On the Wine Train with Dad

Two photographers stood ready, waiting to snap photos of the 200 or so passengers that would board the nine cars.

“Okay, you’re up next. Right here. Great. Smile,” ordered one, as her bulb flashed and flashed.

About fifty passengers were in our “Champagne Vista Dome” car, which has elevated seating for better views. The rest of the passengers would be eating in the “gourmet express” dining cars or tasting wine in the lounge cars.

We sat at a four-top table at the end of the car. I knew it was going to be a nice meal by the amount of tableware: three forks, two knives, and three wine glasses. My dad immediately scooted out of his seat and began talking with newcomers, making jokes, and inviting people back to his house for more tasting after the ride. As the train began its gentle rocking motion, I noticed that Vista Dome did have its drawbacks: a bird’s eye view of scrap metal yards and mobile home backyards (Brent on the loudspeaker: “I swear, the scenery will soon change”) as we headed out of town. Napa is often considered the unsophisticated step-sister of the tony “up-valley” towns that we would be passing through—Yountville, Rutherford, Oakville, and St. Helena. Though Napa is experiencing a surge in upscale growth, including a Ritz-Carlton, up-valley is generally where people visit, and Napa is where the hoi polloi live.

As a Tulocay Pinot Noir was being poured, we were given instructions on how to get the most of our culinary experience: “This is a food and wine marriage; take a bite of food, a sip of wine. Drink lots of water because you are going to drink about a bottle of wine each.”

My dad informed me that instead of choosing a wine to match the food, Kelly MacDonald, the executive chef on the wine train, and Brent, first taste the wine, and then develop a menu around it. This is how they stay true to the wine: accentuating its flavors by pairing it with complementary flavors in the food.