CALIFORNIA'S NAPA WINE

COUNTRY

by Lee Foster

Much to the envy of other wine-producing areas in California, the Napa Valley retains its position in the imagination of wine travelers as The Wine Country. Napa acquired the reputation because the area was so important in the era when Americans re-discovered wine, circa 1950-1970. The compact, 35-mile stretch of vineyards from Carneros to Mt. St. Helena also possesses extraordinary natural beauty as a well-proportioned valley between the Mayacamas and Howell mountains. Today the more than 250 Napa wineries that welcome visitors continue to produce some of California's outstanding wines. Moreover, the wineries themselves are handsome architectural statements.

Of the many grapes grown in the 24,000 acres planted in the Napa Valley, several stand prominently above the crowd. They are Cabernet, Merlot, and Zinfandel among the reds, plus Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling among the whites. Napa is the premier region in California for Cabernet, partly because of the dependable sun and moderate warmth, which is somewhat similar to maritime Bordeaux. Chardonnay also does very well here.

Cabernet produces a more consistent wine in Napa than in its native Bordeaux because the vintners of Napa (and California generally) manage the vines more actively. In Bordeaux, if there is drought, the vineyard manager can do nothing more than genuflect before the forces of nature and the legal restrictions of the 1855 law that prevents irrigation. In Napa, drought provokes the vineyard manager to turn on the sprinklers. Frost is another threat to vines in Bordeaux, but not in Napa, where overhead sprinklers eliminate the frost problem. The long, dry summers of the Napa Valley are ideal for grape development in Cabernet and other varietals. Only the occasional unseasonal rain, especially as the harvest time nears in late August and September, causes concern for the vineyard manager. In Napa, Cabernet is made into either a big wine or a more accessible wine, soon drinkable, depending on the marketing goal and aesthetic position of the winemaker. All the wineries of the Napa region benefit from technological changes in vineyard management and wine production advanced at the California agricultural colleges, with the University of California at Davis the leader in matters enological.

Chardonnay, the premier white wine from Napa, tends to be produced in a fruitier and sweeter manner than the typical Chardonnay of Burgundy. The low yield of Chardonnay grapes and the high demand for white wines make Chardonnay as expensive as Cabernet in Napa.

Zinfandel or Merlot among the reds and Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling among the whites are the second grapes of Napa. A dozen other grapes have lesser roles in Napa, such as Pinot Noir.

The ritual of wine tasting in the Napa Valley begins when you drive to the winery and enter the tasting room. You may be invited to taste directly or you may be escorted on a tour of the winemaking operation first. The tour, typically, is a one-hour experience that explains the entire winemaking process, from fermentation through aging. A tour is highly recommended for the first-time visitor. If you have gone to Napa before, you will probably wish to bypass the tour entirely or take no more than one tour per day. Visiting hours at Napa wineries are generally 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m., seven days a week, and some of the tastings are gratis, part of the public relations effort of the winery. At the tasting room you can also purchase the company's wines, but at a price similar to the liquor store price. The wineries can usually arrange shipment to your home.

The best way to encounter the Napa Valley is to drive up the valley, touring and tasting at wineries. My favorite time here is an autumn weekend in October when the vines have turned flaming red, the harvest is in frenetic process, and there is a nip of autumn chill in the air. However, this is also a busy time, and you will get more personal attention at other times of the year. Part of the pleasure of the Napa Valley is its pleasing proportion, its manageable size, and its human scale, when compared with the vastness of other areas of California.

GETTING TO THE NAPA WINE COUNTRY

The Napa Valley is an hour by car from San Francisco or the East Bay. There are two routes up. From San Francisco, drive north on Highway 101 and turn east onto Highway 37, then 121-12, connecting with Highway 29 in the Napa Valley. From the East Bay, the Oakland-Berkeley region, drive north on Interstate 80, then west at Vallejo, until you reach Highway 29. Once in the Napa Valley, you will need a car to drive around to the various wineries and to explore the small towns.

