Skywalker Ranch Wines

Gates82 writes "The creative force of George Lucas is at it again. Producing his own wine. "I would love to see them plant another 5 to 10 acres. There must be spots on that ranch to make some really interesting wines."" Wonder if there's any spots on that ranch left that can make a good Star Wars movie?

Comments

advertisement budget

[stonebeat.org]

and just like any star wars movies, they have a huge advertisement budget for the wine as well. In CA, f you tune in KGO or KCBS, you can hear the Ad many times a day.

Cynicism :-)

[BWJones]

Wonder if there's any spots on that ranch left that can make a good Star Wars movie?

Oh, the cynicism. :-)

Seriously though, growing wines in west Marin leaves me wondering about the quality of these wines (particularly a Chardonnay), but Coppola has produced some rather tasty wines including a scrumptious Merlots and a Claret or two, so I am inclined to believe there may be something of note.

A bit catty today?

[steveha]

Wonder if there's any spots on that ranch left that can make a good Star Wars movie?

Meee-ow!

By the way, I didn't think the ranch made the movies. That comment is stranger the more I think about it.

steveha

Celebrity Wines

[severoon]

I worry about celebrities making wine. Often, the wine's price gets a bump just for the name recognition factor, regardless of how good it is. This is the deal with Coppola's wines--they're just ok wines for better-than-ok prices.

Celebrity winemakers overally have little impact on serious wine drinkers. Obviously, though, Coppola proved there's a market segment that will spend money for a name on the bottle.

I would like to point out a brand new up-and-comer, non-celebrity wine--Sawkar Family Vineyards. They make a delicious Syrah that's probably in the upper scale of what most people want to pay for a bottle, but it's one of those that's actually worth it.

sev

Skywalker Ranch wine and food

[payndz]

I've had Skywalker Ranch wine (on the premises, at that). It's very nice (Lucas must have been getting tips from Coppola), but considering how much money's been sunk into it, it bloody well ought to be.

One amusing thing I was told by the Lucas PR girlbot was that grape-picking was an annual event for the employees. From the way she phrased it, it sounded compulsory!

(Oh, and should you ever be lucky enough to have lunch there, go for the steak. It's delicious. No wonder Lucas has got so fat!)

Re:$30

[ackthpt]

If you bother to go to the wine country of northern California, I suggest going through Sonoma rather than Napa. Napa has some good wines, but it's very touristy. Sonoma has great wines and is fairly quiet, off the beaten path. One of my favorites is Rochioli, close to Hop Kiln, which is also good. Suggest taking along some food, get a bottle of Chardonnay and kick back, as most of these places have a little outdoor area you can relax at.

I have no idea if Coppola invites visitors or has a tasting room.

Don't expect Lucas to welcome you onto his ranch.

Re:Cynicism :-)

[gwernol]

Seriously though, growing wines in west Marin leaves me wondering about the quality of these wines (particularly a Chardonnay), but Coppola has produced some rather tasty wines including a scrumptious Merlots and a Claret or two, so I am inclined to believe there may be something of note.

Yes, but the Niebaum-Coppola wines are grown on the Rutherford Bench, which is generally considered the finest grape growing area of the Napa Valley. Fine wines have been cultivated there for over 100 years. He also has some very serious winemakers working for him.

West Marin though, as you note, hasn't exactly got an illustrious history of viticulture. That said you can grow some great wines in some unlikely spots in California, thanks to the excellent climate. One of my favorite wineries is Ridge whose main vineyards are on the ridge overlooking Silicon Valley.

Don't start with wine

[ObviousGuy]

Start with Scotch. Though it seems more expensive up front, you don't have to drink as much to learn an appreciation for the pleasantries of the drink.

By drinking scotch you will gain a taste for the various flavors in the drink. Tastes like 'peaty', 'earthy', and 'oaky' are common descriptions of the flavors of whiskey. To enjoy it, you don't toss back shot after shot, rather you would sip and let the flavors spread on your palate. Though quite offensive at first, whiskey becomes delightful once you have developed a sense of what it is that you are tasting.

You can use the same slow tasting technique with wine. It's much less harsh than whiskey and it has many more flavors. The process of learning to enjoy whiskey will help immensely in your appreciation of wine.

It will at least help wean you off of White Zin, if nothing else.