The event was the epitome of "Napa Valley experience," focusing on the distinguished wines from NVV member wineries, the culinary excellence of the region's chefs and restaurateurs, the renowned hospitality of the vintners and the collaborative effort in the Napa Valley with over 800 local volunteers.
Perhaps only in Northern California do family garages double as wineries and neighborhood potlucks as culinary gridirons.
"49 Square Tours was created to celebrate San Francisco's vibrant industry, from our urban wineries to local manufacturers to culinary artists to innovative technology start-ups.
The author, who works for the Avignonesi winery in Montepulciano and who conducts culinary tours of Italy, pairs faces with the foods.
Most recently he was the culinary director at Peconic Bay Winery in Cutchogue.
Lots of concentration in the fruit". As with any special event at Cakebread, the meal that evening was overseen by Chef Brian Streeter, the culinary director at the winery.
If my wallet was fat, it'd be into the hills for the culinary lunch tour at Chalk Hill Winery which has executive chef Didier Ageorges' incredible French-inspired food, and equally incredible valley views.
All that architectural touring and artistic strolling left me famished, so I took a 10-minute drive in search of a culinary respite at the Mission Estate Winery in the Taradale Hills above Napier.
Various companies have partnered with culinary magazines, Michelin-starred restaurants and wineries, but Tourissimo, a Boston and Turin based company specializing in high-end cycling trips to Italy (I've written about them here before), is taking it a step further, with acclaimed chefs and food experts leading special trips to the country's gastronomic epicenters.
That old Napa mystique took hold again last fall when I and my husband, Richard Falcone, drove through that enchanted area, this time bypassing wineries to save time for farms, cheesemakers and restaurants, among other culinary diversions.
"From the beginning, even when it was a humble list of 80 or so items, Trotter always attracted top winemakers and winery owners from California and the rest of the world because of the culinary excellence in the restaurant.