NAPA WINE COUNTRY HISTORY

Wine is the single dominant focus in the Napa Valley today, but that has not always been so. Stop at the Bale Grist Mill in Bothe-Napa State Park to learn about the early wheat and corn heyday of the valley. This grist mill ground wheat to feed hungry gold miners after the 1848 discovery of gold. In 1847 flour sold for 1.5 cents a pound. By 1849, flour had risen to $1.50 a pound as hundreds of thousands of miners descended on California. Wheat was the first major crop in the Napa Valley. The wheat boom lasted until 1869 when the transcontinental railroad pushed across the Sierra, allowing the trains to bring back the superior hard winter red wheat of the Great Plains. The winter wheat had a higher gluten content that resulted in a superior, lighter bread, which put California wheat out of business overnight.

However, the wine story also started early. Gustave Niebaum, a Finnish sea captain, traveled inland to form the Inglenook Winery in the Napa Valley. The German Beringer brothers and Charles Krug were other early planters. Some vines had been planted at the most northerly California mission, in Sonoma, but they were not grapes of the vinifera class associated with modern gustatory pleasures.

It is instructive to read a book by Frona Waite, written in the 1870s, describing California wine production. Wine was already at that time a big business here.

One of the charming early observers was Robert Louis Stevenson, who stayed here from 1880 to1881, and whose memorabilia are gathered in a small museum in St. Helena. The Silverado Museum (1490 Library Street, St. Helena, 707/963-3757) is well worth a stop. Stevenson wrote a bucolic little volume called THE SILVERADO SQUATTERS that described his stay here, including his visit to the Schramsberg Winery, an early maker of champagne. You can still visit Schramsberg today. Stevenson tasted about 15 champagnes with the proprietor of Schramsberg. Seven miles northeast of Calistoga along Highway 29 there is a lovely undeveloped park, named after Stevenson, near the summit of Mt. St. Helena. Here, in a rude cabin, Stevenson regained his health, celebrated his marriage, and launched himself on his literary career. You can hike up to his cabin site.

Prohibition dealt a severe blow to the Napa Valley. As single-crop farmers, the growers felt the harshness of The Great Experiment to its fullest impact. Even after this 1919-1933 aberration passed into history, the vineyards suffered a generation of neglect. Winemakers were not seen then as artists, but as gangsters. The vines planted were rough grapes like Carignane, tough enough to ship on boxcars to families who were allowed to make their 50 gallons per year of household wine during Prohibition. Ambitious young men in wine families went on to other pursuits. Fortunately, all this has changed, but only starting in the 1960s.

NAPA WINE COUNTRY MAJOR ATTRACTIONS

Your challenge in the Napa Wine Country is which of the valley's many wineries to visit. Usually it is prudent to visit about three wineries in a day's outing. For a good map, pick up the free WINE COUNTRY REVIEW, available everywhere in the valley. Here are two good possible plans for visits to Napa Valley wineries:

Visit three or four well-known names that have strong tours, tastings, and attractive architecture: Domaine Chandon, Mondavi, Beringer, and Sterling in that order.

Domaine Chandon (707/944-8844, 1 California Drive, Yountville), in Yountville, offers its sparkling wines for a nominal charge at an outdoor cafe, with or without a tour. They also maintain an excellent restaurant with dishes such as salmon with champagne cream sauce and candied ginger. Chandon is a French-owned enterprise, founded in 1973. Out of deference to the Gallic Champagne region, their sparkling wine will always be called just sparkling wine. Try their various sparkling wines.

Robert Mondavi (888/766-6328), in Oakville, sprawls over a Cliff May mission-style building, offers instructive tours, and entertains on some Sunday afternoons with music concerts. Mondavi has been a crucial name in the resurgence of the Napa Valley, both because of their quality Cabernets and because of their energy in promoting the valley and their advocacy of moderate wine drinking as a part of the good life. One Mondavi venture is a joint Cabernet with the French Rothchild label. Try the Mondavi Cabernet or Zinfandel.

The tour at Beringer (707/963-7115, 200 Main Street, St. Helena), on the north edge of St. Helena, takes you through their palatial Rhine House, constructed in 1876, emphasizing the historical wine story as you visit elaborate caves cut in limestone hills used to store and cool wine. Try their Riesling.

