Beyond the cult cabs and posh brands, sometimes one comes across a cabernet sauvignon wine that is a reflection of what the Napa Valley is about, not just in terms of terroir, but in terms of history, friendships and families.  Trivium is such a wine.
Trivium is a 100% cabernet sauvignon wine created by three partners and friends who have left their footprint on dozens of prestigious Napa Valley wines over their long careers, Stu Harrison as a marketer, Jack Stuart as winemaker and Doug Wight, as a 5thgeneration grower.  All three …

When the four acres of hobby zinfandel vineyards at the Smith’s family residence just north of the town of Saint Helena needed to be replanted in the early 1990′s, Jeff Smith sought the advice of leading viticultural expert Dr. Mark Kliewer of UC Davis to evaluate the site.  Dr. Kliewer told Smith that the rocky vineyards were situated at a very unique part of the valley and that it was one of the premier sites for growing cabernet sauvignon.  The vines were thus replanted to cabernet sauvignon in 1992, beginning the legacy of Hourglass wines on both sides of …

Frequent visitors to Napa Valley could drive by the cheery sign “Sunny Acres” on the west side of Highway 29 in Saint Helena several times and never drive in.  It has a “by appointment” sign after all, and one can’t really see anything from the road.  It’s one of those smaller wineries that are overshadowed by the bigger properties so visible right off the highway.  But the long driveway and stand of mature trees is a clue that down the road is an historic estate.  Sunny Acres is the name of the original homestead of Dr. …

Saint Helena is the cradle of winemaking in the Napa Valley. The first commercial winery in the Napa Valley was founded in Saint Helena by Charles Krug, a German immigrant, in 1861. By 1877, Saint Helena was making the majority of the 1,500,000 gallons of wine produced in the Napa Valley.  In fact, it was such an important industry for Saint Helena back then that there were about five times more acres of vineyards planted to grapevines in 1887 than there are today.  After all, the soil was “admirably adapted for …

Saint Helena is in the center of the traditional winegrowing areas in the Napa Valley so it is a good base to discover wine country. Saint Helena is also an attractive place to stay because it is relatively compact, with most shops and restaurants within a four-block area on and around Main Street. It is a small, family-oriented town of about 5,000 residents where one gets the sense that the community spirit has never really changed over the years.
Dining options abound in Saint Helena, from small, local cafes such as …

Spottswoode Estate Vineyard & Winery is located on the original homestead of German immigrant George Schonewald who settled there in 1882 and built the Victorian home that Mary Novak, current owner of the estate winery, calls home today. When she and her physician husband Jack Novak arrived in 1972 to start a new life in the Napa Valley with their five young children, daughter and current President Beth Novak Milliken recalls that her dad just wanted to drive a tractor and mom wanted to be a gardener. They acquired the …

Since the Napa Valley is about food and wine, a great complement to wine-tasting is food-tasting, and there is no better, authoritative place to receive food education than at the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone.  As the CIA is situated in the heart of the Napa Valley, visiting this National Register Historic Landmark is a great way to pace your wine tasting experiences.
With the lastest Flavor Bar, the CIA fills a spectrum of educational experiences for food enthusiasts at all price points that range from the 15-20 minute Flavor Bar to one-hour cooking demos to two-hour, six-hour and multi-day …

The first stage of the larger ‘farmstead’ conceived by Ted, Laddie and Chris Hall of Long Meadow Ranch has been completed with the opening of the wine and olive oil tasting room in Saint Helena on December 28th.  The tasting room is located in the historic Logan Ives House, a gothic revival farmhouse originally built in 1874 which has been faithfully restored by the Halls preserving over 90% of the original materials of the site.  Nearing completion are the adjacent open-air market featuring LMR’s organically grown fruits, vegetables, eggs and …

Saint Helena restaurants of Martini House caliber are not known for value, which makes their “family meals” very special.  “Family meals” are what are normally referred to in the hospitality trade as staff meals prepared for staff before formal service begins.  And if you read the Bon Appetit aricle “First Seating” in the October 2008 issue, or have worked in a fine dining establishment, you have an idea of how good the food can be! 
For those looking for a casual early dinner that is a step-up from the usual cafe, Martini House offers family …

Since the time the original Ehlers Winery in Saint Helena was founded in 1886, the property had been divided up and operated by various owners over the years.  A full century later, a French wine lover Jean Leducq and his wife Silviane began acquiring plots of the original Ehlers’ property – including the historic winery – until they had re-joined the original 14-acre estate.  Acquisitions of adjacent vineyards has enlarged the estate to the current 44 acres of vineyards dedicated to cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cabernet france, petit verdot and sauvignon …