Fritz Underground Winery began in the late 1970s under the ownership of the late Jay Fritz. Jay was one of the many winery owners and winemakers that emerged from my alma mater, Saint Ignatius High School in San Francisco. Perhaps it was his S.I. academics that gave him the insight to construct a winery entirely built … Read more
We travel to California wine country often and, within the last year and a half, we have discovered five wineries who are using concrete eggs for either fermenting or aging wine. The eggs are limited in use at these five wineries, with stainless tanks and oak barrels the mainstay of wine production. But the concrete egg … Read more
This is fig season so why not try making a perfect fig pizza in your oven or on the BBQ grill. I got this recipe for fig pizza thanks to Chef Matt Paille, who created this pizza during his stint at the Manzinata Restaurant in Healdsburg. It really is a fabulous and delicious pizza even … Read more
Last Wednesday we had the chance to tour and taste at Hall winery in St. Helena. Our previous visit to Hall was in November 2006. What dramatic changes since our last visit! In 2013, the Hall winery opened a new winery facility and hospitality center. The owners are Kathyrn Hall and Craig Hall, both successful in business, … Read more
We have reposted this article that was published a few years back. Our photos were lost in the “Cloud” so we needed to redo the photos and publish again. This winery has been on West Dry Creek Road since 1986 when just a handful of wineries were located on this beautiful backroad in the Dry … Read more
I last did a post on Mustards Grill in June of 2008 for their 25th anniversary. I am overdue for an update on one of the oldest and most popular restaurants in the Napa Valley. Mustards Grill in Yountville has stood the test of time. Now in its 31st year, it is as popular as ever. It is … Read more
We thought Elizabeth’s paintings were so beautiful and interesting that we asked her to write a guest blog. What initially caught our attention were her wine-related works. Be sure to check out her website for these and other paintings. We hope to see more of them in wine country art galleries. www.artbybollwitt.com Hello, my name … Read more
Williams Selyem and Pinot Noir Along the beautiful backroad of Westside Road in the Russian River Valley lies this spectacular winery hidden from view. No winery sign, just an address at the driveway identifies where visitors should turn into the gated entrance. The Williams Selyem winery is open to visitors by appointment, and only to those on their allocation list. Williams … Read more
The Gardens at Ferrari-Carano In the Dry Creek Valley there is a wine country attraction not to be missed. It is the gorgeous garden setting at Ferrari-Carano Vineyards & Winery. Each season of the year brings a fresh set of blooming plants with fantastic colors to the Ferrari-Carano gardens. The highlight of the garden season at Ferrari-Carano is … Read more
Some say Yountville is the most chic town in the Napa Valley. We think it all began with the French Laundry, one of the world’s most famous restaurants established by chef Thomas Keller. Slowly, but surely, the French Laundry was followed by more of Thomas Keller restaurants and others gourmet dining. Gourmet dining was followed … Read more