At Sterling (800/726-6136, 1111 Dunaweal Lane, Calistoga), which charges a nominal fee, you ride up in a gondola to witness the modern high-tech operation on a self-guided tour. This Greek Mediterranean-style winery was deliberately laid out with the traveler in mind. From Sterling you also enjoy sweeping views of the valley, looking south. Try their Merlot, a red that is as important as Cabernet at some Bordeaux wineries. Some of the most famous Bordeaux wineries, such as Petrus, use Merlot exclusively in their wine, while others use Cabernet predominantly, with some measure of Merlot.

Two other major entities should be mentioned.

Stop to see the Niebaum-Coppola Winery, in Rutherford (800-782-4266, 1991 St. Helena Highway). Niebaum-Coppola is one of the most historic and charming wineries in the valley. It is also an illustration of how celebrities and entertainment people like filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola have bought new energy into the wine country. Try their Cabernet.

The former Christian Brothers Greystone Winery, along the highway at St. Helena, is now the Culinary Institute of America. This massive stone warehouse, one of the largest stone buildings in the world when constructed in the 19th century, now houses a restaurant and a cooking paraphernalia store.

As an alternative strategy, visit three smaller producers. They provide a more intimate tasting experience and may appeal more to the experienced wine drinker. They sometimes offer a tour only if you call ahead to make arrangements. Some good winery choices would be Heitz Cellars (707/963-3542), Joseph Phelps (800/707-5789), Grgich-Hills (800/532-3057), and Stag's Leap (707/944-1303).

Since your main task in a Napa Valley wine tour will be choosing where to go, here are more wineries that I would recommend for possible touring and tasting. Some are small wineries that you would need to call in advance to arrange a tour. However, all are open for tasting:

Chateau Montelena, Calistoga, 707/942-5105.

Cuvaison, Calistoga, 707/942-6266.

Freemark Abbey, St. Helena, 707/963-9694.

Louis Martini, St. Helena, 707/963-2736.

Rutherford Hill, Rutherford, 707/963-1871.

Villa Mt. Eden, St. Helena, 707/963-9100.

Whitehall Lane, St. Helena, 800/963-9454.

SCENIC DRIVES

Be sure to drive the road along the east side of the valley, known as the Silverado Trail, at some point in your outing. This elevated road from Calistoga to Napa City shows the beauty of the area to best advantage, minus the traffic of Highway 29. Consider driving up the Napa Valley's main artery, Highway 29, to Calistoga and then back along the Silverado Trail, which is especially lovely in October as the vine leaves turn yellow and red.

Autumn is the classic time of the year to visit the Napa region, both to enjoy the vine leaf color and to witness the harvest in progress, but other seasons are also rewarding here. In winter, the winemaker or winery owner will be more likely to be present in the tasting room or otherwise accessible if a special appointment is made. In spring the budding out of the vines and the light green color of new leaves is engaging. Spring is a favorite bicycling time in the Napa region, with bicycle rentals easily available. Summer is a popular touring time because of vacation periods, with Napa often one element of the California vacation pattern. The warm sun is then swelling the developing grapes, creating the sugars that yeasts will transform into alcohol.

LODGING IN THE NAPA VALLEY

For lodging, the Napa Valley has an ample number of full-service hotels and bed and breakfast inns. Chateau Hotel (4195 Solano Avenue, Napa, CA 94558, 707/253-9300) provides complimentary evening wine tasting from 5-7 p.m. as your host guides you in looking over restaurant menus. In the heat of summer, the pool can cool the traveler. In the chill of winter, their hot tub allures.

Meadowood is a luxury resort on the east side of the Silverado Trail north of Rutherford. This is a full-facility resort with a restaurant, pool, tennis courts, and a golf course. Call 707/963-3646 or contact via mail at 900 Meadowood Lane, St. Helena, CA 94574.

An intimate luxury lodging is Rancho Caymus Inn, 1140 Rutherford Road,, Rutherford, CA 94573, 707/963-1777.

Unsurpassed for its view, luxury lodging, creative restaurant, and price is Auberge du Soleil, 180 Rutherford Hill Road, Rutherford, CA 94573, 707/963-1211. The lodgings and restaurant are an excellent site for watching the sun set over the valley.

