In California it is not only a question of wine, it is also about business and promotion of an area that in a few decades has become one of the most interesting areas in the world. What is perhaps lacking in many Italian regions is an appropriate focus on the market, we do not communicate what the public wants to hear; too many times, we use a language that is too technical. The public wants to be told stories to bring back to friends rather than the amount of minerals present in the soil. Tourists want to live an experience and it is this that will be etched in their minds.

castello di amorosa winery

I have told several stories about California. Not necessarily we have to repeat the same pattern, it would not even work sometimes, but the ideas are endless.

So, another example of great importance in Napa Valley is the entrepreneur Dario Sattui who left Italy to create a real business in California with 2 different realities which gained huge success today in Napa Valley. The cellar “V. Sattui” offers a free and open space for picnics, with a store to buy not only the wines but also refined foods to be paired; and, once again, there are endless fun gadgets, useful and less useful to take at home and wrap an experience that is difficult to forget. The second structure is even more interesting: Dario Sattui rebuilt from scratch a real medieval castle with frescoes and furnishings (see the torture chamber) to offer an almost cultural experience: we are in this case in its second property “Castello di Amorosa”.

Here you can enjoy a tour of the castle with professional guides, a barrel sample tasting and finally the classic tasting: in their case, each one can choose individually (even if you have been aggregated to a larger group): each one receives a card of different wines and can choose his 5/6 wines to try, leaving one vote and any order for the purchase. The high focus on hospitality reflects tha attention to the quality of the wines too. Many european are involved in the business and the wines gained high scores by Wine Spectator, among them ” Il Barone ” , 100% Cabernet and ” La Castellana ” a Super Tuscan (recently 93 points Robert Parker)

see more articles about California here: http://chiaragiorleo.com/2013/12/19/glen-salva-antica-antinori-california/