Joe Canal's Staff Members Visit California Wine Country - Part 1

All of our managers and wine staff travel at least once a year to a wine-growing region somewhere throughout the world. Traveling is one of the many aspects of Joe Canal’s that sets us apart from other wine shops. We know that by meeting the winemakers, walking the vineyards and tasting new wine from the barrel, we can see first-hand the passion that goes into each bottle. We can then convey this commitment to quality to our customers. Rather than having you just looking at a label and a score, we believe it is our responsibility to bring you closer to how the wine was made and the people who made it. We'll be sharing their trip reports with you here on the BottleBlog.

In June 2011, members of our staff including Jerry Baker from our Lawrenceville store, had the privilege of traveling to California wine country! Here is the 1st installment of their trip.


Our first stop of the trip and our only stop in Sonoma County was Seghesio Family Vineyards in Healdsburg. The drive from San Francisco to Sonoma took about two hours. On the way, we stopped for a quick lunch at the always delicious In & Out Burger. It was even better since we didn’t have any food served on our flight. The original plan for our Seghesio visit was a tour followed by a tasting and dinner at the winery, but that plan changed earlier in the week of our trip. That Monday, the Seghesio family agreed to sell their winery to the Crimson Wine Group. Needless to say, it was a little hectic for all at the winery that week. We actually arrived the same day as representatives from the Crimson Group, who were getting their first in depth look at the facility.


First we toured the barrel room and learned the history of the winery. We were pleasantly surprised to be treated to estate made charcuterie while we tasted the wines. As befits the Italian family background the Sangiovese was first up, followed by Sonoma Zinfandel, Home Ranch, Cortina, Old Vines and lastly the winery’s flagship Omaggio, a blend of Cabernet and Sangiovese. It was quite an interesting lesson in California terroir and winemaking style. Sampling the wines side by side allowed the differences to become very evident – the Home Ranch with its black fruit and approachability was my favorite to quaff while the Cortina with a bit more backbone and redder fruit would be my choice with food.

Wines Tasted: Pinot Grigio, Sonoma Zinfandel, Home Ranch Zinfandel, Rockpile Zinfandel, Cortina Zinfandel, San Lorenzo


As we were leaving the property, Pete Seghesio was able to break away from his meetings with the Crimson representatives to come out and talk to us for a couple minutes about everything that had been going on. We exchanged pleasantries and he gave some insight into his feelings on the entire situation and what his future holds. Next, we headed off to local bar in Healdsberg square for a few beers and a game of shuffle bowling. Bear Republic Racer #5 filled our blood now. After about 2 hours there we headed to our hotel to check in, and to have dinner in town at a local restaurant.