For thrill-seekers: Aileron Estates Take Flight
A pandemic year wasn’t the ideal time for Shannon O’Shaughnessy (her family owns O’Shaughnessy winery on Napa’s Howell Mountain) to launch her Napa label, Aileron Estates. A thrill-seeker herself, she’s turned to her passion for flying to gain attention for her mineral and citrus sauvignon blanc and powerful Howell Mountain cabernet. On offer: a flight over wine country in an open-cockpit vintage World War II biplane. If you’re game, expect loop de loops, barrel rolls, and more acrobatics. Luckily the tasting part, with O’Shaughnessy, comes after.
For people who have everything: Tor Wines Black Magic Experience ($950, 4-person minimum)
Tor Kenward, who founded his eponymous winery two decades ago, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the dirt and vines responsible for his 100-point cult cab, Black Magic. (It’s legendary golfer Phil Mickelson’s fave. He sipped the 2018 from the Wanamaker Trophy after his PGA championship win.)
Yes, you taste the hard-to-come-by 2018 Black Magic ($450 a bottle) and the winery’s other expensive single-vineyard cabernets, but this experience is also about access. Associate winemaker David Grega tours you around the exclusive vineyards (such as Beckstoffer To Kalon) whose grapes go into this powerful blend of the winery’s best barrels. It’s made only in top vintages. Hey, the stiff price includes lunch.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.