Napa Valley: Why Go Now

Home to world-renowned wines, Michelin-starred restaurants, exquisite resorts, unparalleled natural beauty and inspiring art collections, the Napa Valley also continually innovates to offer visitors new reasons to come and stay longer. For Summer 2011, new hotel offerings, unique excursions and exciting educational opportunities featuring wine, food, art and more are being uncorked.

CELEBRATING NAPA VALLEY MILESTONES, EXCITING NEW EXPERIENCES, AND MORE:

THE CITY OF CALISTOGA'S 125TH ANNIVERSARY – Calistoga's second annual Calistoga Tamale Festival, held May 1, is one of many ways the town will be honoring the milestone anniversary. Form more details, visit www.calistogavisitors.com.

THE AUBERGE DU SOLEIL CELEBRATES 30TH ANNIVERSARY – The iconic Michelin-starred restaurant and premier luxury resort is celebrating its 30th anniversary by presenting a year of special culinary offerings and experiences including a 30th anniversary getaway package, a special prix fixe two-course lunch menu for $30 and a new “30-Year Journey Through Wine” list featuring 30 consecutive vintages from around the world and the Napa Valley beginning with 1981. For more details visit www.aubergedusoleil.com.

SUMMER SUNSET CRUISES ALONG THE NAPA RIVER - This summer, Kayak Napa Valley will introduce sunset cruises to Downtown Napa for guests to enjoy the City of Napa's “Summer Nights” concert series from the water. The special cruises will be available on select Friday evenings through July and August. Additionally, Saturday moonlight cruises, beginning at dusk, will be offered on July 16 and August 13. For more information visit www.kayaknv.com.

HISTORIC NAPA WALKING TOUR EXPANDED - The only professional history and architecture tour in the Napa Valley, the Napa Walking Tour is led by George Webber - Historian, Actor and Wine/Beer Expert. The three-hour tour includes a walk along the Napa River, visits to magnificent Victorian mansions, an overview of the history of Napa from prehistoric past to the present day, and a micro-brewery tour and tasting – all part of Mr. Webber's unique brand of Edutainment. New for summer 2011 is the addition of a humorous wine lecture and tasting presented by “Professor Vine” at the Ceja Winery Tasting Room. Tours are $35 per person and include wine and beer tastings. For more details visit www.napawalkingtour.com.

Napa boutique wine shop to host cheese-and-wine pairing workshops WITH JANET FLETCHER – Author of two bestselling books on cheese and San Francisco Chronicle cheese columnist, Janet Fletcher, is partnering with Napa's Back Room Wines in a new series of cheese-and-wine pairing classes. The 90-minute guided sessions, billed as “Cheese Meets Wine,” will feature six cheeses and four wines and offer the chance to taste with an expert and learn why some pairings succeed and others don't. Fletcher hopes to introduce participants to cheese-friendly wines they may not know and lesser-known artisan cheeses, like Meadow Creek Dairy's Grayson or Goat's Leap Hyku, a cheese rarely available outside Napa Valley. Classes will be offered at Back Room Wines the first Thursday of every month starting Mary 2011. Price is $65 per person. For more details visit www.janetfletcher.com.

CULINARY INSTTITUTE OF AMERICA at Greystone (CIA) EXPANDS WEEKEND CLASSES - The CIA provides visitors of The Napa Valley with more opportunities to engage in a culinary learning experience from expert chefs. “Students” get a taste of the CIA experience while enjoying the company of fellow food and wine fans. Classes include topics like - artisan breads at home, cake decorating, food and wine pairing, seasons in the wine country, tastes of the Napa Valley. For more details visit www.ciachef.edu.

EXCITING NEW WINE EXPERIENCES AND TASTING ROOMS:

B CELLARS PRESENTS NEW WINERY AND TASTING ROOM - B Cellars introduces its new winery and tasting room, located at 400 Silverado Trail in Calistoga. Features crafted Napa Valley blended wines from esteemed winemaker Kirk Venge, a second-generation Napa Valley winemaker with an established and well-earned reputation for his artisan approached for crafting Napa Valley, Rhone and Italian grape varietals. For more information visit www.bcellars.com.

BELL WINE CELLARS INTRODUCES THE ABC'S OF WINEMAKING - Bell Wine Cellars now offers a daily Grape to Glass Wine tour discussing the ABC's of winemaking. The in-depth experience includes a stroll through the Yountville vineyard to learn more about the terroir and climate, a tank and barrel discussion, barrel tasting, and a tasting and artisan cheese pairing. The tour is $30 per person and includes one bottle of wine (per couple) to take home. For more details visit www.bellwine.com.

GOOSECROSS CELLARS TRANSFORMS DOWNTOWN TASTING ROOM - Goosecross Cellars is remodeling and renaming its Downtown Napa tasting room - Wineries of Napa Valley. Scheduled to open July 2011, the new tasting room will be named Top Flight - Wine Tasting & Beer Bar and will offer wine tastings and wine flights along with craft beer on draft and flights of beer. Small plates of appetizers paired with wine and beer will also be available. For more details visit www.goosecross.com.

HILL FAMILY ESTATE ANNOUNCES NEW GARDEN TOUR & TASTING – The winery is now offering a Garden Tour and Tasting for guests that includes a premium tasting and tour of Hill Family Farm and Jacobsen Orchards; exclusive purveyors of produce for some of Yountville's Michelin-starred restaurants. For more details visit www.hillfamilyestate.com

Long Meadow Ranch Winery & Farmstead Features New Wine, Food and Tour Experiences - The Logan-Ives House at Long Meadow Ranch Winery & Farmstead features an array of new and engaging experiences for lovers of local food and wines including olive oil tastings, distinctive full-circle farming tours, and mountain ranch excursions. Lunch and tour experiences range from $85 to $150 per person. For more information, please visit www.longmeadowranch.com.

SCHWEIGER VINEYARDS OPENS NEW TASTING ROOM - April 2011, Schweiger Vineyards will celebrate the opening of its stunning new tasting room. Set 2000 feet above The Napa Valley floor, guests will enjoy incredible views of the region, while savoring artisan style wines. The new tasting room will offer balcony service and sit down paired tastings. Guests can also enjoy full estate tours including a descent into the barrel room. Four tasting options are available: a 3-flight Salon Tasting, a 6-flight “Dedication” Tasting, a full Vineyard Tour & Tasting and a Charcuterie Paired Tasting. For more details visit www.schweigervineyards.com.