Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
West Coast U.S.
290
Concannon Vineyard
Thank God for Sacramental Wine
Livermore Valley, California
It's a long way from the windswept rocky
Irish island of Inishmaan to the red can-
yons and ridges of Livermore Valley in
California, lying just east of the San Fran-
cisco Bay area. Jim Concannon made that
long trip way back in 1865, traveling across
the western wilderness of the United
States in a covered wagon with his wife
and 10 children. Once he reached San
Francisco, he became a successful busi-
nessman, yet he remained forever rest-
less. After a conversation with the local
archbishop, who bemoaned the lack of
good sacramental wine, Jim—being a
good Roman Catholic—decided the clergy
should suffer no more. He bought 40 rocky
acres (16 hectares) near Livermore and
enrolled in UC Davis to study winemaking.
In 1883 he produced his first vintage. The
priests seemed to like it—God was happy
and so was Jim.
One hundred and twenty-five years
later, grandson Jim Concannon is still mak-
ing God happy—not to mention scores of
wine drinkers who don't have to wait for
communion to enjoy Concannon's Bor-
deaux- and Rhone-style wines. The family's
200-acre (81-hectare) vineyard is now one
of the most famous in the country, attract-
ing thousand of visitors every year to its
historical winery. Entering through an
impressive stone gateway, you'll travel
upward through a field of vines set snugly
between orange hills and canyons. The
winery itself is a neat, ivy-covered building
with brick gables and wood sidings; there
is a bell set into a niche in the wall and an
antique wine-press out front. A trellised
walkway passes sculpted hedges and
wrought-iron seating toward a warm, invit-
ing tasting room, with floor-to-ceiling
woodwork and a Turkish carpet rolled
down the middle of the floor. Two large
bar counters and brass chandeliers give
the room a laid-back, cozy atmosphere.
After a tour of the vineyards and cellars,
visitors gather here to try an excellent
Reserve Syrah and a grape called Petite
Sirah that the winery is famous for. Cheese
is served, as well as chocolate fudge with
dessert wine. You learn from the guide
that not only does the winery boast the
first Irish winemaker, but in the 1950s it
also had the first female winemaker, a
Hungarian ballet dancer called Katherine
Vajdawho. Another milestone for Concan-
non Vineyard.
Concannon Vineyard,
4590 Tesla
Rd., Livermore (
&
925/456-2505;
www.
concannonvineyard.com).
(
San Francisco International (50 miles/
80km).
L
$$$
Hyatt Summerfield Suites,
4545 Chabot Dr., Pleasanton (
&
925/730-
0070;
www.hyattsummerfieldsuites.com).
$$
Rose Hotel,
807 Main St., Pleasanton
(
&
925/846-8802;
www.rosehotel.net).
