We hope this newsletter finds you in good health and the Naggiar clan wishes you and your loved ones all the best for 2007.

The news from the vineyard can be summarized in a few words this year - cold, cold and more cold! Cold is actually good for dormant vines as long as the freezing temperatures do not stretch into late spring during bud break, so lets keep our fingers crossed.

On the harvest front, 2006 was a good year for us. After some concern over early September rains, the 2006 harvest came in with yields a little lighter then expected. On the other hand the quality of wine grapes was very good, which should translate to some excellent wines in 2008.

As harvest came to an end we serviced and put away farming equipment and wrapped up things in the vineyard, draining irrigation systems and strawing pathways to minimize erosion during the rainy season. With an end to the season it was time to relax next to a roaring fireplace with a glass of Naggiar Vineyards Syrah - Salute!

New Awards: GOLD! GOLD! GOLD!

Hot off the press! The results of the San Francisco Chronicle 2007 Wine Competition are in, and we are very proud to announce that we have won Gold for our Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and our Mistero! We also have won another Silver for our Viognier! We are very excited, and although many of you tell us you love our wines, it is great news when a world-renowned competition confirms the quality of our wines. If you haven't had the opportunity to try these Gold Award Winning wines, give us a call to schedule a wine-tasting with us, it would be our pleasure!

Talking about winemaking, we have had a number of club members ask who our wine maker is, so we thought a formal introduction would be in order.

Derek Irwin is Naggiar Vineyard's consultant wine maker and we are indeed fortunate to have someone with Derek's background and experience on board! Derek graduated from UC Davis and started his career as enologist and assistant winemaker at Cosentino Winery in Yountville. He later joined Bouchain Vineyards in Napa, CA, as assistant winemaker.

In 1998 he joined Viansa Winery in Sonoma, where he subsequently became responsible for overall winemaking and vineyard operations for the winery. Derek is currently as independent consultant with customers in Napa, Sonoma, the Sierra Foothills as well as South America, Spain and Italy. He lives in Napa with his wife Danielle and four lovely kids Wyatt, Rhys, Laney and Flynn. When not driving the kids to soccer practice or Lake Tahoe for fun in the snow (or making wine!), Derek enjoys fishing, hunting and cooking delicious meals for family and friends.

If you are interested in solar power, talk with us next time you are visiting the winery and we will be glad to share our experience with you.

Mark Your Calendars:

We know it's early, however, everyone's calendar fills up very quickly - therefore we want to give you a heads-up with regards to some of our upcoming events. More details will follow - we just want to give you the dates for now.

Did you know ..........

It takes approximately 2.5 pounds of grapes to make a bottle of wine (a bottle with 750ml being the standard amount, or 25 fluid ounces) - and that in a four ounce glass of red wine there is only 85 calories?

• There are over 10,000 varieties of wine grapes in the world today, which makes for endless combinations & wonderful blends.
• In California alone, we produce over 17 million gallons of wine per year.
• Wine drunk by itself tastes very different than when it is drunk with food and that is because wine affects the food almost like a spice, and should compliment the food.
• And now for the BIG question, which wine goes with which food?

Almost magical explosions of flavor occur when great food is paired with the right wine. In food/wine combinations, each is changed by the other - positively or negatively.

Ninety percent of flavor actually comes from aroma - and matching similar flavors between wine & food will result in a very pleasant combination (for example, a rich buttery Chardonnay will find affinity with a creamy, buttery sauce - and on the other hand conflict with a barbeque sauce).

Another simple guideline to follow is to match flavor intensities - a delicate wine should be served with a milder dish, a full-bodied wine with a big-flavor course. For instance, it would not be a good choice to match a full-bodied Syrah with a fillet of sole. We want the food and wine to compliment each other and not compete with each other.

The temperature at which wine is served also greatly affects the flavor. A wine served too cold will not release all its flavors - whites should be served chilled (not ice cold) and reds at room temperature is a general rule-of-thumb.

Now to thoroughly confuse you, sometimes contrasting flavors brings about amazing combinations, however, this is an art that truly talented chefs can achieve - and can be quite tricky for a wine/cook novice. If in doubt, follow the similar wine/similar food guideline for a fool-proof result.

Vineyard tours & wine-tastings are a great way to share a wine-experience among friends. In this setting you have the opportunity to try different wines and see which ones are your personal favorites. Then pick a good wine and match it with a meal you enjoy, and chances are you'll do just fine.

In a nut-shell, don't be afraid, you cannot ruin your whole meal if you make a "wrong" wine choice - just select a wine that you love regardless what the "experts" say. Trust your own palate and enjoy the wines you love most first - and have fun experimenting with food-pairings. Truly, the best pairing is good food, good wine & good company. The good company is the most important ingredient to any great meal!

Let's do wine sometimes - why not give us a call at Naggiar Vineyards, our family would love to spend time with you on our beautiful 170 acre property in Grass Valley.

Cheers and hope to see you soon!

The spirit of old California lives on in the Northern Sierra Foothills. The people are friendly, and share a pioneering spirit that's refreshingly warm and authentic. Come visit a wine country where traffic jams don't exist, wine-tasting rooms are not crowded and visitors are still warmly welcomed by owners and winemakers!
Create a memory. Make plans to spend some time with us at Naggiar Vineyards and Winery. Located just 17 miles north of Auburn, the scenic drive offers vistas of graceful Arabian horses, magnificent bison, and natural beauty around every turn in the road. After your arrival, a family member will take you on a guided tour of our vineyards and winery, then treat you to a leisurely wine tasting experience among new friends.

Visits to Naggiar Vineyards for six people or more are by appointment only. Please call 530-268-9059 to make arrangements for a tasting and tour with your friends.

• We will continue with snail-mail, however, if possible give us your email as we communicate more often via email.
• Make sure your spam-filter is not blocking info@naggiarvineyards.com - in fact include us in your address book that way your computer will recognize us.
• If you don't receive an email from us at least every 3 months - something is wrong in our connection - give us a call so we can try to correct things.
• Also, check our website for Upcoming Events.