Travel Recap: 24 Hours in Napa
Wedneday I got a call from my friend Nicole asking if I wanted to go with her to Napa, California the next day. Nicole has a travel & lifestyle blog, www.MissJetsetter.com, that I've helped shoot a couple videos for in the past six months so I of course said yes.
We left early Thursday morning to drive the seven hours to Napa. I've never driven up the 5 that far and the scenery was very pretty despite the brownness of it.
The first thing we did in Napa was check into the Westin Verasa and prepare for an interview with the head chef of one of the most highly rated restaurants- La Toque. Ken Frank gave us an inside look into the kitchen and prepared his Seared Foie Gras and other dishes for us to taste.
Before we really got to taste any wine, we headed to Goose & Gander a highly rated public house known for their basement bar. Popular with tourists and locals, Nicole got to work behind the bar with their talented mixologists to create some of their signature cocktails. When we asked about their food pairings, we were treated to an amazing sampling of their menu- Charcuterie spread, Grilled Spanish Octopus, Steak Tartare, Roasted Quail, The G&G Burger with Foie Gras. All of it was presented like artwork. I felt bad ruining it.
The next morning, we woke up early to catch a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the valley. We were extremely lucky, the weather had cancelled so many previous attempts that there were only six days in the last month they've been able to fly. We drove up to Pope Valley, about 30 minutes north of Napa Valley, where many of the Napa wineries have more land.
After the hour long ride, we landed safely in a cleared out space in the middle of the Peju Provence Winery lands. We got to walk through and see the tiny baby grapes growing on the vine.
Afterwards, we stopped very briefly at the Auberge du Soleil restaurant, which had a beautiful view of the valley below.
With time running out, we went over to the Peju Province Winery, as they hosted us for lunch and a wine tasting. Their land takes me back to the storybook feeling of France. We had a wonderful time speaking with the owner and the highlight was "Vinentertainment" by Alan Arnopole. He rapped, sang and yodeled about wine!
We had such a quick trip but packed so much in. Now I've come down with a cold that I'm trying to shake before I leave for another trip with Nicole - this time to shoot for Ciroc Vodka in Costa Rica!
