Archive for the ‘Napa Valley’ Category

Oct 13, 2017

The Heroic Efforts of Wine Writer Sarah Stierch During the Wine Country Fires

In moments of disaster, there are always people who step up and go well beyond what could well be expected of them. At 4:11am on Monday Morning, Sarah Stierch, a wine writer located in the town of Sonoma, set out on what has and continues to be a heroic effort to keep her community members informed during what is surely the most trying moments of their lives. At 4:11am on that early morning Sarah sent out this message via Twitter: Westside of…

Oct 12, 2017

What Happens When the Napa Fires Are Out?

What happens when the fires are out? Clearly, that depends on what you’ve suffered or not suffered. But the question isn’t directed at any individual or at individuals at all. It is directed at the “Napa Valley”. Napa Valley is in the business of growing grapes, making wine and selling that wine. It’s in the business of hospitality. Hosting. The key issue for the industry (and the entire community that depends on the successful industry) is demonstrating to potential customers…

Oct 4, 2017

A Little Hell Just Broke Loose in Napa Wine Country

A little bit of hell broke loose in Napa Valley recently. And the devil still seems to be on the loose. In 2016 a group of “environmentalists” who seem to be bent on rolling back the wine industry in the Valley gathered enough signatures to put an “Oak Woodlands Preservation” initiative on the local ballot. It was an onerous piece of legislation that would have essentially removed property owners’ rights to plant new vineyards in the Valley because five-inch wide…

Oct 3, 2017

Top Ten Wine Country Golf Courses

This is the week the Professional Golf Tour comes to Wine Country in the form of the Safeway Open being played at Silverado Country Club in Napa. By all accounts, it’s becoming a more and more popular stop on the top professional golf tour based on its location and the hospitality of the Silverado Country Club. Equally alluring is that it occurs in the middle of harvest. In honor of the Tour coming to Napa this week and the deep…

May 30, 2017

Money, Power, Reputation and the Napa Valley Wine Auction

The most startling thing about the Napa Valley Auction, which happens this coming weekend, is the remarkable concentration of wealth it attracts. But this is what is required in order for the event to raise the remarkable sums for local charities. Still, it’s startling. One of the best ways to witness this conspicuous monetary power is to position yourself somewhere near southern Napa on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week and observe the air traffic overhead. You’ll see a…