Pristine, beautiful, lively and always changing while remaining a bit the same, I love Napa Valley. Yes, the traditional tours and tasting opportunities up and down Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail are wonderful, but for me the real heart of Napa lies in the hillsides and valleys, some that are well known, many that aren’t, particularly some of those on Howell Mountain like Black Sears, Cade and Viader.

Yesterday I posted a story on the D Magazine/SideDish site on a few exceptional wines, like a new find from our recent trip, Italics, along with stunning Vineyard 29 & Lokoya, Brandlin, Inglenook and more.  Details on all linked here.

But today is actually a very special day as it is the 40th anniversary of theJudgement of Paris. 40 years ago British wine merchant brought a group of highly respected French wine influencers together…

As summer begins to heat up the desire to get out of town, avoiding 100 degree Dallas days and be pampered in wine country paradise, is a focus. From Napa and Sonoma, to Willamette, Woodinville and Walla Walla, a domestic wine adventure can be the ideal get away. But, where to go, where to stay, where to eat, where to spa???

I am here to help. Over the past 15 years of writing about wine and wine country travel I have seen, and stayed, just about everywhere. Yes it is great to hit the hot spots, but what about getting off the well worn track to find the hidden gems that are filled with passion, dedication, oh, and very, very good wine. 

If you are interested in setting up your wine country summer excursion, shoot me an email. We are happy to help!