From Oct. 13 to 17, a group of 16 United Distributors employees from on- and off-premise teams took an educational trip to California to tour the facilities of Louis M. Martini, William Hill Estate, Frei Brothers, and MacMurray Ranch in the Napa and Sonoma valleys and San Francisco. The combined team learned specifics about harvesting and production at each of the vineyards through special seminars.

"At each location the team learned about production techniques, and since we were there during the 2010 'crush,' we were fortunate to see all the vineyards in full production mode," said Tanya Hudson, a field manager of the Hospitality Division of United Distributors. 

At Louis M. Martini, the teams witnessed the process of hand selecting grapes for production and were shown a new piece of equipment to aid in the hand-selection process.

"The selector actually has an image of the 'perfect grape' programmed, and then it automatically selects based upon this image!" Hudson said.

At William Hill Estate, the group attended a sensory seminar, where members learned about wine pairings based on various taste profiles. They sampled various combinations of sauces and determined which wine paired the best with each flavor.

At Frei Brothers, the team was treated to views of a large production facility in action. During a wine-blending seminar, the group was split into three teams and challenged to create the best wine and marketing strategy, as if taking the wine to market. Team members corked and waxed their own bottles to take home and enjoy.

At MacMurray Ranch, the team paired various cherry flavors with different varietals of the MacMurray Pinot Noir during its wine seminar.

"The most unique and enjoyable part of our trip was to MacMurray Ranch," Hudson said. "The ranch is filled with rich history, as well as several fun stories of Fred MacMurray and his acting career."

Finally, the team enjoyed several of the local haunts and flavors in San Francisco, including clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls and visiting the Buena Vista for Irish coffee.

"A fun and educational trip was had by all!" Hudson said.

Tour guide Zach Clough of E&J Gallo shows off wines at Frei Brothers.

The team poses for a photo in the upper vineyards of MacMurray Ranch. Pictured are Ryan Matarese, Greg Sarnecky, Kimberly Hurd, Bill Johnson, Zach Clough, Cathleen Price, George Fresolone, Chris Hunt, Adam Forman, Tanya Hudson, Pat Christensen, Mallory Littleton, Chris Riccardi, Torin Morgan, Adam Bellen, Joe Powell, and Raymond Harp.