Napa also boasts the first resort in California, White Sulphur Springs, which is a story in itself. When Buzz and Betty Foote accidentally stumbled upon this historic retreat nestled in a quiet corner of the Napa Valley in the 1980s, they were lost. Mesmerized by the place and given a good purchasing deal by the owner, a guru who had sent his spiritual flock to Australia, they moved in. They have spent years trying to reverse years of neglect to make it into the popular getaway it once was. They have managed to maintain a rustic feel to the cabins, but have been savvy enough to add new facilities such as a swimming pool and amenities like outdoor massages. Since opening in 1852, making it the oldest resort in California, White Sulphur Springs has gone through a number of transformations from a ritzy entity that enticed Hollywood stars to stay there to a church camp for youngsters. Today it functions as an ideal retreat for corporate groups, a serene escape for stressed out souls and a hiking and biking haven for outdoors enthusiasts. White Sulphur Springs is at 3100 White Sulphur Springs Road, St. Helena, CA 94574, 707/963-8588, 800/593-8873.

DINING IN THE NAPA VALLEY

The epitome of Napa Valley dining might be the All Seasons Cafe in Calistoga. Laid back Calistoga does not take its food lightly. Guests may ride up to the front door and lean over their bikes to look over a menu or even stroll in from a neighboring spa still wearing a bathrobe. All Seasons owner Gayle Keller knows that it takes something special to pull people inside and she and her partner have very successfully accomplished that at their restaurant and the Hydro Bar and Grill located just across the street. Both places combine sophisticated food and wine yet also emphasize relaxation. Menus change with the seasons to provide timely tastes of locally produced favorites such as grilled rabbit with a mustard glaze, herbed goat cheese and spring garlic and wild mushrooms. From the cafe-smoked salmon and homemade pumpernickel to the outstanding and affordable list of wines by the glass, or the 20 microbrews on tap at Hydro Bar and Grill, either establishment is sure to please and keep choosy Calistoga residents and visitors alike coming back for more. All Seasons Cafe & Wine Shop is at 1400 Lincoln Avenue in Calistoga, 707/942-9111.

All Seasons is the first of many good places to dine here. Your lodging proprietor can alert you to the ever-changing restaurant scene in the valley (as well as to special wine tastings, hot air ballooning excursions, and the mud baths at Calistoga).

For a restaurant reflecting the exuberance of the valley, try Mustard's Grill (north of Yountville, 7399 St. Helena Highway, on Highway 29, 707/944-2424), where the dining is casual, the prices reasonable, and the style is mesquite-grilled fish or ribs, plus house vegetable specialties.

For a quieter restaurant, try Hoppers, which emphasizes its mesquite grill rotisserie. Start with the Caribbean country ribs or prawns with fresh mozzarella. Salads include mixed Napa greens or Caesar. Entrees range from the rotisserie chicken to rack of lamb. Hoppers is at 6518 Washington Street, Yountville, 707/944-1500.

The Napa Valley invites picnicking with wine and deli purchases. The Oakville Grocery, along Highway 29 in Oakville, stocks a complete assortment of picnic fare and serves breakfast and lunch at its adjoining cafe (707/944-0111). Many wineries have picnic facilities (Joseph Phelps, Chateau Montelena, and Rutherford Hill are examples). The area parks are also favorite picnic destinations (George Yount Park in Yountville, Crane Park in St. Helena, and Bothe-Napa State Park north of St. Helena). Another good picnic supply source: the Napa Valley Olive Oil, 835 Charter Oak Avenue, St. Helena, 707/963-4173.

ADVENTURES IN THE WINE COUNTRY

Ballooning is popular here as a way to savor the landscape. Adventures Aloft in Yountville (800/944-4408) is particularly active in this, along with renting bicycles. Other balloon companies are: Balloon Aviation 707/944-4400, Napa Valley Balloons 707/944-0228, and Bonaventure Balloon 707/944-2822.

Spas and mudbaths are a further attraction. The mud baths and mineral baths at Calistoga, such as Dr. Wilkinson's (1507 Union Avenue, Calistoga, 707/942-4102), are heavily patronized.

North of Calistoga there is a faithful geyser, called Old Faithful Geyser (1299 Tubbs Lane, 707/942-6463). This is said to be one of three geysers in the world that erupt with a regular timetable. The Napa Valley geyser spews forth between 17 and 40 minutes, but on a predictable timetable. The entire region has much geothermal activity, with electricity production taking place further north at a Pacific Gas and Electric installation called The Geysers, which is the world's largest geothermal electrical production site.

