The S. Anderson winery is a relatively small winery in the Napa Valley in California. Built (and still operated) as a family winery, S. Anderson produces some of the finest sparkling wines (sometimes incorrectly referred to as Champagne) in North America. Served at the White House by pretty much every administration since the winery's inception, these wines can be difficult to find in stores. You might have to order directly from the winery - but fortunately, they can ship directly to your door in most states. (Some vintages, however, are only available at the winery.)

A major feature of the S. Anderson winery is the custom built cave. This cave was the first cave dug in the Napa valley since prohibition, and was constructed without much regard for expense. The result is a magnificent cavern, with cathedral ceilings and cobbled floors. The cave plays host to chamber music and various parties in the "off season," when it is not completely full of wines.

Outside the cave, the rest of the grounds of the winery are spectacular. The tour is based out of a small stone building, which was originally a nineteenth century pump house. The tour also includes the gardens, as well as some of the rooms of the winery itself. Constructed in the Georgian colonial style, the building and its contents help to convey the concept that this is really family operation, and not an industrial production facility that you can find at other wineries nearby. The tour guide was especially friendly and courteous, and helped to make the tour not only informative, but entertaining as well.

The flagship product of S. Anderson is their sparkling wines, crafted by Carol Anderson herself. They provide a variety of different blends, but not a particularly large quantity of any one vintage - production runs generally top out at less than 3,000 cases, and only a few hundred cases for the finest wines. Even without being a highly publicized winery, the entire supply of some vintages can be sold out within a few weeks of an initial release. All of the sparkling wines are riddled by hand instead of the usual mechanical riddling process used by most other wineries. In addition to the sparkling wines, S. Anderson also produces a number of other fine table wines, including Chardonnay and Cabernet. These wines are just as impressive as the sparkling wines.

When you go to visit the winery, be sure to take a map - since its small and somewhat off the main road, it can be difficult to find. You can get the details from their web site (www.4bubbly.com) or call them (1-800-4-BUBBLY).



Recommended: Yes