Napa Valley Events

If it’s a gaggle of geese and a pride of lions, what are wineries when they flock together? Surely it must be a Weekend of Wineries.

To prove our theory, we predict that this weekend an entire, ah, group of wineries in the Rutherford Appellation will gather together to present their finest offerings.

Sixteen wineries will offer tastings, food pairings, futures, special pourings and barrel tastings. Participants this year include Rubicon Estate and St. Supéry - click here for a full list of the appellation’s member vineyards.

Peju Winery is hosting the event between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. next weekend, May 1-2. Cost is $65 for the full weekend and $50 Sunday only. You can buy tickets online.

Peju is south of St. Helena, about 30 minutes along Hwy 29 from our hotel: map and directions.8

While the rest of the nation is waking up to springtime, here in Napa Valley we know that March means only nine more months until Mustard Festival starts again. Yes, it’s that good.

And we have more to show for it than just memories, we have the photographs. It’s time for the season finale: The Photo Finish.

Put on some duds you’d be happy to wear in a photo-op, and mingle and admire the Photography Contest and Exhibit, with images capturing the season’s beauty forever, and also available for purchase.

Francis Ford Coppola’s Rubicon Estate is the hosting winery this year. Enjoy a heady array of wines, along with sweets and savories, amidst the Rubicon’s mind-boggling décor. And until the next time, dear friends, revel in the party to the last dance.

The Photo Finish is next Saturday, March 27 at 7 PM. Tickets are $95 in advance - buy here - and $125 at the door if you can get in. Rubicon is in Rutherford, click here for directions from our hotel.

Is Francis Ford Coppola becoming the Godfather of wine? Long a Napa winemaker, he creates one of the Valley’s greatest wines, and his overseer Scott McLeod was just named 2009 Winemaker of the Year.

But his real marvel is Rubicon Estate itself, a century-old vineyard given a loving Hollywood polish by Coppola. The lush and elegant estate features movie-scene landscaping, rooms of dark wood and stained glass, filmmaking antiques and countless wonders.

See for yourself this Saturday, December 6, at 5 PM - 7 PM, when Rubicon Estate hosts a Holiday Open House. It’s a great chance to taste, munch and shop. And there’s music from the St. Helena Community Band, a classy ensemble founded by Coppola (he sometimes plays in the band).

Rubicon accepts visitors in small groups only, so be sure to RSVP first by calling 707-968-1174.

Rubicon Estate is at 1991 St. Helena Hwy, in Rutherford, south of St. Helena on Hwy 29. It’s 23 miles from our hotel, click here for directions.