Five Fun Things to Do in December in the Napa Valley

December 1, 2018 by Joe Becerra 1 Comment

five things to do in the Napa Valley in December

The Inglenook Chateau is beautiful in December. Take a tour or taste wine at this historic Napa Valley winery

Five Fun Things to Do in December in the Napa Valley

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How to have fun in the Napa Valley in December

December and January are certainly the quietest times in the Napa Valley. Fewer tourists come at this period of the year, so everything is much less crowded. Yes, we do have rainy days in these two months, but more than likely there will many sunny and crisp days to enjoy the greatest wine region in the world. Here are five fun things to do in Winter in the Napa Valley.

Pauper’s Feast at the Calistoga Inn

We are on the docket to attend this wonderful local annual event. The Pauper’s Feast is held every December in the restaurant at the Calistoga Inn. The date is Thursday, December 20. There is a set menu at a very reasonable price and a local group that sings Holiday cheer. Reservations are recommended at the Calistoga Inn Restaurant. If you cannot make the Pauper’s Feast, you can substitute a walk up and down the streets of Calistoga. Calistoga is much more laid back than the rest of the Napa Valley. There are plenty of tasting rooms, boutique shops, quaint restaurants, and even a museum. Calistoga rocks!

Visit the Oxbow Public Market

The main portion of the Oxbow Public Market is inside, so when it is raining it’s the perfect place to visit while in Napa. The Oxbow Public Market is a bevy of activity each day. There are artisan vendors selling spices, tea, grass-feed beef, organic produce, plus much more. There are several gourmet fast food services, and two that we can highly recommend are C Casa and Ca’Momi. The Oxbow is an excellent spot to relax and sit while sipping coffee or wine and do some serious people watching.

Wine Country Photography for Wine Lovers. Frame it

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Tour the Inglenook Chateau

Inglenook is the winery that film director Francis Ford Coppola brought back to its former glory. It is a stunning Chateau, as you can see from the photo at the top. The tour is one of the best, as well it should be at the price of $50 per person. The tour gives a fabulous look back at the wine history of the Napa Valley. The Chateau also has a bistro where you can sip wine or expresso and order a cheese plate and just do some serious relaxing. Explore the wine merchandise shop and the memorabilia around the different rooms of the Chateau. Enjoy the scenery of the surrounding vineyards. See Inglenook Experience.

Visit historic Greystone in St. Helena

Greystone was once the home of the Christian Brothers and their winery. Now the Culinary Institute of America runs its educational activities for professionals and non-professionals. The historic building is just north of the downtown area of St. Helena. Explore the culinary shop and take a stroll to see some of the old Christian Brothers Cellars. Also on site is the Wine Spectator Restaurant with terrace views that are spectacular. Greystone was built in 1889. More information on Greystone

Take in the photography exhibit at Mumm Napa and sip some sparkling wine

Over on the Silverado Trail, you will find Mumm Napa, producing excellent sparkling wines. One of the little-known aspects of Mumm Napa is their fantastic art gallery. There are two sections to the art gallery. One has a permanent photo exhibit of selected works of the great Ansel Adams. The other gallery hosts rotating exhibits. Currently, photographs by Todd Hido are on display. Tours and tastings are available for a fee, but the art gallery is open to the public. Check the Mumm Napa Website for complete visiting details.

The Castle is alive and well in the Napa Valley

December 20, 2015 by Joe Becerra

The beautiful Castello di Amorosa – 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 tasting. I have to say that the glitches we encountered back in 2007 were ironed out and we had a most enjoyable tour and tasting led by Anthony Makoujy. The Castle has become an extremely popular winery for wine country travelers. During the summer months, a tour departs every ten minutes. Given that the tour is an hour plus, it is remarkable that they can pull this off. One reason is the vast size of the Castle. It is 121,000 square feet! The Castle is so authentic, a re-creation of a 13th century medieval Tuscan castle. Complete with a dungeon and a torture room, the tour offers a fascinating look at what it is like to be in a real castle. Yes, it is a bit of a Hollywood adventure, but the bottom line is The Castle is a fully-operating winery, producing 25,000 cases of wine each year. The tour takes one through the entire winemaking process from fermentation to the bottle. The owner is Dario Sattui, who also owns and runs the popular V. Sattui winery down the road in St. Helena. Dario purchased the property near Calistoga in 1993 with the idea of growing vineyards there. One idea lead to another, and suddenly Dario Sattui found himself building this amazing Castle in the Napa Valley.

