Best Team Building Ideas for Wine Country Offsites

As much as we love a good cooking class, we like offering our guests creative new team building activities even more! We’re constantly on the lookout for original, memorable, and deliciously fun ways for corporate groups and teams to come together in beautiful Napa and Sonoma. (Not a corporate group? No problem! You’ll have just as much fun with these.)

Here are 4 of our newest and most unique team building offerings to get you fired up for your next wine country offsite. Give us a shout if any of these tickle your fancy!

• Axe Throwing. High-stress workplace? Our local axe-perts have got the team-building activity for you! Axe throwing taps into that primal side of us all, and is a fantastic way to get your team moving and thinking in fun new (safety-minded!) directions. No big muscles required...the smallest axe-wielders often turn out to have the sharpest aim.
   
• Wine & Food Pairing Challenge. As every business leader knows, we tend to learn a lot more from our mistakes than we do from your successes. This clever wine and food pairing class shows you firsthand why certain foods and wines don’t work well together, giving you both the science and the sense memory to make better pairing decisions in the future. (Don’t worry, though, you’ll also get some pairings that do work spectacularly.)
   
• DIY Cheesemaking Party. Meet one of the Bay Area’s foremost (and most charming) cheese authorities for hands-on instruction on the secrets of this ancient art. You and your team will come away with a new appreciation for one of our favorite foods, a bellyful of glorious homemade cheese, and the satisfaction of knowing you can have fresh ricotta anytime you want it. There’s some wine involved, too, in case you were wondering….
   
• Bottle-a-Barrel Experience. This one’s for all of you who dream of having your own wine label. Your team members will join forces to fill, cork, and label 25 cases of wine with your group’s own proprietary label (which you can design in advance). Afterwards, celebrate your accomplishment by emptying some of those bottles at a delicious poolside barbecue. You earned it!

What gets your team going? A blind rosé wine tasting? Summiting a mountain? Volunteering with local nonprofits? Shoot us a note at hey@vervenapavalley.com and we’ll set you up.

Women Who Make History: An Interview with T Beller

Did you know our very own T Beller was featured in a beautiful hardcover book called Wine Country Women of Napa Valley? This glossy collection of profiles – and gorgeous photographs by Dona Kopol Bonick – celebrates some of Napa’s most colorful and inspiring women...and naturally, T was asked to be a part of it. Her profile (and her Nonnie’s caramel cake recipe) start on page 256.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we wanted to share some excerpts from an interview T did as the book was being written. Read on to peek behind the scenes at our Verve Napa Valley Founder and Curator-in-Chief, T Beller!

Where did you grow up? Do you ever go back to visit and why?

I was raised up in a progressive, arts-oriented household in the South of the Civil Rights Movement, with a mother who was an activist and civil rights attorney and a father who was a businessman entrepreneur. I grew up the eldest of three sisters in a remarkable mid-century modern home designed by my parents and architect uncle decorated with contemporary art and furniture. It was considered a real oddity in Montgomery, but I loved it and that house informs my taste and aesthetic sensibilities to this day.

Family trips with my parents and two younger sisters to Europe, South America, New York and the Grand Canyon shaped my appreciation for the larger world outside of the provincial South. When my parents suggested that their three daughters leave the South to go to college, I came to the Bay Area to attend Stanford. I have always thanked them for their vision in encouraging me to go West.

I haven’t been back in a couple of years, but I’d love to coordinate a tour of the southeast that would be just as carefully curated and unique as the tours I do here in wine country, featuring the history, the architecture, the food, the “adult beverages,” the gardens, and most of all, the culture and the people of the South.

Tell us about a unique characteristic or hobby that you have.

Gardening is in my genes—I have a photo of my great-grandfather on a tall ladder tending an 8-foot okra plant in his Victory Garden in Shreveport. My country property is a thriving garden full of unique and beautiful plants. There’s a ginormous assortment of dahlias, heirloom roses, rambling vines, fruit trees, and of course dogwood and magnolia trees, but also some really esoteric treasures like Brazilian starfish peppers, South African protea, and black ruffled hellebores.

I also have a prolific Indian Red Peach tree that I received as a start from Ruth von Uhlit, who was the owner of the massive von Uhlit Ranch fruit and nut orchards that used to be just north of downtown Napa when I first moved here. Ruth was a gardening mentor for me and the little peach start she gave me flourished into one of my most cherished plants. It reminds me of my Southern heritage, as well as Napa in the old days.

What’s something people might be surprised to learn about you?

I co-founded River School – Napa’s first charter school, second in the State of California. I have a Master’s in Education and Psychology and have testified before Congress about the benefits and challenges of alternative education models. River School school empowers students to take responsibility and become trailblazers in their communities. Being apart of this project has been one of my most rewarding achievements and I am grateful to remain connected to many of my past students to this day. 

