The wine industry can be full of paradoxes sometimes and one of the ones that I currently enjoying the exploration of is Napa wines. At one level, this is the pinnacle of technical excellence in terms of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The region has reached the point where for most Americans, Napa is California wine country. It has rightfully earned it's place as one of the world's best wine producing regions and that has led to high prices and attracted a lot of wine snobs. However, tucked beneath the surface are stories such as that of winemaker Joe Harden of Nickel & Nickel.

I first enjoyed Murphy Goode a few months ago at a steakhouse in San Diego and was curious to learn more. The wine I had, 2015 Red Blend, paired well well the steak and I appreciated the simple confidence of the bottle and label design. It brings back a feeling that this is ultimately wine made to be enjoyed and not a pretentious expression of wealth and sophistication. The product speaks for itself and since then I've enjoyed several different bottles and appreciate that they are able to deliver an excellent product at a variety of price points from $15 to $45 so you don't have to worry about "picking the wrong one".

Norwegian Cruise Line gave us a sample of their new Meet the Winemaker cruise series earlier this year while we sailed on Norwegian Joy. It was a fabulous experience and now they are getting ready to roll it out with a wider schedule, across multiple ships this fall. If you love wine and cruising then these cruises are made for you.

I love fun wines and the personality behind them, so I was excited to try MERF Wines Cabernet Sauvignon a few weeks ago. All too often I feel like wine is either stuffy and boring or kitchy product designed to draw you in with a label but ultimately lacking the quality product to make you want more. I've been a fan though of Columbia Valley wines from Washington State since they generally have a fantastic quality to them that is almost a part of the lifestyle. David "Merf" Merfeld's product continues this so we wanted to get to know him a bit more. Here's his thoughts on travel, food, and why he switched from brewing to winemaking.