The tour at the Castle includes a barrel sample; ours was the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon. The barrel sample was delicious and, as far as we were concerned, it was ready to be bottled and drunk. It will stay in the barrel several more months and most likely be a fantastic wine. The 2014 vintage may be one of Napa Valley’s best in years. In the tasting room, there are various options for tasting. We chose the reserve tasting. Brooks Painter is the director of winemaking and overseas the wine production at both Castello di Amorosa and V. Sattui. The wines we sampled were very tasty and balanced to perfection. I very much enjoyed the floral and dry Gerwurztraminer, the Anderson Valley Pinot Noir, and the beautiful 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon. This Cab was from the same vineyard as the 2014 we tasted in the barrel. Since the emphasis is Tuscan at the Castle, the winery also produces many fine Italian wines. Our favorites were the Sangiovese and the Super Tuscan, the La Castellana. One of the amazing facts about the wine produced at the Castle is that none of it is distributed. All the wine is sold at the winery, to wine club members, or online. This can be contributed to the very large numbers who visit The Castle and, of course, the quality of the wine.

If you would like to visit The Castle check the Website for a variety of tours and tastings and schedule your visit. The winery is easy to miss because it is not in view from Highway 29. The winery is almost to the town of Calistoga. Once you pass the Bothe State Park, driving north, begin to look for the Castello di Amorosa signage. There is a left turn lane just as you approach the entrance to the Castle. Our tour guide Anthony was terrific. He was very knowledgable but very simple with explanations, knowing that several on our tour were wine newbies. I can’t speak for all the tour guides at the Castle, but Anthony was very good and not over the top.

A quick slide show of Castello di Amorosa

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Cafe Sarafornia – best breakfast in the Napa Valley

September 19, 2015 by Joe Becerra

Cafe Sarafornia on Lincoln in Calistoga

Cafe Sarafornia – best breakfast in the Napa Valley

What folks like about Cafe Sarafornia in Calistoga is not just the variety of good breakfast food but the homey and relaxed atmosphere of the spot. It is popular among locals and regular visitors to this end of the Napa Valley. Even on weekdays during the summer, there is a wait outside to get into this happening spot. Like many businesses in Calistoga, it is historic, with a starting date of 1890. So where does the name Sarafornia come from? You can read it above the breakfast counter when dining at Cafe Sarafornia. Apparently, Sam Brannan, the founder of Calistoga, had a little too much whiskey one night. He slurred a few words and mixed up others, and said Sarafornia instead of California and Calistoga instead of Saratoga. Thus became Calistoga and later Cafe Sarafornia. Cafe Sarafornia also serves lunch, but breakfast is the main attraction. It is fun to stroll the downtown streets of Calistoga. The buildings are old and funky, and the clientele is not as snobbish as you might find in other parts of the Napa Valley. There are also plenty of tasting rooms along Lincoln Avenue to keep one busy all day long.

Other important Calistoga information

Sam Brannan and Sarfornia

Wine Country Backroads – Tubbs Lane

February 8, 2015 by Joe Becerra

Chateau Montelena on Tubbs Lane in Calistoga

Wine Country Backroads – Tubbs Lane

This is the third in a series of articles on great wine country backroads. Today we feature the wine country backroad of Tubbs Lane in Calistoga. The town of Calistoga is a great place to lodge and dine, and is a slower pace than the rest of the Napa Valley. It is more laid back and looks much like it did 50 years ago. To get to Tubbs Lane: At the Stop Sign on Highway 29 in Calistoga, where one turns right onto Lincoln Avenue and the downtown, head straight towards Highway 128. It is clearly marked. Drive north 3 miles and turn right onto Tubbs Lane. There are three wineries to visit along Tubbs Lane. Summers Winery and Envy Wines are just about across the street from one another. Summers winery is small and family owned. Our favorite wine here is the Summers Charbono. There are only a handful of Charbono vineyards left in Calistoga, and very few wineries produce this delicious food-friendly red wine. Envy wines is a collaboration between two famous winemakers, Mark Carter and Nils Venge. Down Tubbs Lane to the east from Summer and Envy is one of Napa Valley’s most famous wineries, Chateau Montelena. It is historic, not only because of the beautiful Chateau, but its 1973 Chardonnay came in first in the “Judgement of Paris” in a blind tasting of Chardonnay wines from California and France. Chateau Montelena also has a fantastic pond and setting. Hopefully, you’ll be allowed to have a picnic lunch near the pond. The setting is beauitful, even more so sipping a class of Chateau Montelena Riesling or Chardonnay.

Additional information on Tubbs Lane Backroad

All Seasons Bistro in Calistoga – Try it!

September 19, 2014 by Joe Becerra

All Seasons Bistro at 1400 Lincoln in Calistoga.

All Seasons Bistro

Caesar with prawns

The All Seasons Bistro is one of our favorite restaurants in the Napa Valley. It is located in Calistoga across the street from the more popular Brannan’s Restaurant. Four of us dined there for lunch this past Thursday, September 18. As always, the food was delicious and the service excellent. Three of us had the Caesar Salad but with a different choice of add ons. The Four Seasons Bistro Caesar can come with grilled Salmon, chicken, prawns or just plain. The other person in our lunch group had the pulled pork sandwich. The All Seasons Bistro has an extensive wine list as well as a hardy selection of wines by the glass and half carafe. They also have a nice choice of beers.

