Our Favorite Napa Stories

Napa is one of the world's most famous wine regions, but how did it become that? Located at the top of the bay, a ferry ride away from foggy San Francisco, it is a place of abundant sunshine, fertile soil and hot mineral springs! Once the home of a massive population of grizzly bears, and an enterprising tribe known for their ferocity, it has attracted fortune hunters and winemakers from around the world. National and local events have raised it up and knocked it down, and then phoenix like, it has risen again.

These stories about how Napa evolved were selected from the book, Wine Country in Shorts, the Stories of Napa and Sonoma, by Ralph and Lahni DeAmicis, storytellers, speakers and filmmakers. The stories were collected over twenty years during their time as popular guides and tour book authors. They are the ultimate insiders who present a wonderfully revealing picture of how Napa became such a remarkable place.

This book celebrates the unique storytelling style that goes well with wine: colorful, relaxed, thoughtful, a little rambling and segmented. That's because the pace of the story allows time for the listeners to taste the wines and enjoy the illumination it bestows. That's how the ancients described the experience of drinking alcohol, being illuminated by the wine.' We hope that you enjoy these stories that are only as remarkable as the wonderful places and people they describe, and that are treasured by so many.

A wine region's personality is not just about the topography and climate, but also about how the people living there adapted to its unique qualities. Those experiences are shared in stories. Where did we get these stories? We heard them while standing at the back of countless tasting rooms. For many years there were a couple of hundred wineries where customers could just walk in, stand at the bar and taste the wines. At other wineries the tastings happened sitting down, and of course there are cave and vineyard tours. In these tasting experiences, the hosts shared information about the wines, and many shared stories.