Napa Wine: The Best of the Lot

The Napa Valley is the most important wine producing area in California. Napa wines are internationally acclaimed for their premium quality and diverse flavors and styles. The most common species of grapes from which Napa wine is made is from the Vitis Vinifra. This grape has the right amount of sugar and produces quality wine on fermentation.

Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinotnoir, Sangiovese, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Zinfandel are some of the Napa wine varieties. The Chardonnays are produced in Napa using innovative techniques. New buttery flavors are obtained using malactic fermentation procedures. All these reasons make Napa's Chardonnays an exquisite white wine with unmatched flavor. Crisp and racy flavored they pair well with seafood. The sweet wines produced in Napa deserve a special mention. They are unique and non syrupy. They include Port, Sweet Harvest and Muscat. These dessert wines are made only by few wineries in Napa.

Napa wines were produced first in the 20th centuries. At that time there were around 150 wineries in Napa. The Napa wines received a setback when in the 1920s a pest called phylloxera damaged the vines and alcohol was outlawed. However, Napa wine production revived after the Second World War. Napa wines beat the famous French wines in a competition in Paris and received international recognition.

Important Napa wineries include Nassaw, Acacia, Andretti, Atlas Peak, Cake bread, Domain Carneros and Domain Charde. Most of the Napa wineries are family run. The micro climates and favorable soil of Napa are extremely conducive for diverse viticulture and provide a splendid range of Napa wines.

Napa valley is a chocolate producing area too. Napa wines are hence often paired with chocolates-Napa's goodies and exotic wines make a terrific combination indeed. Napa wines with their distinct aroma, flavor and styles are truly a delightful experience.