Napa Itinerary: Paraduxx & Round Pond

Jul 26

Jul 26 Napa Itinerary: Paraduxx & Round Pond

This is the first of many Napa Valley wine tours. So here's a little bit of an intro to the wine tasting experience.

Wine tasting is subjective and anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar. You like what you like. And some people can't tell the difference between red wine and vinegar.

Also keep in mind that vineyards generally don't serve their best wines in tastings.

All this being said, wine snobs are the snobbiest of the snobs. And sometimes they'll make you feel dumb for not knowing what you like. So come in with a preference. Here are some go-to lines you can use:

I like a full bodied, oaky red with a dry finish. (My preference)
A buttery chardonnay.
Fruit forward with a dry finish.

How snobby does that sound? You've just pretty womaned your barista.

Moving on, here is a review of a couple of Napa's vineyards.

Paraduxx Tasting

Paraduxx is like a coffee shop, but with wine. There is jazzy music, outdoor seating, and good wine. Paraduxx (pronounced pair-ah-ducks) is part of the Duckhorn wine family. I love Duckhorn's Migration, which understandably runs $50 a bottle- so I was curious about Paraduxx.

While at the vineyard, my friend and I bumped into a guy claiming he was Dan Duckhorn (which is a win), but I didn't have the guts to tell him how much I hate his Decoy wine (sorry Dan). (Don't worry validated his identity on Google images).

$30/tasting, but worth it.
Ambiance: 5
Service: 4
Tasting: 4.5 (keep in mind, this is based off my preference)
Good for: Comfortable outdoor seating, listening to jazzy music, and good wine.

Round Pond Vineyard

Round Pond was highly recommended to me by friends and 7 x 7 (which I should have taken as a warning sign). The ambiance was cute, the people there were nice, but I was still not impressed. I guess I was just expecting more. The people there are lovely - we got a tour of their garden and a run down of their operations.

Word of Advice: Don't pay for the terrace tasting. You can walk out and take pictures out there anyway.