Napa Valley Wine Tasting Feature (1972)

[ibglowin]

Great Scott Marty! We managed to time travel back to 1972!

https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/226700
"KPIX Eyewitness News report from May 9th 1972 by Pat O'Brien highlighting the challenges faced by Napa Valley wineries, where steadily increasing numbers of visitors to tasting rooms are generating customer service issues. Includes views of Highway 29 which runs through the valley, of popular wineries roadside signage (Inglenook Winery, Beaulieu Vineyard, Heitz Cellar, Louis M. Martini Winery, Charles Krug) and scenes of crowds enjoying wine inside The Christian Brothers tasting room in St. Helena. Also features interviews with two local wine industry experts, who discuss the subject. Note that The Christian Brothers winery featured in this report occupied the Greystone building in St. Helena from 1950 to 1990, which was originally built in 1889 as Greystome Cellars. It is now the home of the Culinary Institute of America. Opening graphic designed by Carrie Hawks."

 

[sour_grapes]

Hah! The video said that visitor numbers were approaching "a half million" per year, which was beginning to be problematic. I just googled, and, pre-pandemic, Napa saw 3.85 million visitors!

 

[ibglowin]

That guy at the 1min mark........ LOL

 

[heatherd]

Great Scott Marty! We managed to time travel back to 1972!

https://diva.sfsu.edu/collections/sfbatv/bundles/226700
"KPIX Eyewitness News report from May 9th 1972 by Pat O'Brien highlighting the challenges faced by Napa Valley wineries, where steadily increasing numbers of visitors to tasting rooms are generating customer service issues. Includes views of Highway 29 which runs through the valley, of popular wineries roadside signage (Inglenook Winery, Beaulieu Vineyard, Heitz Cellar, Louis M. Martini Winery, Charles Krug) and scenes of crowds enjoying wine inside The Christian Brothers tasting room in St. Helena. Also features interviews with two local wine industry experts, who discuss the subject. Note that The Christian Brothers winery featured in this report occupied the Greystone building in St. Helena from 1950 to 1990, which was originally built in 1889 as Greystome Cellars. It is now the home of the Culinary Institute of America. Opening graphic designed by Carrie Hawks."

Thanks for sharing this - the 70s were a marvelous time for both wine and mutton chops.

 

[CDrew]

This video is quite interesting. When I moved to California in 1984, Napa was still a place of no-cost tasting, reasonable prices and family ownership. Made for a great Saturday for my wife and I when we were young and poor.

That has all changed, and Napa Valley has become full of expensive cars and people, unreasonable tasting prices, and good but overpriced wine. I remember the first full case of wine I ever bought was an '82 Camus Napa Cabernet. It was under $10 per bottle. Now that case would be $1000-$2000.

But I'm happy to see it all be a big success. I just don't go there any longer in protest!

 

[ibglowin]

We did a "Tour de Napa" back in 2010 after reading George Tabers book "Judgement of Paris". I really wanted to visit and taste from the wineries that really helped put Napa on the map IMHO. It was a fun 3 days (we went during the week so no weekend crowds) but it was definitely a one and done for me. I moved on to find just as good if not better wines. Fewer crowds, and much better prices in WA State as well as (these days) Paso Robles.

 

[wood1954]

Washington state 8 years ago was a pleasure. Tastings were cheap or free, wines were good and very reasonable, everything I’ve heard or read about Napa turns me off, way to expensiv. My wife and I are going to Alsace next year, strangely enough it’s cheaper to fly to germany than San Francisco and the AirBnBs are way cheaper.

 

[jswordy]

Back in 1972, they were still filtering through asbestos filters. Maybe not so great in some respects.