Five miles west of Calistoga on Petrified Forest Road there is a Petrified Forest (707/942-6667), a remarkable sight to see. The huge redwoods that lie solemnly pointing away from Mt. St. Helena remind the viewer that violent volcanic eruption, from Lassen in northern California to Mt. St. Helens in Washington, is always a possibility in this chain of fire mountains. Though volcanism is the basis for the area's geology, don't allow the names to confuse you. Helena, the ancient erupter, is in California, while Helens, the 1980 pyrotechnic displayer, is in Washington state.

Each of the small towns in the area has some features other than wine to mention.

Napa boasts an attractive collection of Victorian architecture. Get a brochure when there or write ahead for one to Napa City Hall, 955 School Street, Napa CA 94558, 707/257-9500.

Yountville was the former home of valley-founder George Yount. The park in Yountville is a pleasant place to relax, picnic, or let kids loose at the playground. Vintage 1870 is an elaborate shopping and dining complex adjacent to Yountville Park.

In Calistoga there is also a small museum, called the Sharpsteen Museum (707/942-5911), recalling the contributions of Sam Brannan, a Mormon who envisioned a resort here as early as 1859. Brannan pushed through a rail spur to the area. Perhaps appropriately, Brannan is said to have raised a glass of the local liquid sunshine to his vision and pronounced that this would be "the Saratoga of California," thinking of the great spas in upper New York State. However, the glass may not have been his first of the day because the words came out as "the Calistoga of Sarafornia." The name Calistoga stuck.

St. Helena, aside from its mentioned Stevenson Museum, also has an interesting beeswax candleworks, the Hurd Candle Factory, 2.5 miles north at the Freemark Abbey Winery.

NEARBY TRIPS FROM THE NAPA WINE COUNTRY

If Napa Wine Country touring sounds like California travel you'd enjoy, know that Napa is only the first of several "wine countries" near San Francisco. An equally pleasant day could be spent in the Sonoma Valley to the west of Napa, the Mendocino wine region north and west of Sonoma, or the Santa Clara-Monterey wine region south of San Francisco Bay.

The Sonoma Wine Valley to the west can easily become part of an extended Napa Wine Country trip. If you have two days, you can make a loop trip by driving up the Napa Valley, then across and down through the Sonoma Wine Country.

An enjoyable drive north and east of Napa, passing oak-woodland hillsides, takes you to Lake County, noted for its large lake, Clear Lake, and the rustic feel of its walnut and pear agriculture. The major resort here is Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa. Bass fishermen rank Clear Lake among the best in the west. Geologists are fascinated by Clear Lake, the largest natural lake entirely in California, because of evidence that it is one of the oldest lakes in the world. The best introduction to the natural history of the area is at the Visitor Center for Clear Lake State Park. The area nurtures some credible wineries, such as Kendall-Jackson. South of the lake lies the largest gold mine in California, run by Homestake Mining. This high-tech operation can extract one ounce of gold from seven tons of crushed rock. For the itinerant traveler, Lake County has the undeveloped feel that perhaps Napa/Sonoma had some 50 years ago.

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NAPA: IF YOU GO

Write the Napa Valley Conference & Visitors Bureau, 1310 Napa Town Center, Napa, CA 94559, 707/226-7459, www.napavalley.org/nvcvb.html.

St. Helena Chamber of Commerce, 1010 A Main St., St. Helena, CA 94574, 707/963-4456 or 800/799-6456, www.sthelena.com.

For information on Calistoga, contact the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce, 1458 Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga, CA 94515, 707/942-6333, www.calist*ogafun.com.

This article was written by Lee Foster of Foster Travel Publishing. Contact him at his website www.fostertravel.com or via email at lee@fostertravel.com. Copyright Lee Foster.

Lee Foster's most recent travel guidebooks are Northern California History Weekends (Globe Pequot), which won a Lowell Thomas Award, and Adventure Guide to Northern California (Hunter Publishing).

Lee Foster's new literary book is Travels in an American Imagination: The Spiritual Geography of Our Time.

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