By: Finance Foodie
Charles Krug was Napa Valley’s first winery, established in 1861. The creation of the Family Reserve Generations wines was a fortuitous experiment by Marc back in 1991. The Family Reserve Generations wines are among the most sought after in the Charles Krug – Peter Mondavi Family portfolio. During Day One of my
New York Wine and Food Festival weekend, I had the pleasure of tasting eight vintages of this elegant wine, starting with the first masterpiece from 1991.
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| You had me at hello.... |
Charles Krug winery co-proprietor Marc Mondavi, along with wife Janice, hosted the tasting and led the discussion off with his story of his family's foiree in the wine business. To be honest, I'm not too familiar with red wines (only have it occasionally with red meats and other heavy game dishes) so I came in with a open mind and was eager to learn. After all, I hear a glass of red a day keeps the doctor away...
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| Mr. Mondavi and wife |
Out of all the ones I sampled, my favorite was the 1994 Family Reserve Generations. The intense flavor of black current, min and chocolate were nicely marred with a toasty oak. The wine was also surprisingly easy to drink and very soft - I only wished they served a nice juicy Porterhouse with this offering!
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| 1994 was a very good year.... |
Another fantastic offering was (obviously) the 1991, the first creation. Mr. Mondavi said that the grapes for Generations were hand selected from vineyards throughout the Napa Valley and carefully combined to create the proprietary blend. Call me an old soul, but I truly understand why the saying "like wine, it gets better with age" was coined.
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| 1991 was also a good year |
A few of the newer Family Reserve Generations offerings.
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| The 2000 babies |
All and all, a chance to drink in the middle of the day (in the name of....education) and was a great introduction to the world of reds. Stay tuned for Day 2 of my New York Wine and Food Festival weekend - where I have brunch with (the now super skinny) Paula Deen!
Besides being tons of fun and a chance to hang with all your fave food personalities, the New York Wine and Food Festival benefits the hunger-relief programs of Food Bank For New York City and Share Our Strength. One hundred percent of the net proceeds from the Festival go directly to these community-based organizations. So eating and drinking for a good cause - that's right up my alley!
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