It’s been almost three weeks now that I’ve been part of the “big American wine industry”. I finally got a job at a small, family-run winery called Derbés. As soon I was offered the job, we moved up to northern California from Los Angeles, where we’d been staying. We set up camp here in Santa Rosa, the biggest city in the Russian River Valley, about the size of Pécs. There are many wineries in the area, and it won’t be easy, but we plan on visiting them all. If I take Napa and Sonoma under one hat, and why wouldn’t I when there’s only a "measly" little mountain range separating the two, then this is the biggest interconnected wine region in the U.S. We’ve heard both good stories and bad about region, but let’s see what’s the truth. …
After having spent a month in the forever busy and bustling Los Angeles, we decided it was time for a little R & R and headed up to Northern California, to Napa and Sonoma County. Everything was so different there, so beautiful, there is this feeling of calmness and serenity that pervades all. Spring is already in the air and pruned vines stand ready and waiting for nature to give its signal. Flowers are all abloom between the vineyard rows and birds are busy twittering away.
We drove down quaint little country roads, amazed at the scenery, looking for a winery to grab our eye, so we could sit down and, with a glass of wine in our hand, talk about our plans and about how great it will be once we finally settle down here. On the left-hand side of the road we spotted an interesting crescent-shaped building with an impressive limestone edifice. Above this building stands another, smaller structure surrounded by rows and rows of vineyards next to the entrance of which reads a sign: Quintessa.Thanks to a newly acquired, very useful gadget ours—our iPhone—we quickly researched this winery right outside the gate finding out whether it was worth the trip in. Using my Wine Ph.D application, I looked up the winery andfound two wines listed, and 92 and 93 pointer with an average price of $116 a bottle. So, I thought, okay, let’s go! Soon we were on a tour of the winery, walking through the beautiful vineyards, listening to its interesting history. …
