62 www.nAPAVA L L E Y L I F E magaz ine. c o m Day camp at Jud’s Hil making master blenders out of every one Judd Finkelstein, left, assists day campers in hand labeling their group’s cuvee Blend A B ottle People live in wine country for many different reasons, and tasting great new wines is high on that list. For those who are ready to take their wine country experience to a new level, we’d like to introduce you to a winery where you can not only taste, but blend, bottle and label your very own Napa Valley Cabernet, all in just a few hours. In addition to the wines they make for their own label, Judd’s Hill Winery and MicroCrush, located at the southern end of the Silverado Trail, specializes in making small lots of handcrafted wines for their custom MicroCrush clients. These are people who use their own grapes or grapes sourced by Judd’s Hill to create a barrel or more of custom wine. In 2009, the Finkelstein family of Judd’s Hill came up with the idea of creating a pared-down version of their MicroCrush concept. The winemaking process takes years, but putting together a final blend can happen in just an hour or two. Now, anyone visiting the Napa Valley can play winemaker for a day by attending their “Bottle Blending Day Camp” experience, or BBDC for short. During this two-hour session, one of several knowledgeable and friendly Judd’s Hill blending guides will lead participants through the intricacies of creating a wine best suited to the tastes of the blender, explaining and demystifying the process along the way. Once a favored cuvée has been decided upon and a name is chosen, the newly minted wine blenders enter the cellar and complete the process by hand bottling, labeling and “spinning” capsules onto the bottlenecks. The wine is then ready to take home the same day. It’s a great way to spend a few hours and is sure to increase any wine lover’s knowledge and appreciation for every bottle of wine they enjoy in the future. The BBDC at Judd’s Hill has several options and can accommodate groups ranging in size from two to 100. Sessions can be scheduled for any day of the week, and 24-hours’ advance notice is usually sufficient for groups as large as eight. If you’re too busy to make it to the winery and would still like to try your hand at blending, Judd’s Hill has thought of that as well. The Judd’s Hill BBDC Home Edition includes four barrel samples, graduated cylinders and an instructional guide. All you need are a few glasses and some friends and you’re all set to host your own blending party at home! You can order and find more information at www.juddshill.com. Reservations can also be made online or by calling the winery at 707-255-2332. You can find out more about the Judd’s Hill custom MicroCrush program at www.napaMicroCrush.com. Participants take samples from wine barrels with which to blend their wine A day camper awaits the filling of her personal bottle of Judd’s Hill wine
NVLife_Feb_2014
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