Napa Valley Tasting Room Index 2016

Napa tasting room fees

What it will cost you to taste wine in the Napa Valley in 2016 This is our third year of calculating the Napa Valley Tasting Room Index.  Its purpose is to give travelers a rough estimate of what it costs in fees to taste wine in the Napa Valley.  We are using the same tasting rooms that … Read more

Rombauer – the innovator

optical grape sorter

We were invited to a press event at Rombauer Vineyards in St. Helena last week. We had been to the Rombauer tasting room on several occasions, but this event was a special look inside the Rombauer Vineyards cellars with winemaker Richie Allen and KR Rombauer III. Did we ever learn a lot about Rombauer wines!  Everyone knows … Read more

The Castle is alive and well in the Napa Valley

Castello di Amoroso - The Castle

The Castle – Castello di Amorosa Shortly after the Castello di Amorosa opened in 2007, Janelle and I booked ourselves a tour and tasting at the Castle. Eight years later, the Castle is alive and well in the Napa Valley. We visited again this past Thursday with friends and took the basic tour and had the reserve … Read more

Napa Valley Fall News

napa valley thanksgiving

November is one of our favorite times in the Napa Valley wine country. We love the colors and crispness in the air. November is much less crowded (Thanksgiving Weekend excepted) and it’s a lot easier to navigate the Valley. The same goes for December, but this year might be different with El Niño coming into … Read more

Plan Now for Thanksgiving Weekend in the Napa Valley

napa valley thanksgiving

One of the busiest weekends the entire year in the Napa Valley is Thanksgiving weekend. Family and friends from out of town are likely not to be traveling home until Sunday and one of the many things to do in the San Francisco Bay Area is visit the Napa Valley wine country.

Monticello and Corley Family Wines

Monticello in the Napa Valley

Monticello and Corley Family Wines Thomas Jefferson was a wine lover extraordinaire. He collected French wines and tried to grow grapes and make wine at his Monticello home in Virginia. The Corley Family, with ancestral ties to Virginia, have taken the Jefferson love of wines to the Napa Valley. They have their own Monticello and excellent … Read more

Kelly Fleming Wines

kelly fleming winery

Kelly Fleming Wines – a hidden winery in Calistoga Looking for something a little different in wineries? Kelly Fleming just might be a good choice. It is small, boutique, and very much off the beaten path in the Napa Valley. It is located way up north on Pickett Road near Calistoga. Kelly Fleming is the … Read more

Young Inglewood Vineyards – Napa Valley Boutique Winery

Jim Young Vintner

Young Inglewood off the beaten path in St. Helena For those who enjoy visiting Napa Valley boutique and hidden gems, is one to add to your list of must explore wineries.  The winery produces only 600 cases of wine and the location is hidden near the end of Inglewood Avenue. Inglewood Avenue branches off Highway 29 in St. … Read more

Napa Valley Bits & Pieces of News – Wine Train Debacle

train napa

Is Wine Tasting in the Napa Valley a Whites only activity? The recent Wine Train debacle where a women’s book club of 10 Black women and one white woman were kicked off the wine train brought something clearly to my attention. We visit many tasting rooms in the Napa Valley and Sonoma, as frequently as … Read more

Five unusual meals to try in the Napa Valley

Napa Valley is known all over the world for fantastic wine, but good wine is even better with good food. All the things that make Napa a wonderful place for growing grapes and making wine, make Napa a dream come true for foodies everywhere. Next time you’re in the Napa area, try one of these … Read more