This is when you get a good feel for the vintage.  Here, the 2008 reds made their debut.  There were many issues with that growing season, including frost and fires.  Yields were low.  Winemakers who’ve been holding their collective breath can breathe a sigh of relief.  Almost everyone I talked to is very pleased with the wines.  To me, they are restrained but complex, with long finishes.

PNV is also about buying wine.  All the auction lots are exclusive to the Premiere Napa Valley “brand.”  Retail and restaurant buyers and distributors bid on the lots during the charity auction.  By the end of Saturday’s bidding, all 200 lots sold for a total of roughly $2 million, 29% better than last year’s tally.  The highest bid was $37,000 for the Shafer Vineyards lot.  Is this a sign the economy is turning around and wine sales will recover lost ground?  Let’s hope so – I’ll raise a glass to that!

Instead of a “best of” or “top 10 list” I decided to highlight the wineries and wines that should be on your radar.  The 2008 reds won’t be released until 2011 at the earliest.

Anomaly Vineyards – these folks changed their wine the Thursday before PNV, a brave move.  Went from blend w/ 60% Cab to 100% cab.  Kudos for following your instincts.

Arietta – a beautiful 100% Semillon with floral aromatics

Ashe Family Vineyards – a new winery with debut releases.  Also had a 100% Sauvignon Blanc, nice and refreshing.  Phillipe Melka is the winemaker.

Blackbird Vineyards – incredible Merlot based wines.  more to come in another post

Black Coyote Chateau – a first time showing at PNV.  Rich layers of flavor – a beautiful wine from Atlas Peak.  Well done!

Chimney Rock Winery – a fabulous wine from the fabulous winemaking team of Elizabeth Vianna and Doug Fletcher.

Dyer Vineyard – really loved this wine, a 100% Cabernet Franc.  Very very aromatic.  From Bill and Dawnine Dyer (look for one of Dawnine’s other wine projects, Meteor Vineyard)

Emblem Wines - Rob Mondavi, Jr. and Michael Mondavi are behind this label.  The lush Cab is all Rutherford fruit.

Gemstone Vineyard – I’m a big fan of Paul and Suzie Frank’s Gemstone wine.  Elegant and complex.

Hourglass – love the violets in the nose

Juslyn Vineyards – Carolyn and Perry Butler’s second PNV is smooth and elegant.  This is also the team behind the Footcandy shoe boutiques.

Tierra Roja – All of Linda Neal’s vineyard management experience is now captured in her own label.  A lovely wine.

Tuck Beckstoffer Wines – my first time tasting Tuck’s wines.  Track down Mockingbird.  More on these wines in a future post.

Venge Vineyards – rich and velvety.  Kirk Venge’s family is rooted in Napa Valley.

VinRoc Wine Caves – this winery is located in the up-and-coming Atlas Peak appellation of Napa.  It’s a wine worth seeking out and discovering, especially if you like rose´

Conn Creek Rutherford estate: Love the big nose, juicy finish and silky texture [Supple]
Volker Estate Chiles Valley: So good! Floral nose, well-balanced, excellent [Complex]
Stagecoach Vineyard Atlas Peak: Nice complex nose, soft tannins [Complex]
Frediani Vineyard Calistoga: Ohh the nose is wonderful, brambles, cassis, black fruits, chocolate [Bold]
Merlot: Velvety
Cabernet Franc: Lovely floral nose

The next decision is how much of each wine to put into the blend. This is trial and error time. I went with the wines I liked the most in bigger percentages.

30% – Chiles Valley
30% – Stagecoach
15% – Conn Creek Estate
15% – Frediani
5% – Merlot
5% – Cab Franc

You add wines to a graduated cylinder, and then once you have 100% you dump the wine into a glass, then swirl, sniff and sip. Well, my blend wasn’t as good as I thought it would be. It was a little too fruity and that made it seem sweet.  While there is a wine educator on hand for the blending experience, the idea is really for you to do it on your own.  But I was happy that Conn Creek’s winemaker, Mike McGrath, dropped by.  He tasted my wine and immediately knew what was missing. Richness, in the form of earthy. He suggested adding some of the Newton Vineyard Mt. Veeder [Rich]. So I reworked my blend. Still not there. Now it was missing acid. I added a very small amount of Truchard Vineyard from Carneros [Soft] and it was amazing to me that it instantly made my blend taste really good. It’s like a light bulb went on. This blending is an art, and much harder than I expected. Here’s the “recipe” for my final blend:

20% – Chiles Valley
20% – Stagecoach
10% -Conn Creek Estate
15% – Frediani
5% – Merlot
5% – Cab Franc

Plus new additions:
5% – Truchard
15% – Mt. Veeder
5% – Petit Verdot

Now that I had my blend down, it was time to design the label. I’m no artist, so I went very simple — rolling hills and a sun. Once that’s done, you fill the bottle, cork it and slap on the label. That’s it — a bottle of wine you can take home to enjoy with friends and family.