Pulled pork sandwich

This cozy Calistoga restaurant has won numerous accolades, but the one most proving fact is that they have been serving diners for the past 31 years. If a restaurant can survive that long, you know it has to be good. The owners are Gayle Keller-Dierkhising and Alex Dierkhising. They also own the more casual Hydro restaurant across the street on Lincoln. I was surprised All Seasons wasn’t busier this day. Calistoga is jumping with wine country travelers. Perhaps the décor gives the restaurant a misleading feel to it. It is definitely worth a try for lunch or dinner should you be hanging out around Calistoga.

Additional information about Calistoga

Grandview Hotel in St. Helena

September 3, 2014 by Joe Becerra

Historic Acacia House built in 1907 will become the Grandview Hotel

About the Grandview Hotel in St. Helena

This is the old Acacia House that was built in 1907. It sits up on a hill directly opposite Pratt Road in St. Helena. It is also next door to the beautiful, historic Beringer Vineyards. The old Acacia House is being remodeled and restored and will become the Grandview Hotel, a 57-room luxury hotel. Completion date for the Grandview is set for the Spring of 2016. The hotel will also house an upscale restaurant, a spa, meeting rooms, and have a large grassy area for various events . This hotel development comes on top of two other hotel projects to the north. The Freemark Abbey Winery is set to break ground on a hotel and wedding center that will have some 90 rooms. Over on the Silverado Trail, and across from the Solage Resort, the Silver Rose Resort construction is just about to begin. The Silver Rose Resort will have 84 rooms and include a restaurant, a winery, and 20 private homes. In downtown Napa, the Archer Hotel is set to begin construction in the Fall of this year. Read more about the the Napa Valley developments in this article, the Napa Valley is Booming,

It is rather amazing to see all these hotel developments taking place at once. What will the result be in terms of traffic congestion and the impact on existing hotels, B&B’s and motels in the area between St. Helena and Calistoga? Traffic in downtown St. Helena crawls on weekends and the same can be said for afternoons on weekdays. Will our economy continue to grow and attract more and more visitors to the Napa Valley? These are big companies that are developing these hotels, and I am sure they have done enough research and studies to indicate a successful investment in these projects.

Additional information on St. Helena hotels and restaurants

Calistoga’s new logo

August 2, 2013 by joe

Napa Valley News

Calistoga’s new logo and slogan

We just learned that the Napa Valley Tourism Improvement District Committee and the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce have collaborated on adapting a brand new logo and slogan for Calistoga. What do think about this?

I am not worried in the least that Calistoga is going to change. The logo and motto may be new, but Calistoga remains very much like it was the first time we visited in the mid 1960’s. We like Calistoga the way it is now. We travel up and down the Valley, but most often we hang out in Calistoga for these reasons. Primarily, it is more laid back, less chic and swanky than the rest of the Napa Valley. Lodging and restaurants are overall less expensive. Although the logo is very fancy and the motto “Make Napa Valley Yours” is inviting, I’m almost sure that Calistoga will remain the same good old-fashioned town, and be a constant reminder of what the Napa Valley was like before it became a popular wine country destination. I sure hope so!

Here is a very short video showing you our favorite spots in Calistoga.

Napa Valley Harvest Begins

Can you believe that the very first grapes are being harvested as of August 1st? These are Pinot Noir grapes used for sparkling wines. The winery harvesting is Mumm Napa and others are sure to follow soon. Word has it that, as of the beginning of August, the grapes are ripening one week to 10 days earlier than the norm. If warm weather continues, this could be one of the earliest harvests on record. Get your cameras ready and head to the Napa Valley and witness one of the most spectacular moments in the year of the grape.

Pinot Noir for sparkling wine

Family Winemakers’ Tasting at Fort Mason offering 20% discount

This is one of my favorites of the large wine tasting events open to the public. You get a chance to meet many winemakers and wine owners, and the event seems to be more civilized than some of the other ones that we attend. Patrons seem to be more serious about discovering new wines and less about seeing how fast and hard they can toss down a taste of wine. The cost of the tickets varies but if you put in the access code “wine10,” you will get a 20% discount off the ticket price. The event takes place August 17th-18th at the Fort Mason Center. Check the Family Winemakers’ Website for ticket information.

Meritage Resort Update

The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa has just opened a brand new deck in its hillside vineyards. The deck and pre-function area are designed for events of up to 200 ranging from destination weddings to corporate/group wine receptions without ever having to leave the resort. Check it out at the Meritage Resort Website