Curses, foiled again- Swanson Vineyards by Darryl Beeson In the 1950s, long before founding Swanson Vineyards, the Swanson family introduced an important lifestyle product, that being Swanson frozen dinners. This created a means for less time in the kitchen and more time to enjoy the end of the day. Frozen meals have evolved and so has the wine industry. In 1985, at of all places his 25th Stanford University reunion, W. Clarke Swanson, Jr. was inspired by an insight from a fraternity brother and successful vintner to purchase a very prime parcel of vineyard land on the Oakville Cross Road in the heart of Napa Valley. The timing was perfect. Clarke hired André Tchelistcheff, one of the California’s most important winemakers, to advise how to make the best use of the vineyards. Tchelistcheff suggested Merlot. This family-owned winery was positioned then to evolve a passion for food and now a passion for wine. Swanson Vineyards Pinot Grigio, Napa 2007 ($21) is crisp with nice acid and offers aromas and flavors of ripe tree fruit like peach and pear. In the Swanson tasting room, they refer to this room rightfully as their salon, the food pairing is with caviar and potato chips. Don't smirk, just try this match. Otherwise, just sip it out on the deck or with seafood or chicken prepared with fresh herbs. Swanson Vineyards Estate Merlot, Oakville (Napa) 2005 ($36) is not soft-spoken. Too many people assume that Merlot is overly fleshy and lacks power. Intense flavors of black fruit and a bit of tannic grip lead the sip. As Napa Valley’s largest producer of estate-grown Merlot, Swanson has built its reputation on this grape. Serve this red with lamb, rare, or most any quality cut of meat. Consider a sauce that contains juniper or dried fruit berries. Swanson Vineyards 'Alexis' Cabernet Sauvignon, Oakville (Napa) 2005 ($70) tempts the drinker with aromas of deep cassis and blackberry. This power-packed Cab is a bold beguiler. Look for cassis, spice and mocha in the long finish. In 1991, the family acquired an important vineyard known as the Schmidt Ranch, located west of Highway 29 in Oakville. The vineyard was known for rich and dense Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah. The harvest of 1994 resulted in the first vintage of Alexis. The rest is wine history. You can judge a winery's quality potential by its geograpical neighbors. Swanson Vineyards has two precisely placed vineyards in Oakville. First there was a whopping 100 acres along the Oakville Cross Road, located adjacent to the renowned Opus One and Silver Oak Cellars. The second is the 40 acre vineyard, known as the Schmidt Ranch, is equidistant between the famous Martha’s Vineyard and Dominus. The farming is sustainable and healthy both for the wine and the ultimate consumer. Annually, all vines are trimmed back to maintain size, shape and health. Previously, prunings were burned in the field. Now they are converted to chips and worked into the soil to decompose, allowing the important return of their nutrients to the soil. Select cover crops are planted after fall's harvest, and in the spring, these are mowed and also turned back into the soil, where they break down and return their nutrients to the soil. Both of these practices drastically reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Herbicides are never used in the vineyards. Visit the Swanson website at www.swansonvineyards.com.   For more great wine suggestions, click here Do you have any questions, comments or suggestions? Email: jwdineline@aol.com Copyright © 1998 Inter Active Media Solutions. All Rights Reserved. The interactive components of this site require that you use a current browser version of Explorer; be sure to maximize your window out so you can see the entire page. This page was created by Inter Active Media Solutions.