January in Napa Valley typically brings strong rainstorms from the Pacific Ocean, creating cold dark and stormy nights.    Candles are lit in living rooms and the air outside is permeated with the smell of wood fires burning in neighboring fireplaces.   As the winds bluster, the rain falls and a chill fills the air, it is […]

Colder temperatures descended upon Napa Valley last week and were only banished from the region by the arrival of several days of rain, mist and clouds.   Wintery weather has finally arrived and nearly all of the autumnal leaves have fallen from the grape vines.   Accompanying these conditions is the distinct chill of oceanic dampness in the […]