t h e b e s t o f n a p a va l l ey l i f e • Best Napa Valey View From the restaurant terrace at Auberge du Soleil. The expansive view offers a beautiful and serene vista of some of Napa’s most renowned vineyards. Enjoying lunch and a magnum of Blackbird Vineyards’ Arriviste Rosé on that terrace seems to make the view even better! • Best Diner Breakfast Buttercream Bakery—A Napa staple for over 60 years. When you go to Buttercream, you know what to expect. Their menu remains classic diner, “no frills” food…simple and satisfying. Make sure to order a malted Belgian waffle for the table. • Best Worko ut For a high-intensity workout, enjoy a long bike ride up Soda Canyon Road. On your way up, be sure to take in the beautiful sights of hillside vineyards and roadside creeks. Keep an eye out for signs which announce famous, but tucked away, Napa vineyards, including our good friends at Reynolds Family Winery, Signorello Estate Winery and Darioush Winery, all nearby. For more of a “zen” workout, a stroll through the vineyards can provide exercise and serenity. • Best Home-coked Meal Anything my fiancée, Kim Miller, cooks…especially her version of Ad Hoc fried chicken. • Best Newly Tasted Wine 2011 Recuerdo Wines Malbec – created through a partnership between Vines of Mendoza and Blackbird Vineyards, Recuerdo Wines draws on the winemaking skills of acclaimed consulting winemaker Santiago Achával. The second vintage, 2011 Malbec boasts tons of ripe black fruit and a true essence of Uco Valley malbec. It’s the perfect “everyday” wine. • Best Wine Dog Duke, shown left. • Best Place to Unwind The bar at Bottega restaurant in Yountville. The bar is always packed and alive and instantly relaxing. They have an extensive wine and cocktail menu to help with the unwinding process. • Best Music Venue My favorite music venues are the Lincoln Theater in Yountville or Castello di Amarosa in Calistoga during Napa Valley Festival del Sole. The Festival, 72 www. n A PAVA L L E Y L I F Emagaz ine . com which is in its eighth season this year, has showcased some of today’s greatest performers including Joshua Bell, Susan Graham and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Set to the ambient backdrops of the Theater and the Castello, the performances take on a life of their own. • Best Lunch Spot /Picnic Spot Hands down, Tacos Garcia taco truck in Napa and Yountville. You can find the Yountville truck tucked away in the parking lot of Pancha’s restaurant Monday through Saturday. The food is consistently delicious, and the service consistently quick. My favorite selection is their fish tacos. • Best Wate ring Hole Pancha’s restaurant—after midnight. Napa’s favorite dive bar comes to life late at night after all of the resident chefs and restaurant staff head over for a beer. • Best Art Galery/Studio Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley in Yountville and I. Wolk Gallery in St. Helena, of course! • Best Bakery Bouchon Bakery in Yountville. This is the epitome of what a bakery should strive to be….Just ask anyone in the line that wraps around the building on the weekends. featuring Michael Polenske Chairman, Creative Director Bespoke Collection by Sharon Ufberg
NVLife_MarApr_2013
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