561652 Wed Oct 01 14:04:54 -0700 2008 9 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 4075106 I will be visiting Napa at the end of the month with my boyfriend and while I like all types of wine he prefers sweeter wines like Riesling. Can someone please let me know what wineries specialize in sweeter wines and are great for visiting. We also enjoy Pino Grigios as well. Thank you.... Wed Oct 01 14:04:54 -0700 2008 197708 mh4e 1 4075122 Does someone up there still make a good muscato? Wed Oct 01 14:11:24 -0700 2008 4075106 105235 wolfe 2 4075199 Robert Mondavi Winery has a Moscato d'Oro, as does Louis Martini - Moscato Amabile only available at the winery.. Beringer has the Nightengale series of Sauterne style wines and a late harvest Reisling. Wed Oct 01 14:43:54 -0700 2008 4075122 49277 jimtak 1 4075325 No question - you *must* go to Praeger Port Works; on the main road behind Dean and Deluca -- but hidden behind a bunch of bushes -- just before Sutter Home. You will want to try the Sweet Claire which is a Late Harvest Riesling to-die-for... Wed Oct 01 15:36:10 -0700 2008 4075106 16933 Carrie 218 2 4075382 Here's a short article on Napa rieslings. I assume you are looking for table wine, as opposed to desert wine? http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/trefethen-riesling/ Wed Oct 01 16:03:15 -0700 2008 4075325 19731 Calvinist 3 4075401 Funny, I assumed, when sweet was mentioned dessert wine Auslese, Eiswein, Beerenauslese, or Trockenbeerenauslese. Wed Oct 01 16:15:29 -0700 2008 4075382 105235 wolfe 4 4075502 Wolfe, that was my thought as well -- hence the Praeger suggestion. If heading to Sonoma, than Arrowood is a definite must-visit as well; their Late Harvest Rieslings are made the style that would warrant the TBA classification. Wed Oct 01 17:00:56 -0700 2008 4075401 16933 Carrie 218 1 4076123 Hi all. There are sweet wines out there but beware- I think it's misleading to suggest that a "late harvest" wine assures quality or intention; many late harvest wines are produced because the grapes weren't picked at the optimum time for a dry wine or there was problems with the fermentation. Many wineries make ports. If your boyfriend likes sweet rieslings, stick to the German ones; they almost always have the acidity to complment the sweetness. Most wineries that I've found make more of a ruby port-style (as opposed to Tawny style). There are many good producers. Pinot Grigios on the other hand are dry white wines. If you both like P.G.'s, look for pinot gris (same varietal, French name), pinot blanc, sauvignon blanc, or even more obscure varietals like albarino. They can share similar flavor profiles depending on where they're from and the producer. I enjoy Sonoma County more for these types of wines. Napa tends to focus more on chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon. Sonoma has a cooler climate that lends itself more to higher acidity whites that I really enjoy. Hope this helps a little... Thu Oct 02 00:34:10 -0700 2008 4075106 186193 Sharpish 2 4076915 Good points. I think a lot of people confuse "fruity" with "sweet" -- a wine with a strong fruit character (no oak, not minerally) can be perceived as sweet when it has little or no residual sugar. So to clarify, do you want sweet wines, or do you want dry-but-fruity/aromatic wines? Or both? Thu Oct 02 09:46:06 -0700 2008 4076123 10159 Ruth Lafler 1 4077339 Ruth Lafler makes a good point above. Fruity wines are often perceived as sweet, even though they technically not sweet -- they're dry (fermented till all the sugar in the grape juice has been gobbled up.) In contrast to dry wine, a sweet wine actually has sugar left in the grape juice, either a small amount of residual sugar, like the off-dry Riesling, or the higher sugar level that's found in a late-harvest wine, Sauternes-style wine (my personal favorite), or port. So, what I would urge, that is if you're interested, is to taste some of the very fruity Napa Valley wines, and see if it is fruitiness, rather than sweetness, that you're really seeking. Just a thought. Speaking of off-dry, slightly sweet Riesling... There isn't much Riesling grown in the entire state of California, not much in Sonoma County either (only in pockets near Freestone and the Russian River Valley), and very little in Napa Valley. Which isn't to say it can't be found. I know of only one off-dry Riesling in Napa Valley. That's made by Casa Nuestra, and I have not tried it. There are several Rieslings made here that are lovely, but they are not off-dry, and perhaps don't have the sweetness level you're seeking. They do, however, have *wonderful* fruit, and so the slight perception of sweetness: Trefethen Stony Hill Smith Madrone. Some of the big Napa Valley "butterball" Chardonnays have genuine sweetness -- residual sugar -- in them, if you care for that style of wine. Rombauer and Frank Family are two, but there are others as well. Napa Valley is well known for its truly sweet, excellent dessert wines: Sauternes-style, late-harvest wines: Dolce, Far Niente Winery, at the top -- a real treat Topaz Moscato d’Oro — Robert Mondavi Sauvignon Blanc Botrytis -- Robert Mondavi Nightingale — Beringer Semillion Late-Harvest — Swanson Edelwein -- Freemark Abbey Eisrebe -- Joseph Phelps Winery Sparkling -- these are delightful: Moscato Amabile — Louis Martini Moscato d’Andrea — Robert Pecota Port: Zinfandel Port, Charles Krug Winery, probably the best wine they make Not a fan of Violetta at Grgich Hills, or the Prager Ports, but I haven't tried Prager's Sweet Claire Riesling. Have a lovely time. This month is a nice time to visit. Thu Oct 02 12:17:09 -0700 2008 4075106 18222 maria lorraine