SIP
WINE COUNTRY
Featuring Napa’s best wines, wineries, and winemakers
Oct 27, 2025
Autumn Pursuits at St. Supéry
Limited-time tours and tastings give visitors an inside look at their busiest season.
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Zinfandel: Napa’s Treasure Trove
by Melissa Vogt | Photo above courtesy of Chateau Montelena Zinfandel vines have been rooted in California soils since the mid-1880s as far south as Paso Robles and as far north as Napa Valley and Sonoma County. Its...
Sam’s General Store
Over 150 years ago, California’s first millionaire, Samuel Brannan, envisioned Calistoga as a resort town for wealthy city folks drawn to the area’s hot springs. He was instrumental as the town’s founder and for pulling the...
THE BIALE FAMILY LEGACY: Black Chickens and Zinfandel
BY MARK GUDGEL | PHOTOS COURTESY OF BIALE FAMILY VINEYARDS “Buongiorno. This is Antonio. I need four dozen eggs and a gallina nera.” “Gallina nera? But sir, we only have leghorns—white chickens.” “Just...
KNIGHTS BRIDGE WINERY: So Much Below the Surface
BY MARK GUDGEL | PHOTOS BY MIKE LARSON Just north of Calistoga, where Mount St Helena looms larger than ever over the warm, jagged hillsides that have proven to be some of the most fertile lands in all of...
KASCADIA WINE MERCHANTS
Introducing the Wine Gems of Canada to the U.S BY FRANCIE LOW | PHOTOS BY ALINA ROZ PHOTOGRAPHY Of the many great wine regions in the world to experience, there is a must-add to the list: the Okanagan Valley in...
A SLEEPING GIANT AWAKENS
BY MARK GUDGEL | PHOTO COURTESY OF DEARDEN WINES “There are five hundred places to go in Napa Valley. So we feel privileged when people choose us,” said Sam Dearden, son of Chris Dearden, who after years of toil...
Frattey and Frattey Shams of Anderson Valley
On a leisurely drive from Napa Valley to the hills of Anderson Valley along scenic highway 128, views of old oak trees, vineyards, and the Mayacamas Mountain range impress. The best way to take it all in is to roll down the...
Introducing Brashley Vineyards to Napa Valley
by Laurie Jo Miller Farr | Photo by @quickdrawpics It’s a long way from the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York, but it’s a fun second career for the husband and wife team, Bram and Ashley Palm. They’re proud to...
The Napa Valley Farmworker Foundation Changes Lives
Arnulfo Solorio ventured to Napa from his native Mexico at age 14 to follow his dream of attending school. In Mexico, he was told by his rancher family that “books do not feed you; land and animals do.” But from an early...
Napa’s Decadent Side: dessert wines from across the valley
by Melissa Vogt With the onset of the holiday season, there’s no shortage of comfort food, decadent desserts, and an endless array of festive beverages. So stocking wine selections in preparation for celebratory feasts and...
Meet Lithology Winemaker, MATT SANDS
by Charlene Peters | PHOTO By Sandoval Media Matt Sands, a native of New Zealand’s Waiheke Island, found his way to California through snowboarding. The wine came later, following a career as a snowboard...
PAULA KORNELL SPARKLING WINE: Spectacular Sparklers, Napa Style
by Francie Low | Photos courtesy of Paula Kornell Sparkling Wine Sipping a sparkling wine, one cannot help but feel festive and happy. “Bubbles are for celebrations,” is the customary thinking. However, wine producer, Paula...
FRANK FAMILY’S TODD GRAFF: Celebrating 20 Years
BY MARISA MCCANN | PHOTOS COURTESY OF FRANK FAMILY VINEYARDS Frank Family Vineyards has exploded in popularity since its founding by former Disney Studios President, Rich Frank nearly three decades ago. But while...
Scalon Cellars: Good Fortune Plus Good Genes
by Laurie Jo Miller Farr | PHOTOS By SUZANNE BECKER BRONK Sometimes, serendipity is the spark for the best things. And Scalon Cellars seems to have more than its fair share of good fortune. Even the name was born by chance,...
BAZÁN CELLARS: Brand Building Fires Up Vintner Gloria Bazán
by DANIEL MANGIN | PHOTO COURTESy OF Bazán Cellars “What can I say—I like adventure,” laughed Gloria Bazán, explaining her decision to abandon a 15-year professional career in Michoacán, Mexico, to marry a Napa Valley...
601 Cellars: Grenache with Panache
Photo by Lowell Downey, Art & Clarity For many reasons, some vintners and growers in Napa Valley are starting to cast wider nets when determining which varietals to produce, breaking the conventional mold of making Napa...
VENGE VINEYARDS Winemaker Kirk Venge Is Having The Time Of His Life
by DANIEL MANGIN | PHOTOS COURTESY OF Venge Vineyards “We’re on the cusp of harvest,” enthused Kirk Venge in mid-August. “It’s going to be busy and exciting and I cannot wait for it to begin!” The winemaker appeared...
Fontanella Family Winery: Premium Without Pretense
by Elizabeth Smith | PHOTOS COURTESy OF Fontanella Family Winery In 2005, ambitious young couple Jeff and Karen Fontanella discovered a beautiful and serene 26-acre property nestled in the illustrious Mt. Veeder...
Malbec: Napa’s Best Kept Secret
WRITTEN BY MELISSA VOGT Malbec is one of the five grape varieties allowed in French Bordeaux and typically represents tiny fractions of those sought-after wines. It has become Argentina’s most important varietal. But what...
Santa Rosa: Wine Country’s Most Eclectic Blend
A drive on U.S. Route 101 or State Route 12 leads to landscapes blooming with wildflowers and cultivated gardens, rows of olive groves, and, yes… vineyards and wineries in various pockets in and outside of Santa Rosa’s city...