Another past life was as an Interior Designer…and before starting Verve, I was the designer for Ubuntu, a highly regarded vegetarian restaurant in Napa (now Torc). My home reflects my love of color and my playful approach to contemporary design and architecture.

My given name is actually Mary T – a traditional Southern double name handed down from my grandmother, Mary T Badt. She was my confidante, inspiration, and mentor. She rooted in me my love of plants and gardening, as well as my enjoyment of cooking with family and friends – she added a dash of bourbon to everything she cooked, whether cookies or tomato sauce. She also used to make an amazing caramel cake for me every year on my birthday. Even when I was in college in California – 2,000 miles from Shreveport, Louisiana – she’d send the cake to me. And every year, people would be fighting over the crumbs.

Spring’s Top Things To Do in Napa Valley & Sonoma Wine Country

We love Napa in the springtime…. It's hard to beat wine country when the sun is shining, the hills are bright green, lush lush fruits and vegetables are ready for picking, and cuddly baby animals nibbling at your fingers. Here are some of our top suggestions to celebrate spring in Northern California wine country!

Farm-to-Mouth Tours

No need to wait for a table! Marin and Sonoma grow much of the Bay Area's most famous foodstuffs, supplying our top restaurants with farm-fresh cheese, seafood, organic vegetables, and artisanal breads. Let us take you to the source and introduce you to the farms and people who make our region so darn delicious. Slurp oysters just steps from the water where they were grown, watch award-winning cheese being made, and discover places where traditional techniques and modern environmental priorities co-exist...and thrive. Book a foodie farm tour starting from San Francisco or Napa Valley today! 

#cheeselover, this one's for you

Cook the Season

Celebrate the sweetness of spring with Napa cooking classes, using ingredients at their peak. Our pro chef instructors grow most of their own produce at their Napa farm, and will teach you how to transform the season's bounty into delectable dishes to wow your friends and family at home. This is farm-to-table cooking at its best. Gluten-free, paleo, vegan, or cilantro haters? No problem, just let us know! Pro tip: Start the day with a private smartphone photography class, and your culinary creations will dominate Instagram.

Get Outside

Spring fever is real. Stretch your legs and shake it off with a trek through one of our many gorgeous natural parks, wine country bike tours, vineyard horseback riding in Napa, or awe-inspiring Muir Woods hikes. Feeling less athletic? We know a few secret spots where you can breathe in amazing art with our fresh wine country air. Not to mention all the best wineries with outdoor seating….

Ready to ditch the cold and spring back to life? Ask about Verve's many options for food and wine tours from San Francisco to Napa Valley, Sonoma, and Marin!

Our Top 5 Most Romantic Things To Do In Napa Valley and Sonoma Wine Country

Is there anything more romantic than a wine country getaway?

Not in our minds. Whether you’re coming for Valentine’s Day, an anniversary, a proposal, or just to light up the weekend, Napa and Sonoma are full of delicious diversions to get you in the mood.

Here's the Verve Team's shortlist for maximum romance on your next trip to wine country...

Private Art of Sabrage Lesson

As everyone who’s seen it can tell you, sabrage is a sexy business. Drama, danger, the swashbuckling figure with a sword...it’s really got it all. Plus, you get to drink champagne afterwards. Whether you’re slicing open real Champagne or bubbles from another region, an intimate private sabrage lesson is a fantastic way to kick off your wine country visit. See it in slow-motion here.

Aphrodisiac Food Tour

Some foods have been on the seduction best practices list for thousands of years. Find out why on a roving and sensual tasting tour that includes Napa Valley’s best oysters, chocolates, chilies, avocados, and other tantalizing treats. (Might want to end the day with this one.)

Winery Private Photoshoot

A must for proposal weekends, or a romantic getaway you never want to forget. Picture it: you and your honey, alone (with a professional photographer) in the vineyards, looking gorgeous and in love. If you’d like, Verve can also hook you up with hair and makeup pros to get you looking your best.

Champagne and Caviar Tastings

Love is worth celebrating, and if you’re a couple with a taste for the luxe, it’s hard to beat a guided caviar tasting with ultra-premium bubbles. Champagne taste, beer budget? We can also arrange less expensive caviars that won’t break the bank. Learn about the many delicious options out there, and discover your new favorite breakfast….

We’ll put together a custom itinerary for your wants and desires, whether that includes Muir Woods hikes, chocolate massages, or all of the above. And then we’ll work our magic to make it all happen.

When it comes to romance, pampering, and creativity, we pull off the best wine tours in Napa and Sonoma.

Take the guesswork out of planning your romantic escapade, and give Verve a call.

