Opening day for the Napa Farmers Market always feels like summer.  It’s sunny, people stroll around leisurely in their shorts and sandals as if on vacation.  We’re lured out of hibernation by the colorful selection of the season’s first crops, the scent of flowers and by the taste of a juicy strawberry.  But the farmers market is much more that just a ‘market’, it’s a communal experience where everyone cares deeply about one thing:  local, sustainably-grown and flavorful food.  It’s a chance to engage with growers and producers and to …

As weekend getaways go, Bodega Bay doesn’t have the caché of Carmel, the affluent hippie vibe of Mendocino, or the international draw of wine country.  It’s actually not that far north of San Francisco as the crow flies, but it takes time to get there on single-lane roads. Because of its relative remoteness, Bodega Bay is somewhat stuck in time in the 1950′s and 60′s, and that is what makes it so attractive for those of us who return again and again.
The Food Scene
Nowadays, Bodega Bay is becoming a foodie …

As Americans become more ‘green’ and support local food, we honor those on this Earth Day weekend who help farmers, nurserymen, chefs and home gardeners grow their crops.  Yesterday, on Earth Day, I met Maya Shiroyama and Jim Ryugo, owners of Kitazawa Seed Co., two Bay Area heroes of the local food movement.  I say heroes because they rescued the seed company that by 2000 was struggling financially and would have closed were it not for their taking over the business.  And they did so not to make money since …

 
How green is my valley?  National lists ranking the greenest cities in the U.S. usually include the following factors:  mass transit, walkable streets, clean energy, resource conservation, recycling, locally produced food and lots of inviting outdoor spaces.  By these measures, Napa Valley is the greenest wine destination in more ways that one.  Here are several ways to celebrated Earth Day, everyday in Napa Valley.
1.  Plant a garden.  Forni Brown Welsh, provider of organic specialty fruit, vegetables and herbs to Napa Valley’s finest restaurants for 30 years, is open to the …

Slovenia always seemed so foreign to me.  If I didn’t know where it was, how good could their wines be?  I first became familiar with Slovenia the wine region when I read a Wine & Spirits magazine article about the Istrian Peninsula, where a tiny piece of Italy, Slovenia and Croatia meet on its western coast.  Then I met Slovenian winemaker Bojan Kobal in Stellenbosch a couple of years ago where we were fellow wine judges at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards.   Kobal is everything you hope for when …