My Visit to Clif Family Winery
**This is not a paid blog post. I have written this solely because of my impression of Clif Family Winery during my visit.**
A few weeks ago during Memorial Day Weekend, we took a trip up to Napa. I quickly learned that I should have planned this trip months before instead of calling wineries the week of to find a reservation for tastings. Calling everywhere last minute did show me the beautiful relationship each establishment has with the others in the area. Almost every winery I called, no one had space but they were kind enough to give me names of others who might. In a world where competing businesses hardly ever refer you to someone else, this was a refreshing and welcome change. Even more impressive to me was the fact that at least 4 different places referred me to Clif Family Winery.
When I called Clif Family Winery, I was just as impressed. Friendly service over the phone, they also gave me a few more names, and offered their Piazza as their tables were fully booked. Man was I excited to visit them after hearing of them from so many different places. Added to that, they are family friendly and since we were taking my two little ones, this was a bonus.
Saturday morning rolls around and I am so excited to see Napa for the first time since Covid hit. We get to the Tasting Room, which has cycles hanging from the wall that Sanaya loves and are greeted by Jordan. He shows us to the Piazza which is this lovely outdoors area in the front where my girls can run around and also explains the different wines and bottles we can grab to take with us to the front. We settle in and I give the girls a Z Bar for a quick snack, as the hubby and I look over wine options until the rest of our party shows up. Come to find out as I’m talking to Jordan and Chef John (the executive chef) that Gary Erikson, owner of the Clif Family Winery, founded the Clif protein bars!
That’s not all they have their hands in! The Clif Family also has fruit orchards, olive trees, they harvest solar honey in Idaho and everything is grown organically. Along with this, from the produce they grow, Clif Family also makes organic and sustainable jams, preserves, and hot sauce. I came back with one of the hot sauces, the Fatalii, which I think was the spiciest one they have.
As for me, I’m a Malbec girl and their pre-release of Malbec is one of the first I noticed (it’s now released as of a few weeks ago I believe). Of all the Malbecs I’ve had, and there have been plenty of those, The Clif Malbec was one of mine and the rest of my party’s favorite. It was lighter than the Malbecs I usually have and I actually liked that. If you haven’t tried it yet, you have to. We also had the Grenache which was just as good, a little more full bodied than the Malbec but perfect to finish off our day at Clif Family Winery.
Aside from the wine for me and the space for the girls to hang out, food is the other major point I look for and Clif Family Winery does not disappoint. They have delicious culinary bites that are beautifully designed and taste like a slice of heaven. My personal favorite is the brie with the lemon marmalade. And if you’re looking for more than just a bite, their Bruschetteria Food Truck has a great selection.
So, what are you waiting for? Next time you plan to go to Napa, make sure you include Clif Family Winery on your list. They have become one of my favorites, and I’m sure they will become one yours too!