Verve’s Top 7 Rosés for Starting Summer Right

June 20th is the summer solstice, and whether you're celebrating the summer of brosé or the summer of frosé, here's a little more rosé prosé about our favorite pink wines for the season!

Our last rosé tasting at Verve HQ was blind, meaning none of us could see the name or label of what we were tasting until after we'd tried the wines and ranked our favorites. Verve's sometime-somm, sometime-guest host Dan Pescetti— who's got a degree in viticulture and enology from UC Davis and worked the cellars at Plumpjack, Schramsberg and Amici Cellars—put the pretty pink lineup together for us, and made sure nobody was cheating. We also had master winemaker Doug Fletcher (VP of winemaking for the entire Terlato Wine Group) and vintners Barry and Jennifer Waitte from Tamber Bey Vineyards in the house, to round out the Napa Valley winemaker perspective.

Ready for battle

Dan started us out with a flight of four sparkling rosés with a fantastic range in color, from bright neon pink to a pale, golden blond salmon. Some smelled fresh and bright, others had nuttier and caramel notes. Some were tart, some were a little sweet, and some were even a bit sour. Ultimately, the crowd's two favorites (determined by totaling up everyone's rankings), turned out to be the 2012 Schramsberg Rosé and the 2007 J. Schram. A Schramsberg sweep! Honorable mentions went to Roederer Estate's non-vintage Brut Rosé, and a $10.99 ringer from Trader Joe's: Blason de Bourgogne non-vintage La Réserve Brut Rosé. Not exactly a fair fight in terms of pricing, but it was reassuring to see you do get more for your money when it comes to pink bubbly.

The next round was a rainbow collection of five still rosés. The lightest one was practically clear with a touch of rose gold, and the darkest was a bright red plum. Dan explained that even though all rosés come from red grapes, some are made from grapes grown and picked specifically to make rosé, and others are made by "bleeding" off a bit of the juice from grapes intended to make red wine (the saignée method). The saignée style almost always has riper red fruit flavors, lower acid and a fuller body, while the dedicated rosés tend to be lighter-bodied with higher acid and more citrus notes.

"Concentration comes out of a combination of confidence and hunger." - Arnold Palmer

Thus informed, we tasted through the wines and realized we had a battle on our hands. On one side we had the acid freaks, who loved the crisp, light wines with citrus and herb aromas; on the other we had the lushes, who favored the wines with voluptuous ripe fruit and cuddle-worthy textures. (We like to use this kind of technical jargon at Verve HQ whenever possible.) These opposite tastes basically canceled each other out and made aggregate rankings useless. The one wine both groups enjoyed, however, was the 2015 Miraval Côtes de Provence— yep, Brangelina's wine— which struck an acceptable compromise between the two warring tribes. We'll be sending some to Congress this week.

Our lineup also had some great discoveries for people on each side of the divide. Acid freaks raved about the 2015 Bedrock Wine Co. "Ode to Lulu," a lovely Mourvèdre rosé crafted as an homage to Lulu Peyraud of Domaine Tempier (possibly the most famous Provençal producer in America). Lushes swooned over the richly colored 2015 Tamber Bey Rosé, a blend of four classic Bordeaux varieties made just up the road in Calistoga. Luckily, we had Barry and Jennifer Waitte there to give us the secret, off-the-label breakdown: 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, 19% Petit Verdot, and 11% Merlot.

Necessary tasting provisions: the "Before" shot

At the end of the day—despite several of us getting schooled on our dead-wrong predictions of what such and such wine probably was— everybody walked away happy. Because blind tasting reminds us that the best wine in a lineup is always the one you like the best. Cheers!

How to Taste Like a Pro, In Six S’s

Tasting wine is super simple, as long as you remember your six S's:

SWIRL the wine in the glass, looking at the viscosity, clarity, color, and brilliance of the wine (they vary quite a bit). To swirl, rotate your wrist and hold the rest of your arm still. The swirling action releases the wine's aromas and gets them circulating where you can smell them.

Stick as much of your nose into the glass as you can, and SNIFF deeply (looks silly, but works wonders). Most of the “flavor” we perceive with our mouths actually comes through our sense of smell. Swirl the wine again. Take another sniff, and try to identify any familiar smells. Swirl-sniff again if you’d like, but give your nose a few seconds off to rest between each round.

SIP a small amount of the wine, and roll it over your tongue a few seconds. Focus on the difference in texture and sensation.

SWISH the wine around inside your mouth to activate all your taste buds. Notice where you feel sensations of sweetness, bitterness, acidity, and the dry grip of tannin.

SWALLOW the wine. (At last!) Breathe out through your nose as you swallow, so your taste buds and sense of smell can work together. Notice how long you can “taste” the wine after you’ve swallowed it—the finest wines tend to have the longest finish. Repeat S’s #1-5 again, a second time.

