Eventually, you may find yourself turning from a wine connoisseur to a wine collector. It’s not just that you want to preserve bottles of terrific vintages, storing them up against the lean years. You’ve suddenly realized that a bottle of great wine might be as strong an investment as a block of Microsoft stock. Collecting wine is a lot different from just buying wine. For one thing, it’s going to cost more.
On the other hand, collectors have an opportunity to get their hands on wines that most people can only dream about tasting–rare vintages of such depth and complexity that their proper accompaniment is the roasted haunch of some extinct animal. That bottle of ’85 Cabernet that you paid $35 for can now be worth as much as several hundred dollars.
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The word ‘pocket’ in the book’s title seems to get smaller and smaller as the guide grows and grows. It now contains over 1,600 items.
One of the main reasons why this summer I spent a few days in Galicia, was to visit this winery, and ready for the occasion, keep the visit on the last day. 
One sunny day in 1979, when Del and Ray Lewand were on a wine tasting tour of the Alexander Valley they decided to stay overnight at a local inn. That stay triggered an idea. Both were Los Angeles natives, but with their children pretty well grown they were beginning to think of a move away from southern California. “We hadn’t settled on a way to support ourselves,” says Ray, “but after the night at the inn we looked at each other and said, ‘Hey, this is something we could do.”
Since 1971 the two Geyserville wineries, Geyser Peak and Canyon Road (formerly Nervo Winery) have been under a single ownership, although that owner has changed several times over the years. Today these charming sister wineries are owned and operated by Jim Beam Brands Co. Pretty much at the helm is executive vice president Daryl Groom who is also a member of the quartet of winemakers who guide spectacular grapes through their evolution into elegant wines. The other three winemakers are vice president Mick Schroeter, Ondine Chattan and Chris Munsell.
If they were handing out awards for the most spectacular view from a winery, there is little doubt that Armida Winery would walk off with a golden statuette. The magnificent display spread before the visitor stretches from the lake just below the picnic deck far down Dry Creek valley and off to the hills on either side. The deck, under the trees, has become a favorite picnic spot for wine lovers and the really great news is that now the deck has been expanded three-fold, with more tables and benches for al fresco dining.