Last, but not least, you get to taste Conn Creek’s flagship Cabernet Sauvignon blend, Anthology and you can compare your results to the pro winemakers. Turns out the blend for the current Anthology is 76% Cab, 10% Merlot, 8% Malbec, 4% Petit Verdot and 2% Cab Franc. I didn’t get the breakdown of the Cabs blended — after all that’s their “secret sauce.”
Anthology is powerful yet smooth and rich.

When I got home, my husband wanted to taste the wine immediately, but we had to wait at least 40 days to let the wine settle and go through bottle shock. So he tracked it on his calendar. On day 41 he wanted to open it, but the dinner I had made wouldn’t be a good match. A few weeks later I was ready; we popped the cork. I was a little worried the wine wouldn’t be any good, so I was pleasantly surprised by the floral nose with a hint of vanilla. There was lots of dark red fruit, a little tobacco and mint. The tannins were there, but they were soft. I was happy with my wine.  And I want to do it all again!

Taking part in the blending experience at Conn Creek really shows that there is an art and a skill to blending wine. It also shows the diversity of Cabernet grown in Napa Valley — there is not a uniform taste or character. That in turn shows the influence of terroir on the grape. Being a winemaker for a day is a lot of fun, and its an activity you can share with friends or family.

Here’s a clip from the story we did on Sattui and his castle on In Wine Country

Frog’s Leap Winery in Rutherford is one of the most beautiful places in Napa Valley. They are organic and sustainable, and the ground around the winery features a working garden and hen house (they sell to local restaurants) and pond. The red barn is a wine country icon.

The seated tastings are something fairly new for Frog’s Leap, so if you haven’t been in a few years, be sure to check it out next time you’re in Napa. The tasting is four wines, and you sit outside on the big veranda of the Vineyard House, with a terrific view. Reservations not necessary, but in the summer you might want to make one. Cost is $15 per person. Of course you can go on one of two daily tours for free.

By the way, here’s a feature we did on In Wine Country a couple years ago about Frog’s Leap.

Have you heard of Elizabeth Spencer Wines?

This is a fairly new winery, with what just might be the smallest tasting room in Napa Valley. It’s housed in what was the original Rutherford post office. The building is a mere 300 sq. ft. We also featured the tasting room on In Wine Country.

Now there is a very cool garden outdoor seating area, where you can sit, relax and enjoy your wine tasting.

For Cabernet fans, you might want to go for the Appellation tasting.  Elizabeth Spencer is best known for its Cabs.

The tasting takes place in an open air room, with a view of the garden patio.  The Cabs are paired with chocolate and other small bites. The regular tasting is $15; the Appellation tasting is $40. Reservations required for each.

I am really excited about the new tasting room about to open at Swanson Vineyards in Napa Valley. Sure, they’re known for Merlot, and for the elegant Salon wine tasting experience. That’s an intimate sit down tasting, paired with caviar and chocolates. Super luxe, right? But it’s also limited to groups of 8, a couple times a day. What if you want to stop by and try a few bottlings? Up until now, you were SOL. Although they’re not taking text reservations (not yet anyway!), soon you’ll be able to phone up and stop in at the new Sip Shop. The bright red and white striped room is whimsical and fun. Not your average tasting room!

Here you can sip flights of Swanson’s wine, paired with some small bites. One signature pairing will be the Swanson Pinot Grigio matched with American caviar on a potato chip. Mmmm. Opening is planned for June 1st. Yes you do have to call ahead, as tastings are by appointment only. Calling on your way there qualifies. There will be a fee for tasting, from $14-$28 per tasting. Stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I joined a group of wine writers and bloggers in a tasting led by winemaker Chris Phelps. He’s tweaked the blends since joining the winery in 2003, and you can taste the results in the 2005 and 2007 Merlot and 2007 “Alexis” Cab, which show lots of fruit and finesse. The ’08 Cab in barrel is lush and should develop quite nicely.

