Napa Valley Wine Library celebrates Cabernet Sauvignon and its partners during the Napa Valley Wine Library Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, August 14 and 15. Carole Meredith, professor emerita at UC Davis and an expert in the genetic origins of wine grapes, elucidates the origins of Cabernet with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Crocker & Starr; Mark Oberschulte examines Napa Valley from a vineyard manager’s viewpoint as he discusses the nurture of this variety in different areas; winemakers Rosemary Cakebread, Dawnine Dyer, and Celia Welch share barrel samples from different parts of the valley as they discuss structuring their clients’ wines and the changes they have noted in Cabernet winemaking in recent years.
Topping off the day, Traci Dutton, head sommelier for Greystone Restaurant, pairs the day’s wines with a three course lunch in the teaching kitchen of CIA; after dessert, those who wish may take a guided tour of the former winery—its ground floor has undergone a substantial redesign.
Sunday, August 15, is the Association’s 48th Annual Tasting. Ninety Napa Valley wineries will pour Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Carménère, and proprietary blends from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm under the oaks in the Grove at Silverado Resort, Napa. Wineries will be arranged by appellation of the wine poured.
Since 1963, Napa Valley Wine Library Association has provided opportunities to learn about wine in Napa Valley and preserved and interpreted the history of the Valley’s wine community. An extensive collection of books, magazines, photographs, oral histories, videotapes, wine labels, and other materials is available for use at St. Helena Public Library, maintained through the generosity of Napa Valley wineries and members of the Wine Library.