As printed in the The Wall Street Journal: The Golden State of Napa Valley

DENNIS CAKEBREAD SHRUGS his shoulders and smiles. The co-owner of Napa’s Cakebread Cellars is responding to my question about the excitement surrounding the region’s 2013 vintage, which has been described by Napa winemakers as “epic.” “We’re in California. It’s always a good year,” he says before correcting himself. “In fact, you better say Napa, not California.”He’s right to point it out. In Europe, it’s very easy to mistake Napa for California. But in reality, the region only produces 4% of the state’s grape harvest. (California, in turn, produces about 90% of U.S. wine.) For such a small region, this 48-kilometer valley makes a lot of noise. And well it should; last year, Napa contributed more than $50 billion to the U.S. economy, according to the Napa Valley Vintners Association.

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Premiere Napa Valley Wine Auction 2015 Smashes Record

In February the Napa Valley Vintners‘ help their annual barrel auction for the wine trade. This year Premiere Napa Valley reports that this year they had a record-setting wine auction that raised $6 million dollars for non-profit. Loni Stark writes article In Photos: Premiere Napa Valley wine auction and dramatizes the success with a short video smashing a guitar and walking into the sunset.

Click here to get more information about this event and to see the video.

Yanko enters March 1 #NapaValley Marathon race

Devon Yanko, the winner of 2007 Road Runners Club of America National Marathon Championship, has entered the March 1 Kaiser Permanente Napa Valley Marathon. The 26.2-mile race from Calistoga to Napa is in its 37th year and starts at 7 a.m. from Rosedale Road and the Silverado Trail.

via Napa Valley Register, Yanko enters March 1 Napa Valley Marathon race by Marty James. Photo by J.L. Sousa.

VIDEO: Michael Chiarello’s Bottega Gran Fondo

Chef Michael Chiarello might be on to something. His newly created event, Bottega Gran Fondo in Napa, has captured the imagination of cyclists and adventure seekers, not only from the local area, but also across the entire country. Now in its second year, the unique event combines the best in farm-to-table foods, fine wines, and–a twist–cycling. Watch as Loni Stark heads to Napa to checkout the Bottega Gran Fondo. starkinsider.com

Click here to see the video.

Calistoga Hills Resort Highest "Per Key" Hotel Land Sale In The Country

CALISTOGA — The planned 143-unit Calistoga Hills Resort project was sold to an affiliate of CTF Development International, an Hong Kong-based hotel developer and owner, in a move said to represent one of the highest “per key” hotel land sales in the country.

Although the details of the sale have not been disclosed, the property was put up for sale in June 2014 for $100 million, by Christie’s International Real Estate. The buyer purchased the property in December, but brokers of the deal announced it Thursday.

The 88-acre property is a fully-entitled development site located in the foothills of Calistoga, near the intersection of Foothill Boulevard, Highway 29 and Lincoln Avenue. At 430 feet above the valley floor, it’s one of Napa Valley’s last remaining large, untouched properties.

via Calistoga resort property sale price called trend-setter – North Bay Business Journal - North San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma, Marin, Napa counties - Archive.

CLICK HERE TO SEE A SHORT VIDEO ON THIS BEAUTIFUL PROPERTY

First Napan In Space! Astronaut Kate Rubins Mission To International Space Station

Kate Rubins will go where no Napan has gone before – 268 miles above the Earth. The biochemist-turned-astronaut, who joined the NASA ranks in 2009, has been chosen for a mission to the International Space Station set to begin in May 2016. On Monday, the U.S. space agency formally announced the mission, which had begun to emerge in news reports last year.

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft will boost Rubins, the Russian cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin, and Takuya Onishi of Japan from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, in the remote steppes of Kazakhstan, to the space station, where Rubins will oversee more than 100 scientific experiments during her six months in microgravity.

via Napa astronaut’s journey leads to International Space Station, Napa Valley Register.

Also here is another good article covering this in the Science Recorder, Napa Valley astronaut to visit International Space Station.

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE NASA VIDEO INCLUDING KATE RUBINS AND CREW

#NapaValley President’s Day Downtown Clean Up

PRESIDENTS’ DAY DOWNTOWN NAPA CLEAN-UP

Monday, February 16, 8:30AM-noon – A Family-friendly Event

Sponsored by the City of Napa, Napa Valley CanDo, and CVNL Volunteer Napa.

Volunteers sign-in between 8:30 and 9AM. Clean-up for one or more hours, 9AM-noon. We’ll gather litter, paint out graffiti, and generally spruce up trails, parks and other public spaces near the downtown.

Wear close-toed shoes. Dress in layers. Gloves and trash bags are provided. Bring your reusable water bottle. We’ll have a filling station and light snacks.

LOCATION: Staging area is the parking lot at 1st and Washington next to the Community Services Building (1600 1st Street).

This is a family-friendly event, but minors under age 14 must be supervised by adults. Everyone will need to sign a waiver with adults signing the waivers for minors. Want to get your employees or school involved? Email us at nvcando@gmail.com. Just tell us what you have in mind.

via Napa Valley President’s Day Downtown Clean Up | Napa Valley, CA Patch.