task. They run the gamut from small, boutique wineries – many of them family owned and operated - such as Casa Nuestra, Reynolds Family Winery, Van Der Heyden, Hagafen, Regusci and Dutch Henry to large showplaces like Darioush Winery, which takes on the appearance of an exotic temple magically relocated to northern California; Sterling Vineyards, which, perched on a hill and reachable only by tram, reminds many of a Greek monastery; and Silverado Vineyards, newly expanded, which also occupies a hilltop perch.
Some of the wineries in the association are known to almost everyone, such famous names as Joseph Phelps Vineyards, the sparkling wine house Mumm Napa Valley, and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellar. An occasional celebrity name finds its way onto the roster, such as automobile racing legend Mario Andretti, whose eponymous winery not far off the trail (on Big Ranch Road) is an association member. Some have been around for so many years that they can legitimately say that they are part of the very fabric of this part of the wine country, names such as Clos du Val, Chimney Rock, Monticello, and ZD Wines.
There are wineries that hold particular memories for those who have visited in the past, such as the lofty picnic area (and the caves) at Rutherford Hill Winery, or the informal weekly education classes at Goosecross. A town that plays host to a total of at least five Silverado Trail Wineries Association members.
For some wineries you might have to take the name “Silverado Trail Wineries Association” in a slightly less literal manner, since to reach wineries such as Summit Lake, RustRidge and Catacula Lake you need to take a bit of a drive from the Trail itself. But it hardly matters, such is the reward, and that is the very goal of the association, to do their best to introduce you to the wines, and to the hospitality and philosophy, of this distinct group of wineries on the east side of the Napa Valley, and to give you new memories to take home with you from the “road less traveled”.
For more information on the Silverado Trail Wineries Association, and for a comprehensive listing of the names, addresses and telephone numbers of their member wineries, go to their website at www.silveradotrail.com. While you are there you will also find information on upcoming special events in which member wineries take part. They take place throughout the year, and are worth planning a trip around.
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