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Just about every weekend here in the Napa Valley, there are many events and activities.

A particular type of event that occurs regularly is a “grand tasting.” In these tastings many local wineries, restaurants, and food artisans get together in a beautiful location and present their best to attendees.

This weekend we went to A Taste of Napa at the Calistoga Ranch, a part of the Festival de Sole.

While we decided to indulge in some much needed grown-up time and dropped kiddo off at her friend’s house, there were several families at the tasting.

I’d never been the the Calistoga Ranch before and it was a treat heading up the eastern hills.

While on the smaller end of the spectrum for events of this genre, it was mellow and manageable with about ten wineries and fifteen food artisans participating.

There was Chilled Avocado Soup from Panevino:

An incredible table from Raymond & Co Cheesemongers:

Spicy Hamachi from the resort’s restaurant:

And there was much more–including a spicy gazpacho from C Casa (now on our list to check out, watch for a feature here on this blog soon), olive oils from Olivier, and Glop.

We tasted wines from wineries we hadn’t heard of including Hunnicutt and Husic Vineyards. We particularly enjoyed the Riesling from Bouchaine and also found another new favorite white wine.

We enjoyed the pleasant people, the sun, and the view.

These events are such a great way to experience bits of Napa that you might not otherwise have the chance to appreciate. You should even consider planning your trip around one.

There are several tastings throughout the year; check calendars such as this, this or this. Of course, the grandest and most famous tasting is Taste Napa Valley, a part of the the premier event Auction Napa Valley.

Who: We didn’t take kiddo to this event, but we both agree we could have done so. There were families with infants, as well as those with ~10 years old. I do think it would be too much work to take the toddler to ~3 year old set.

What: A collection of fabulous wineries and food artisans.

Where: Throughout the valley; find one on any of the calendars above.

When: Usually spring, summer, and fall.

Why: A “one stop shop” if you will, and a lovely way to enjoy the unique experiences and offerings of many different purveyors.

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We saw this windchime over at Tudal Winery (a family-friendly winery by the way).

It really struck me with its simplistic beauty, and thrifty means of repurposing materials.

And with all the empty bottles we have around, it’s easily created.

Plus, it’s a great way to showcase that special bottle and delight in the memories of the time you enjoyed it.

You can do one for your home too.

• Collect 16 bottles, ideally in different colors
• Soak the bottles in water until the labels are soft enough to scrape off (or not, if you want to leave them on)
• Remove the capsules (or not, if you want to leave them on)
• Put the corks back into the bottles (or not, but the clear bottles look particularly interesting with corks)
• Using a long piece of hefty twine, tie a loop around the neck of each bottle
• Hang in spot where you’ll get a nice breeze (but not too windy)
• Relax and enjoy the soft sounds of your windchime

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Even though it’s just a few minutes from our home, we hadn’t visited Sequoia Grove Winery in years; in fact, it’s been since before Samantha was born.

I suppose we didn’t think it was family-friendly.

But then, in using our favorite winery finder tool, I found that Sequoia Grove fits both of our two main criteria:

1) Family-friendly
2) Picnic area

After tasting through a few wines, we decided on a nice rosé. A perfect pairing with our picnic fare, the wine offers pretty strawberry & raspberry notes and a nice balance.

We settled into a bistro table on the shaded patio and tucked into our charcuterie, cheeses and breads.

Samantha ran around the expansive grassy area, and made some new friends.

Who: All ages, though of course you’ll need to watch those toddlers closely

What: A low-key wine tasting experience in a casual atmosphere (but as the winery is right on Highway 29, I bet it can get quite busy)

Where: 8338 St. Helena Highway (that’s Higway 29)–their website says they are in Napa, but I’d swear it’s more like Rutherford or Oakville

When: Non-peak Highway 29 tourist times, so weekdays in spring or fall, would be best

Why: Nice wines, unimposing tasting room, pretty grounds and convenient location

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Though it is just now starting to get too hot in the Napa Valley for peas to grow, we harvested our first crop only yesterday.

Tom added them to his Wild Mushroom Pappardelle (recipe below).

Wild Mushroom Pappardelle with Garden Peas

Ingredients

Fresh pappardelle
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 medium shallot, diced
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
1 cup peas
2 tablespoons butter
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Some fresh Italian parsley, chopped
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Cut mushrooms into 1″-2″ pieces.  We like Shiitake, Oyster and Chanterelles.

Start a large pot of salted water to boil. Heat a large sauté pan on medium.

