#FNV12 | Vino Con Vista Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Wino

Napa Valley (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: A photo of chef Cindy Pawlcyn, taken at Congregation Beth Sholom in Napa, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Napa (Photo credit: katieharbath)

Chef (Photo credits: http://www.myparkingsign.com)

What a spectacular Vino con Vista Weekend I had at Flavor Napa:

Logo (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

50 Chefs, over 125 Vintners and 3 days of fabulous food and wine

Get your Tickets for the annual Flavor Napa Event here:

http://flavornapavalley.com/tickets/

If you are looking for a way to enjoy Napa Valley car-free check out the: Calistoga Shuttle, St. Helena Shuttle, and the Yountville Trolley that are all available to visitors at no expense. Find out how you can hop on!

Try the Napa Valley Wine Trolley that takes visitors on a full day tour in a replica of a late 1890’s San Francisco cable car.

The Trolley picks up passengers daily at the Oxbow Public Market at 10:30 a.m. and returns around 4:30 p.m. Learn more.

Last year I took the Wine Train Bay Area Connection from the San Francisco Ferry Building. We enjoyed lunch on the Wine Train. To explore this option: Learn more

Watch this video to see what I witnessed in Napa:

http://youtu.be/78brXJOu_Bs

Mustards in the spring in Napa Valley. Photo by Emily Bryden, 2005 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Flavor! Napa Valley food and wine festival was originated by Chef Michael Chiarello.

The event in Napa Valley was led by an impressive array of Napa Valley-based celebrity chefs including: Thomas Keller, Christopher Kostow, Cindy Pawlcyn, Jeffrey Jake and Masaharu Morimoto.

Here’s a short video of Chef Morimoto preparing fish at the event:

http://youtu.be/d7_V2eGZ0AI

Way to go Chef!!

Morimoto Restaurant in Downtown Napa

Flavor Napa Valley 2012 at the Culinary Institute in Saint Helena

English: Heitz Wine cellars vineyards (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WHERE: CIA at Greystone and various locations throughout Napa Valley.

I went to the Appellation Trail Event at the Culinary Institute on Friday night. Many of the outstanding wineries were pouring. There was live entertainment and plenty of food on two floors of Greystone’s historic building.

The loved the Wine Makers’ Dinner at the Silverado

Resort on Friday night where I met many of the legendary winemakers. The food was outstanding!

Flavor Napa Valley Winemaker Dinner

According to festival producer Herb Karlitz, “one of the festival highlights is a two-day tasting of wines that have and continue to put Napa Valley on the map, reaching back to the post-Prohibition wines of the ‘40s through the present day.”

A winemaker was seated at each table at the dinner event. We drank the winemakers selection with each course.

The dinner was held in the ballroom of the Silverado Resort.

The Silverado Resort in Napa

Old Vine cabernet from Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley, California. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I also loved the Flavor Napa Sunday morning brunch at the Silverado.

I loved the Napa Valley Brunch Event

Silverado Resort patio overlooking the golf course in Napa

Flavor Napa 2012 Brunch at the Silverado Resort

Lovely Farm-to-table Centerpiece at the Flavor Napa Valley 2012 Brunch

Flavor Napa Valley 2012 Brunch

The Napa Valley Vitners featured amazing wines at one of the seminars that included: ’57 Louis Martini Pinot Noir, ’66 Charles Krug Vintage Selection Cabernet Sauvignon, ’76 Joseph Phelps Insignia, ’77 Beringer Private Reserve, Cabernet Sauvignon, ’78 Heitz Wine Cellars Martha’s Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon and a ’78 Chateau Montelena Estate Cabernet Sauvignon.”

Chateau Montelena in Calistoga California

English: Fall in Napa Valley (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Flavor! Napa Valley extravaganza is an annual five-day Napa Valley food and wine festival featuring the area’s superlative chefs, restaurants and wineries.

Each year, the festival format includes a series of creative tastings and seasonally-inspired meals, as well as a variety of hands-on and educational experiences led by the region’s most notable chefs, vintners and sommeliers.

English: CIA Campus in St. Helena, California (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Event venues include: the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone in St. Helena, as well as restaurants and wineries throughout the region.

There were a series of small and hands-on immersions entitled Terroir to Table™ as well as a historic, two-day library tasting of Napa Valley’s most celebrated wines in the last 50-years, including contemporary “cult” wines, that was called “The Legends of Napa Valley: A Definitive Tasting. “Net proceeds from all events support programs and scholarships at CIA’s Greystone Campus.

English: Autumn in Napa Valley (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Individual event tickets ranged from $85 To $325, with the historic, two-day Legends of Napa Valley tasting at $3500 per person.

Many of the area’s lodging partners offered offering special Flavor! Napa Valley packages that combine a stay with festival tickets, such as Silverado Resort and Spa’s Flavor! Napa Valley package, which includes accommodations in a one-bedroom Fireplace Suite, breakfast for two in The Grill, a signature culinary welcome gift and tickets to Amusee Napa: A Downtown Napa Tasting.

Silverado Resort in Napa

The Wine Cellar at Hess Winery (Photo credit: don j schulte @ oxherder arts)

Additional Napa Valley properties also offered special Flavor! Napa Valley packages, and complete information on lodging packages can be found at: http://visit.legendarynapavalley.com/index.cfm/napa_valley_lodging-flavor_napa_valley.htm

I love Napa Valley

Here are some of the Hotel Packages that were offered in Napa Valley:

Flavor! Napa Valley 2012 announced ticket-only and lodging packages for the food-and-wine festival, which takes place Nov. 14 to 18. In addition, all guests with confirmed reservations at a Napa Valley hotel or inn during this time will automatically receive 20 percent off of Appellation Trail tickets and select ticket packages.

1. Guests staying at Milliken Creek any time from Nov. 1 to 24 for two nights will receive a third night at 50 percent off the best available rate when booking online by entering the promotional code FESTIVAL. Daily gourmet breakfast for two, sunset Magic Hour wine and cheese reception, a late-night cordial bar and guest passes to Synergy wellness and fitness center are included in the rate.

2. At Auberge du Soleil in Rutherford, guests save 10 percent on nightly room rates for Friday and Saturday night stays and 20 percent on midweek stays. All Flavor! guests receive a special welcome amenity from the chef and a culinary keepsake.

3. At the Villagio Inn & Spa and Vintage Inn in Yountville, guests who mention Flavor! Napa Valley when making reservations receive 20 percent off of room rates. This offer is valid from Nov. 14 to 18 and includes complimentary amenities, such as bottle of wine upon check-in, a champagne buffet breakfast, daily afternoon tea and access to Spa Villagio’s facilities. Ticket-only packages range from $350 to $955 per

English: Vineyards in Napa Valley. Français : Vignobles de la Napa Valley. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: Vineyard in Napa Valley (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

More information on tickets and the complete Flavor! Napa Valley event schedule can be found at www.flavornapavalley.com, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/FlavorNapaValley and @FlavorNV on Twitter.

Here are the details for the Appellation Trail Event on Friday Night at Greystone including participating Chefs and Wineries. When you go to Napa County, make sure you check out these incredible links: