We took a stroll on Monday along the downtown streets of Napa and discovered that there have been a lot of changes since our last visit and more changes are brewing. We noticed that there are a few new tasting rooms and some old ones that have relocated. Our list now includes twelve tasting rooms and wine bars in the city of Napa. The Napa River Trail is open in a couple of locations and looks like it will be a great trail for walking, running and biking. Construction is all over the place with the Riverfront property the most visible. The architectural plans for this look really amazing and will really jazz up the area. The Riverfront property will be a combination of shops, restaurants, condos, and more tasting rooms and wine bars. Two big hotels are on their way, the Westin is under construction and the Ritz Carlton plans to break ground soon. The city planners must figure all this make Napa a destination spot and bring in a whole new slew of visitors. Read the rest of this entry »

We have some additions to our list of Napa wineries that are utilizing solar energy. Thanks to Sunlight Electric for providing us with an updated list. This company has done many of these installations. This brings the total number of Napa wineries with solar energy systems to 41. Read the rest of this entry »

The Napa Valley has more tourists visit each year than does Disneyland. Over five million people come annually to enjoy food, wine, and good times in the Napa Valley. If you are planning a trip to the Napa Valley between now and through harvest time, beware this is peak tourist season. But for the savvy wine traveler, there are ways to avoid the huge crowds at tasting rooms and the long lines of traffic on Highway 29 and still enjoy a restful time in the Napa Valley. Read the rest of this entry »

A winery asked us to remove their name from our list of best picnic spots in the Napa Valley and Carneros because they no longer are allowing visitors to picnic at their beautiful winery. We asked why and they intimated they had run out of patience with guests abusing the privilege of using their facilities.
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It makes sense for wineries to consider a solar energy system to power their wineries. Most wineries have the two requirements needed for this system. They have plenty of sunshine and enough surface area to set up the number of panels needed. When you are in the valley, you are likely to see wineries with solar panels mounted on roofs, on the ground, and even a few in irrigation ponds on pontoons.

With government incentives, why wouldn’t a winery go solar? As one vintner boasted to us, “I love seeing that PG&E meter running in the opposite direction.” Read the rest of this entry »

In April we posted an entry on Napa Valley wineries that we considered to be exemplary in “Green” practices. In addition to this list, there are many other wineries practicing organic farming to some degree. Here is the list that we have compiled as of this date. Please comment to add your winery to our listings. Read the rest of this entry »