Once sauté pan is warm, add olive oil and let it get hot.
Add shallot to pan and sauté for about 2 minutes–until you can smell the shallot.

Add the mushrooms to pan and stir gently.
Cook mushrooms for about 10 minutes stirring regularly–until they start to caramelize.

Add chicken stock, white wine, thyme, and peas.

Cook for about 10 more minutes.

While mushroom sauce is cooking, add pappardelle to the rapidly boiling water.

Boil the pasta for ONLY 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Add butter to mushroom sauce and stir gently until butter is melted.
Season with salt & pepper.
Add the pasta to the pan and gently fold it in to the sauce.

Serve sprinkled with the parsley and Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy with a nice glass of Pinot Noir. We especially like those from Robert Sinskey Vineyards and Ken Brown.

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Last year, a friend of ours started this little thing called Cheers! St Helena.

He calls it a “Friendship Celebration” and a “Main Street Toast to Friends & Wine.” I can’t even imagine all the work he’s put into it, and all of the hoops he’s had to jump through.

See, our little wine country town is very, well, careful. And I am glad it is so.

And Cheers! St Helena, what with the 100+ fabulous wineries pouring their wine in all the wonderful establishments downtown, the live music, the street closures, the street performers, the face-painting, the sidewalk food vendors–and, of course, the Wine Train actually (gasp!) letting off passengers–is rather revolutionary. In a good way. In the best way.

Did I mention you get to walk around town sipping fabulous wines from premier Napa Valley wineries (out of another friend’s govino glasses no less)?

But more importantly you get to really, truly experience our town.

I’d never been in most of our shops and boutiques until Cheers! St Helena. And I most certainly didn’t spend much money in these shops; I always thought we were priced out. But, I’ve found that the prices aren’t really all that much more than elsewhere. Plus, it makes me happy to be spending money–even if it is more–locally and supporting our community.

By the way, Tom bought me the most beautiful locket at Daisy.

Honig is a small, family-owned winery and was one of the first tasting rooms Tom & I visited when we moved to the Napa Valley five years ago.

That was, of course, pre-kiddo. And while we had a wonderful visit then and have been long-time fans of their wines, we hadn’t thought of the winery as being kid-friendly.

That is, until we saw them listed on our go-to winery finder tool on the Napa Valley Vintners website.

So while we were out & about this past weekend, we gave them a quick call (tastings are by appointment only, so be sure to call ahead), and to our delight, got in that afternoon.

Recently, I wrote about this time of year as being ideal to visit because the tasting rooms tend to not be busy. And indeed, we were the only ones there for most of our visit.

Our tasting took place seated at a long table in an open, comfortable room. As our host poured the first of the wines–their popular Sauvignon Blanc (which we purchased and enjoyed that evening), she asked if Samantha would like to check out the toy cabinet.

And boy, was she excited.

We spent the remainder of the tasting–a second Sauvignon Blanc, two Cabernet Sauvignons and Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc–with kiddo happily occupied.

And when she did grow bored, she headed out to the expansive patio (easily viewable from the tasting room) and explored.

We found this to be quite the funny form of kindling:

Up to now, Casa Nuestra is our favorite kid-friendly winery.

So, that’s not an easy proclamation to make. There are a lot of wineries in the Napa Valley. A lot of wonderful wineries in the Napa Valley. And a lot of wonderful kid-friendly wineries in the Napa Valley.

But, Casa Nuestra stands out for us.

In the simplest terms, we like this winery because of their utter lack of pretension.

We’ve visited several times. And I’ve written about the experience here and here. Oh, and we joined their wine club (and that in and of itself says A LOT because most locals don’t join clubs, and we had to be on the waiting list for a while to even become members).

Who: Obviously, the wine tasting is for those 21+, but all ages can feel comfortable and have fun; we’ve visited with two 3 year-olds and a 1.5 year old

What: A laid back and unassuming time, tasting fantastic, unique, limited-production wines in a homey old farmhouse with a super-casual picnic area AND GOATS

Where: 3421 Silverado Trail North, just north of Saint Helena

When: Monday-Saturday, 10am-4:30pm, by appointment–call 707.963.5783

Why: To experience Napa as it was back in the 1970’s (when the winery was founded), taste awesome wines you can’t really find elsewhere and picnic in a beautiful setting–all while not fretting too much about the wee ones, or worrying about what other people think about you having wee ones with you

Tasting Room from Picnic Area

View from our Picnic Table

Ask Them for Goat Food