Napa Valley – WineFashionista

Women of the Vine Global Symposium: A Gathering in Napa Valley

Wine

Women of the Vine Grand Tasting 2014. Courtesy Women of the Vine

Deborah Brenner is a connector. She wrote the book “Women of the Vine” in 2006 about women’s roles the wine industry, and ever since, she’s been bringing women together to further their careers in the wine world.

“The theme of the book was about breaking the glass ceiling in the wine industry,” says Brenner, who left a job as a marketing executive to pursue a passion for wine. She wrote about the inspiring women she traveling through wine country, a who’s who of winemakers including Gina Gallo, Heidi Peterson Barrett and Merry Edwards. They all shared the stories behind their own labels and the trials encountered on their way to the top.

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The Best English Muffin in the World is in Napa Valley

Food

Where do wine country locals go in Napa Valley when they need a carb fix? The Model Bakery of course. For 30 years Model Bakery has been luring folks in for the mouthwatering pastries and bread. But the one item Model is known best for is their world famous English Muffin. People line up for the 1000+ muffins Model makes daily. I produced this story for the new TV show Kristy Downing Rocks Local Food where we reveal the secrets of creating these fluffy and airy one-of-a-kind English Muffin.

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A New View for Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

Wineries

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars in Napa Valley will be forever known as the winery that beat the French. Many people know the role that the winery’s 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon played in bringing worldwide attention to America’s premier wine country. This wine beat the best of the French Bordeaux in the famous 1976 Paris Tasting, where French judges tasted California and French wines blind. Stag’s Leap was the number one red; the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay, also from Napa, was the number one white. That ’73 Cab was made by Warren Winiarski. 38 years later, Winiarski, who retired and sold the winery to a joint venture of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Marchesi Antinori, of the Italian winemaking family Antinori in 2007, was on hand to celebrate the opening of a $7 million visitor’s center overlooking the vineyard that grew the grapes for that earth shattering wine, the S.L.V. Vineyard,…

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Red Wines, Good Times in Napa Valley #NapaStrong

Wine

Kathryn Hall knows how to throw a party. Maybe it’s because she spent four years as the United States Ambassador to Austria during the Clinton administration. But I think she just loves to have fun and enjoys seeing her guests have a great time. This past weekend at Hall Wines in Napa Valley, the scene was literally set in red – huge red sofas placed everywhere in a large grass courtyard. I thought they were leather at first, but they are actually some sort of inflatable material. Fun, clever and definitely eye-catching. You could also play I Love Lucy and stomp on freshly picked Merlot grapes that will go into making wine. My feet are in the 2014 Merlot. I’ll have to get a bottle when it is released. We were all at Hall for the release of the 2011 Kathryn Hall Cabernet, her top-of-the line signature wine. It’s a blend of…

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#NapaQuake: How You Can Help Keep #NapaStrong

Wine

Bottle shock. Crushed. Shaken, not stirred. Whatever word you choose to describe it, the 6.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked Napa Valley early Sunday morning has left behind more than spilled wine. More than 100 homes and buildings red-tagged. The facade of the beautiful Vintner’s Collective building gone. Homes shaken off foundations, cracks in walls, chimneys toppled. Countless glasses, plates and other personal possessions shattered. Gallons and gallons of wine lost. All this happening as harvest is underway. Winemakers who lost tanks and barrels are scrambling to find ones they can borrow or rent so they can press, ferment and store the new wines coming in as we speak. Some producers lost freshly made wines from the current vintage, but they also lost library wines — collections of wine going back years, if not decades. Wineries also lost wine in barrel that hadn’t made it to bottle yet, as barrels…

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Sophia Loren Brings the Stars Out in Napa Valley

Wine

Photos by Jon Orlin On Saturday night stars were shining at Far Niente Winery for an evening of Bella Italia! A Tribute to Sophia Loren, the most coveted ticket at this year’s Festival del Sole. This just may be the most star-studded night in the nine seasons of the of festival. Napa Valley is used to its share of celebrities. But not many events can hold a candle to Whoopi Goldberg, Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Redford, and the ultimate star, Sophia Loren, under one tent. I’ve been to my fair share of special nights in wine country, but this evening tops them all. I got to shake hands with Sophia Loren. The grande signora of the Italian silver screen was in Napa Valley for the world premiere of Sinfonietta per Sofia, a tribute in her honor. The work, composed by Daniel Brewbaker, was performed by the LA Virtuosi, a…

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Dress to the Vines is Back!

Fashionista

For the second year, Jessup Cellars in Napa Valley is bringing style to Wine Country. That’s right, the fabulous event, Dress to the Vines, is back! And I’ll be joining in once again, pairing the wonderful wines from Jessup Cellars with artisan perfumer Sarah Horowitz Parfums amazing fragrances. This is an olfactory experience you don’t want to miss. “Our belief is that the Napa Valley has more than just influenced the culinary landscape of America, it’s also setting trends for style and fashion from coast-to-coast,” says Joel Quigley of Jessup Cellars. “This is what we’re celebrating!” Yountville, in the heart of Napa Valley and home to Jessup is fashion central for three days and nights June 26th to June 28th. On June 26 the Dress to the Vines weekend kicks-off poolside at the Bardessono Hotel & Spa with the hotel’s Dive Bar Fashion Party2, from 6-8 pm. This is where…

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A Personal Journey to Eonian Wine

Wine

Wayne Donaldson is a year and two vintages into his own wine label Eonian. After about 20 years in the wine business, working in Australia and California, he “decided it was time to do something personal.” I first met Wayne in 2002, when we he was Vice President of Winemaking and Vineyards at Domaine Chandon, the sparkling wine house in Napa Valley, and we were shooting one of the very first episodes for the show I produced, In Wine Country, on NBC. I’ll never forget him showing us how to saber open a bottle of sparkling wine. It was the coolest thing I’d ever seen. A few years later we shot a story with Wayne going mountain biking on the grounds around Domaine Chandon, another super fun shoot. So when I heard he was launching his own wine label, I had to get the lowdown. “Eonian the name means…

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Wellness in Wine Country

Wine

The biggest trend in wine country these days isn’t the latest technology advances in winemaking or the up and coming varietals you’ve never heard of like Ribolla Gialla and Fruliano. In a word it’s wellness. When it comes to balancing mind, body and spirit, look to Napa Valley wineries, vineyards, hotels and beyond for an array of innovative ways to detox. Of course a little retox with a glass of wine afterwards is always allowed. Adjust Your Frequency Upon arrival in Napa Valley, you’ll want to make your first stop The Spa at Napa River Inn. Step into this jewel box of a spa retreat and you’ll feel like you’re worlds away. Hard to believe this little stand alone building was at one time the local Napa police station. Owner Jeanette O’Gallagher has created a calm oasis within. Recover from the stress in your life with the Adjust Your Frequency…

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The Birth of a Wine Culture in South Korea

Wine

How do you create a wine culture where none exists? South Koreans have had a long history of a drinking culture, favoring Soju, a distilled spirit similar to vodka but very cheap. Wine was not on the table, not even in five star restaurants or hotels as recently as the 1990s. That didn’t deter Hi Sang Lee. He is a very patient man. He wanted to share his newly found love of fine wine with friends in Korea. Lee’s wine moment happened on a ski trip with friends in Stowe, Vermont. Up to this point Lee really wasn’t a drinker. One of his wine loving friends opened some good French wine. “It was like paradise,” Lee says, and the wine bug bit. He began buying wine, storing it in a friend’s basement. But he had a problem. How to get it back home to South Korea? “So I started a…

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