SPIT your subsequent sips into the spit bucket provided by the winery. Seriously. Most people (and all industry professionals) swallow at most one or two sips of each wine to get a sense of it, and then spit out the rest after the swishing step. It’s the only way to make it through multiple tastings with your senses intact. Trust us! (Another pro tip: don’t try for a three-pointer with your spitting. Get close to the bucket.)

A Word from Miss Manners:

Some wine courtesy dos and don'ts

DO: Feel free to ask questions, or for tasting notes about the wines you’re tasting.

DON’T: Be afraid to spit, even if you like the wine! That’s the way the pros do it and no one will be offended.

DO: Keep your voice at normal volume levels while you’re in a public tasting room. No matter how awesome the wine is.

DON’T: Be afraid to tell the tasting room attendant what you like and don’t like about the wines. They can help you identify the characteristics you do/don’t like, and give you suggestions on wines you might like in future.

DO: Remember that cell service in a lot of wine country is spotty, thanks to all the caves and mountains. Make a plan in advance with people you want to rendez-vous with, and let them know you’re not consistently reachable.

DON’T: Bury your face in a screen (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc) during winery visits. You’ll miss out on the beauty of your present moment, and give your hosts the impression you’re bored and not enjoying your visit.

DO: Take lots of pictures and videos of our gorgeous wine country!

DON’T: Take pictures or videos of people you don’t know... unless they’ve told you it’s ok first.

DO: Have fun and enjoy yourself tasting.

DON’T: Take it too seriously!

Wine Tasting Survival Guide

Our Verve crew has done a LOT of wine tasting over the years, and seen every rookie error there is. Here are the basics you need to know to make it through your day intact!

• Eat a real breakfast. Lining your stomach with something substantial is key to holding it together past your first tasting appointment. We'll have tasty snacks on board for you to enjoy throughout the day, but you really don’t want to get started with your tank at empty.
• Don’t go crazy. Limit the total number of wineries you plan to visit in a single day. Palate fatigue is a real thing, even if you’re spitting out all your tasting pours. The more wines you taste, the less able you are to notice the distinct differences between wines (what wine tasting is all about).
• Stay hydrated! Did you know the French recommend drinking two glasses of water for every glass of wine you consume? We’ll ply you with water every chance we get—so please drink it!
• Skip the Scents. Wine tasting is actually more about your sense of smell than your sense of taste. To help your nose get the job done (and to help others’ noses do the same) please don’t wear perfume, cologne, or heavily scented body lotion while tasting wine.
• Bring Layers. Wine country is definitely a sunny place most of the time, but we’re taking you down into temperature-controlled caves, tunnels, and barrel rooms that average a brisk 53 degrees. Dress in layered clothing you can easily put on and take off, and make sure you bring a sweater or light coat for evening no matter what season you’re visiting. Napa Valley gets chilly in the evening, and it happens fast.
• Stay Shaded. We’re also going to be out and about in the sunshine, so bring a hat and sunscreen for your vineyard walks, outdoor picnics, etc. We'll have some items on board for you to use if you forget, but no promises on color coordination with your outfit.
• Keep Feet Happy. Even if you’re not doing a walking tour or outdoor sports, wear a pair of comfy walking shoes instead of those adorable heels—you never know when you might need to cross a lawn, climb chateau stairs, or step through a winery’s production room.

Five Wine Words To Know For Your Next Trip to Wine Country

AVA: An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is an official, U.S. government-designated wine grape-growing area that has distinctive soil, climate, and geographic features from neighboring areas. Napa Valley is the name of the biggest and oldest AVA within Napa County. It was the first AVA to be established in the state of California, and the second in the country. Napa Valley has 16 sub-AVAs that nest within it.

Sabrage: The art of opening a bottle of sparkling wine with a saber! Legend has it that Napoleon's cavalrymen developed the technique so they could break into the Champagne at a full gallop (holding the reins in the same hand as the bottle). Let Verve teach you how… minus the galloping horse.

Sparkling Wine: The proper name to use for all bubbly wines that aren't from the Champagne region of France. All Champagnes are sparkling wines, but not all sparkling wines are Champagnes!

Terroir: (pronounced tair-WAHr) A word we borrowed from French that refers to the site-specific environmental conditions (especially soil and climate) of the particular place the grapes are grown. Terroir is thought to provide a distinctive character to the grapes—certain flavors, aromas, textures, etc.—that's consistent year over year.

Varietal: A varietal is a type of grape (e.g., Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Pinot Noir), and a varietal wine is wine made primarily from a single specified grape variety. Varietal wines typically have the name of the key varietal listed on the front of the wine label. If there's more than one varietal named on the label, it's not a varietal wine—it's a blend.