Wine is something that had fascinated the both of us. But before I became a food blogger, I was as ignorant about wines as one could get. But after I passed my WSET level 1, my interest in wines took off. Accompanied by Snigdha, I tried out quite a few wines in the plethora of food reviews that I do. Wine paired dinners were followed by winery visits as we both explored the nooks and crannies for the wine world. But we reserved our best for the Napa Valley Wine Train where we combined Terra’s exotic chips with their famous wines.
What is the Napa Valley wine train?
The Napa Valley is a premier wine growing region in the western coast of United States of America. One of the famous wine regions in the world, the Napa Valley is known for production of Cabarnet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Zifandel. The Napa Valley wine train was first built in the mid 19th century by Samuel Brannan. The rail line have since been restored as a tourist destination. But it’s the train that you will fall in love with. The coaches of the train are from early 20th century when they were made by Pullman Standard Company for the Northern Pacific Limited. These have been restored with mahogany paneling and velvet upholstered chairs. It transports you to a time when rail travel was in it’s infancy.
How to get there?
Staying in San Francisco with our friends meant that it was a ferry ride away. We took the Ferry Connection which transports us to the Napa Valley very easily for $50 per person. The Ferry Connection starts at San Francisco harbour in the morning before docking in Vallejo. From Vallejo, a bus transports you to the Wine Train station which is about an hour’s drive away.
The Castle Winery Tour
If you have been reading our blog, you will have realised how much I love medieval European castles. We couldn’t find anything similar in America so the Castle Winery Tour was perfect for us. Boarding of the train starts with orders for meals. In the gourmet compartment, we were seated by an Australian couple on their honeymoon, Phil and Susan. The salad and the seared Tenderloin makes for a perfect meal along with a Cabarnet Sauvignon that we tried. The train rustled past lush fields of grapevines as the Napa Valley sped by in our windows. You can also have your meals in the Vista Dome which is a domed coach with a personalised dining space. This is where I took out my packet of Terra chips and tried it out with the Napa Valley wines.
Why Terra Chips?
Now if you’re having friends over for a movie or a gathering at your home, you’d love to present your guests with some high quality stuff. Not only does Terra Chips give you a high quality packaging but also some new flavours that will make you the best of hosts. They have two types of products: Exotic Vegetable chips in the flavours of Original (Sea Salt), Mediterranean (Lemon and Herbs) and Blues (Blue Potato chips) and Sweet Potato chips.
The vegetable chips are made with root vegetables of every kind. From the sweet potato of our country to the Yuca of the African countries, from Batata of Cuba to Parsnip each packet of Terra Chips packs a load of flavour and health. Their huge 140 grams’ packs ensure that the chips do not finish up after a few minutes and last the whole length of your movie. The high-quality packaging ensures the chips stay crispy for long without becoming a soggy mess in between.
Flavour
As a food blogger, I have tried out a plethora of foodstuffs over my career. But finding new flavours is something that I truly enjoy. Introducing these flavours to my friends is also something that I truly enjoy. The vegetable chips are available in two flavours, Lemon and Herbs and Sea Salt. They say every meal starts with visualizing it. Terra Chips have so much colour in them that you will be spellbound. Mind you all these are the natural colours of the root vegetables. The beetroot dipped potato looks a lovely ruby red.
A lot of the root vegetables like the sweet potato and Batata have a sweet tinge to them and this is what interests me. The sweetness combines with the flavours of Lemon and Herbs or the Sea Salt to create an explosion of flavours upon your palate. But one of the most eccentric flavours I tasted with them was the Blue potato. A totally earthy flavour with a hint of bitterness which if very refreshing. The chips have been fried with very low quantity of oil as is reflected from it not being greasy on either the palate or the hand.
Back to San Francisco
Our sommelier Rafael made us taste the best of Napa valley’s produce which includes the complex flavours of Cabarnet Sauvignon and buttery texture of Oaked Chardonnay. The Blue Potato Chips combined like a dream with the butteriness of the Chardonnay. The Mediterranean flavours were a rage with the Cabarnet Sauvignon among the friends I had made on the train, Phil and Susan. Even our sommelier managed a smile as he tasted the Indian chips for the first time. I had a blissful smile on my face on our way back to the train followed by a bus back to our ferry. With rosy cheeks and a content belly combined with the alcohol, I moved onto a peaceful sleep. Snigdha couldn’t help but plant a big kiss on my angelic smile 😉
Why I chose to combine Terra chips with wine?
The chips are differently shaped and are super crunchy on the palate. They retain their crunch even after keeping them outside for more than 24 hours. So next time you’re planning on munching, do try out a packet of Terra Chips. Each of these 140gms pack is charged at INR 395. You can find Terra Chips here and on Facebook.
Pictures are courtesy of Napa Valley Wine Train.
