Alameda Runners – Get After It!

Alameda Runners obviously has a focus on running, cycling and general outdoors content, but we try to keep things lively around here. We focus on companies that make products for active people, and today want to chat about the Clif Family Winery & Farm.

I’m no wine expert, but a Clif-owned winery seems to fall within scope for the blog, so let’s see what they have to say about their wares.

“Clif Family Winery was started by Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford, founders and owners of Clif Bar & Co.,” said a Clif Family Winery & Farm representative. “We have been making wines from the Napa Valley and Northern California since 2004. The wines that you will most often see available are our Climber Wines – a Zinfandel blend and a Sauvignon Blanc. Our goal is to over deliver quality in every bottle of wine. We also have a focus on sourcing sustainably farmed and organically farmed fruit.”

The new Velo Vino wine tasting room in St. Helena gives visitors the chance to taste wines and enjoy scenic views. Here is a bit more about the Velo Vino tasting room:

“It is the home of both Clif Bar and Clif Family Winery. It’s a truly unique experience that brings together food, wine and adventure. You can taste our wines, enjoy an espresso on the patio, purchase Luna Sport apparel clothing, sample our Gary & Kit’s Gourmet food products and Clif Bars and start and end a cycling adventure.”

As expected from newer wineries, the Clif winery also includes a tasting room that includes wine and food available.

“The connection between food and wine is a natural for Gary and Kit. They have always wanted to create a line of gourmet food products and our Gary & Kit’s Gourmet Mountain Mix was made to pair with specific wine varietals. We offer a food and wine pairing in our tasting room.”

(For clarification purposes: a ‘varietal’ is a term used for wines made predominantly from a single grape, such as a fine California zinfandel wine.)

Boxed wine — or anything found in a container besides a traditional wine bottle — often is overlooked as cheap, low-quality wine. However, Clif recently introduced a new “Climber Pouch” wine that is more portable, eco-friendly, and should taste better than your average grocery store jug wine.

“The Climber Pouch wines were introduced in Spring 2011 as an alternative to glass bottles. Each pouch is the equivalent of two 750ml bottles of wine and the packaging produces 90% less waste and 80% lower carbon emissions than the glass equivalent. It’s a convenient, portable package with great quality wine.”

All wines from the Clif Family Winery & Farm can be found at Velo Vino and online — with a store finder available on Grappos.com — as the winery continues to add to their wine-making resume.

*Editors note: He better follow this up with an article about organic milk supplied from another vendor.