Archive for the ‘Napa Valley’ Category

Mar 1, 2017

Bring Kids to Napa Wine Country — A Bad Idea

It probably seems like a good idea when the kids are finally down and you are at the computer with a nice glass of wine in your hand. Sure, why not plan a little family vacation to Napa Valley, kids and all? Here’s the truth. It’s not a good idea. In fact, it’s a bad idea. Let’s be very clear. One goes to Disneyland to immerse the kids in the magic of Disney and ride some rides. One heads to…

Dec 18, 2016

Wine, Winter, Cassoulet and Napa’s Chill

The days are becoming quite short here in Napa Valley, again. We’ve also had unusually chilly weather. It’s nothing like what our friends in the Upper Midwest and eastward are confronting. There they get industrial grade cold. No, it’s merely unusually chilly here. Low 30s. High 20s. Still, the cold and the short nights, along with the barren vines, remind us we do in fact live through seasons and winter is one of them. For me, the physical onset of…

Nov 15, 2016

Top 10 Out-of-the-Way Napa Town Stops for Culinary Hedonists

Followers of FERMENTATION know that I live in the town of Napa and am a booster of this town. Simply put, I believe the town of Napa is now one of best attractions the Napa Valley offers visitors. So I thought it time I offered up my current picks for The Top Ten Below-The-Radar Napa Culinary Hedonism Joints. These are the lesser known, out-of-the-way, don’t-miss, and smaller joints that are often overlooked by visitors to the town of Napa who…

Nov 14, 2016

Will the Replanting of Napa Vineyards Bring Diversity?

As Napa grape growers replace their vines, will the composition of varieties planted in the region change to accommodate the recent broadening of tastes? This is the really interesting question that one can take away from a recent article in Wines and Vines that reports a majority of Napa growers will be replacing their vines by 2017. The cause of the replanting rush is Pierce’s Disease: “Pressure from grapevine red blotch-associated virus and Pierce’s disease is one of the main…