Napa Wine-4 Napa wineries offer joint harvest open houses

Customers who visit this day will have the opportunity to buy one-time-only unusual mixed cases of wines from the four small producers.

The Cab Lovers mixed case contains 3 bottles each of 2004 Judd’s Hill Winery Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Salvestrin Winery Estate St. Helena Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Schweiger Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Titus Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. The Hidden Gems mixed case contains 3 bottles each of 2005 Judd’s Hill Winery Old Vine Zinfandel, 2005 Salvestrin Winery Napa Valley Retaggio, 2004 Schweiger Vineyards Merlot and 2006 Titus Napa Valley Petite Sirah. More info at http://www.juddshill.com/juddshill/news/show_event.jsp?id=1040.

Details for the wineries:

• Judd’s Hill Winery, 2332 Silverado Trail, Napa CA 94558, 707/255-2332

• Salvestrin Estate Wines, 397 Main Street, St. Helena 94574, 707/963-5105

• Schweiger Vineyards, 4015 Spring Mtn. Road, St. Helena 94574, 707/963-4882

• Titus Vineyards, 2971 Silverado Trail North, St. Helena 94574, 707/963-3235.

Celebrate the 2008 Harvest at Judd’s Hill Winery, one of the first ‘garagiste’ wineries in Napa Valley. This is a special opportunity to experience the early stages of winemaking up close and participate in the magic of winemaking. After grapes are fermented, they go into the press. Here, the winemaker must decide how much pressure to apply and how to blend juice extracted at different pressures. During the Friends at Harvest open house, visitors will have the opportunity to sample different “press-cuts” from the 2008 harvest. By tasting samples ranging from “free run” juice all the way to “heavy press,” you’ll really see the difference a little pressure can make. The winery will also offer its current releases for tasting.

Salvestrin opens its winery doors for the ultimate wine country experience of delicious Cabernet Sauvignon thieved right out of the barrels! Rich & Shannon Salvestrin will be your hosts, taking you through an educational barrel tasting of Salvestrin Estate Wines. Guests will then continue on to the winery’s second floor tasting room overlooking its beautiful 26 acre historic estate vineyard to sample Salvestrin’s current release wines while enjoying delicious cheeses paired with each wine.

At Schweiger, guests will celebrate the winery’s 25th Anniversary Harvest. Guests will join the entire Schweiger family on top of their mountain estate and take in the breath taking views of the Valley floor while enjoying Schweiger’s estate wines. This will be an extraordinary opportunity to learn about wine made from mountain fruit at a 2,000 foot elevation. Fred Schweiger will guide you through the vineyards; while winemaker Andrew Schweiger will discuss the wines along with the rest of the family, Diana and Sally. There will be a variety of homemade food pairings with the wines.

At Titus Vineyards guests will experience a guided walk through the estate vineyard along the Silverado Trail. In the vineyard, guests will learn about the winery’s viticultural practices. The winery will be offering food fresh from the grill. Normally Titus is closed to the public, so this open house is a special opportunity for guests to see the details behind the scenes at Titus Vineyards.

For more info:

• Devin Joshua, Judd’s Hill Winery, 2332 Silverado Trail, Napa CA 94558, 707/255-2332, www.juddshill.com

• Shannon Salvestrin, Salvestrin Estate Wines, 397 Main Street, St. Helena 94574, 707/963-5105, Shannon@salvestrinwinery.com, www.salvestrinwinery.com

• Diana Schweiger Isdahl, Schweiger Vineyards, 4015 Spring Mountain Road, St. Helena 94574, 707/963-4882, Diana@schweigervineyards.com, wwwschweigervineyards.com

• Christophe Smith, Titus Vineyards, 2971 Silverado Trail North, St. Helena 94574, 707/963-3235, csmith@titusvineyards.com, www.titusvineyards.com