For those of you touring Napa Valley wine country, it’s sometimes nice to spend one day in one place, without a car, but still get the complete food and wine experience.  There are others of you visiting San Francisco who only have a day or two to spend in wine country.  Downtown Napa has more than 20 tasting rooms, wine bars and wine lounges to get a taste of Napa Valley wines, at your convenience.  While the local wine tasting rooms owned by Napa Valley wine producers pour their own …

The new 1313 Main upscale wine bar and lounge in Downtown Napa opens officially on May 27th.  It is the latest addition to Downtown Napa’s wine tasting scene that differentiates itself by offering a range of local and international wines that are hard to find by the glass and available in 2 oz. and 5 oz. pours.  Even better, the price points are accessible, allowing wine lovers to discover wines they wouldn’t normally buy by the bottle.  For example, Kistler Chardonnay at $7 per 2 oz. pour.
According to proprietor and …

Downtown Napa, as the Gateway to the Napa Valley, has a wide range of casual and fine dining to meet every palate and occasion.  There is also a variety of specialty food purveyors, farmers’ markets, bakery/cafes and even take-out that feature what Napa Valley does best, serve up local, fresh and sustainably grown food that is vibrant with flavor.
Reservations Recommended
For serious dining, you don’t need to go up-valley to experience a range of world-class cuisine from French at Michelin star La Toque in the Oxbow District to southern Italian at …

One can’t truly get a sense of our food culture here without visiting the seasonal farmers’ markets in the Napa Valley.  Downtown Napa has two farmers’ markets with slightly different themes but each will appeal to all.
The traditional farmers’ market which features seasonal produce, specialty foods as well as some crafts, operates on Tuesday and Saturday mornings from 7:30 am to noon from May through October.  It is conveniently located next to Oxbow Public Market where there is plenty of street parking.
The other is the Napa Chefs Market on First …

No matter where you turn, Downtown Napa has great bakeries and sweet shops for a relaxing breakfast with coffee, that afternoon treat with tea, a take-out snack or freshly-made bread to bring home.
Model Bakery at Oxbow Public Market is the go-to bakery for artisanal bread made with organic ingredients.  A branch of the Model Bakery in Saint Helena which was established over 80 years ago, the bakery serves a variety of breads – including a to-die-for Fatted Calf bacon bread on weekends – as well as breakfast breads, cakes, cookies, …

Since most visitors to Napa Valley come for the great food and wine, why not learn how Napa Valley cooks and take the knowledge home for a lifetime?  Here are a couple of ideas to to round out your food and wine adventure.
Dinners
Susie Pope, co-proprietor of Cedar Gables Inn, used to run a culinary school in Los Gatos, where her husband worked in high tech.  It was natural that when they renovated the kitchen, that they make a spacious, professional kitchen that guests would feel welcome in.  They offer cooking …

Everyone knows that Champagne is wonderful all-year round, for all meals and courses and for any occasion.  Rosé Champagne is particularly enticing this time of year when the weather warms up and we’re entertaining outside.   Pink Champagne was the only Champagne category to increase market share in 2009 and 2010 and the US was a major reason for the growth.
But have you ever thought of cooking with it?  It may sound luxurious to do so, but one can find a good bottle of pink Champagne for $30-40 and for a …

With today’s value-oriented consumers, everyday wines are nouveau chic.  But the New World didn’t invent inexpensive, everyday wine.  Some of the best values come from Italy and the northern region of the Veneto.  The Veneto is Italy’s largest wine region by production and exports, flying high with inexpensive but absolutely classic and well-made wines such as the white Soave, red Valpolicella and sparkling Prosecco.
The Soave appellation is located just east of the beautiful city of Verona.   The white wines are made principally from the garganega grape which produces a crisp, light- to medium-bodied wine with citrus …

Some of the most popular food wines today are the mostly dry, aromatic whites such as gewurztraminer, pinot gris, pinot blanc, riesling and muscat.  These rich and balanced aromatic whites pair so well with our California, Mediterranean and ethnic foods. 
Once the province of Alsace France, these grapes are now grown around the world.  One of the leading wine regions in the US for these aromatic whites is the Anderson Valley, a 15-mile long, 2,000 acre appellation in Mendocino County that straddles the Navarro River as it heads northwest towards the …

Zinfandel, like most reds, goes great with BBQ and there was plenty of that at the Good Eats & Zinfandel pairing at Fort Mason on Thursday as part of Zinfandel Advocates and Producers’ 20th anniversary celebration.  But with zinfandel’s softer tannin structure and moderate acidity, there is a broader range of dishes it can be enjoyed with, from spicy hot to vegetarian to soups, even sashimi!  Fifty zinfandel producers teamed up with Bay Area chefs to produce mouthwatering pairings that kept throngs of fans crawling the venue.  Here are some …