Divine Wine

Swirl and sip Napa’s world-class expressions while tasting the wine country lifestyle.

- By Kelly Magyarics

With its enviable Mediterranean climate, warm hospitality and unique take on cuisine that melds California ingredients and technique with a smattering of global influences, it’s easy to see why Napa Valley resides at the top of food and wine lovers’ bucket lists. Napa’s wine industry dates back to 1861 when Charles Krug launched the first commercial winery, but one singular event in 1976 really put the area’s wines on the map. That was the year of the blind tasting dubbed The Judgment of Paris, when locally produced Chateau Montelena Chardonnay and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon beat out all the best white Burgundies and red Bordeaux.

Today those two grape varieties still reign, but the region is also renowned for wines made with Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir, not to mention its sparkling wines that pay homage to the traditional method of production (like Champagne) with a signature fruitiness that can only come from all that sunshine. Though deciding what destinations to hit during a wine tasting itinerary of Napa Valley can be as overwhelming as deciding which styles to sip at the tasting bar or bistro, you really can’t go wrong.