The Merlots fall into the description “iron fist in a velvet glove” and have a voluptuous mouth feel, full of lots of ripe black fruits. The Pinot Grigio is a beautiful wine for sipping on the warm days of summer. The rice body comes from time spent on the lees. The perfect ending – a glass of the 2005 “ Tardif,” a late harvest Chardonnay.
Our tasting took place in the Salon, and as you can see, it’s a beautiful space, with high ceilings and bright coral walls. Here’s the TV story we did about it for In Wine Country.

http://www.inwinecountry.com/?cat=7274242&subcat=5901916&video=243

Recession worries seemed to fade as wine lovers opened their wallets and raised paddles bidding up the prices at the 30th Auction Napa Valley, held over this past weekend. There was lots of good food and great wine flowing throughout the event. I went to the Taste Napa Valley and Barrel Auction on Friday, at Rubicon Estates. I love this annual event, and it’s a great one to go to even if you don’t make it to the live auction on Saturday. Dark skies and cool temps threatened rain, but it held off.

At Taste Napa Valley, wineries pour whites and rose´and many of Napa’s top restaurants dished out bites.

You could nosh on anything from chickpea fries to pulled pork sliders from BarBersQ and watermelon sorbet with chocolate chips (for seeds!), topped with fleur de sel. Martini House served up a creamy mushroom soup that was an inspired pairing with the Kongsgaard “The Judge” Chardonnay. Check out this incredible paella, from Zuzu in Napa.

What I really noticed was that there were many more wineries pouring Rose´ than in past years. No complaints here, I love Rose´especially this time of year. Some of the best I tasted were from Entre Nous, (a Cab rose´) where Philippe Melka is the winemaker, and Louis M. Martini, also a Rose´of Cab.

The real excitement was inside the caves at Rubicon, where the live barrel auction was taking place. As you can see, it was jammed-packed, as people went from barrel to barrel, sampling and bidding.

Opening bids on the barrel lots started at $175 per case with the minimum increments of $50. In about 15 minutes time, I saw the Shafer Vineyards lot go from $5700 to $6000 (and yes, that’s for one case).
Updating the Shafer bids.

If you think that’s a lot, the final bid on the Shafer lot, the 2008 Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon, went for $58,650. Amazing! The second highest bid was $37,700 for the Spottswoode Estate lot, a St. Helena Cab.

At the end of the weekend, when all was said and done, more than $8.5 million was raised, with $1 million coming from the barrel auction alone. All proceeds benefit
health, youth services and housing non-profits in Napa County.

This may be the winery tasting room opening of the year.  Raymond Vineyards, in Napa Valley, has partnered with the legendary French crystal maker Baccarat, to create a one-of-a-kind tasting room, the Crystal Cellar.

It’s pretty awesome.  Granted, I was at the soiree to celebrate opening the Crystal Cellar. The atmosphere was like a sophisticated night club. Mirrors everywhere – on the tasting bar and display cases.  A stunning crystal chandelier, the focal point of the cellar. A mannequin hanging from a trapeze.  Lots of colorful mood lighting.  Display cases with Baccarat wine decanters, glasses, and other decorative objects.

I have seen the cellar during the daytime, when it’s much more subdued, but equally brilliant.

The pairing of a winery and crystal manufacturer is nothing new, but this is the first collaboration for Baccarat with a winery.  The inspiration comes from Jean-Charles Boisset, who is head of Boisset Family Estates.  Boisset bought the Raymond winery  in August 2009, setting its sights on improving the wine quality and developing a unique wine tasting experience.  This is Boisset’s first Napa Valley aquisition.  They also own DeLoach Vineyards in Sonoma County, and recently opened Taste of Terroir, a wine tasting room on the square in Healdsburg.

Jean-Charles told me he starting collecting Baccarat at the tender age of 11.  You can imagine he’s got a large collection now.  He approached Baccarat about a partnership with Raymond.  Makes, perfect sense, both Boisset and Baccarat are rooted in France, and Baccarat creates beautiful decanters and glassware.

I can’t wait to take friends wine tasting in the Crystal Cellar.  You don’t need to make a reservation, but there is a $25 tasting fee.  What they’re pouring:  the Raymond Vineyards District Cabernet Sauvignon series, including the 2006 Oakville, Rutherford and St. Helena wines, the ’06 Generations, a 2009 barrel sample of a barrel fermented Chardonnay, and a 1987 Napa Valley Cab. This last wine was poured at the opening event, and I found it to still have fruit and a floral nose, and soft tannins.

If you get to Paris, you should plan to go to the Baccarat museum.  The crystal collection is amazing.  The galleries and restaurant were designed by Philippe Stark (reason enough to go).  The display cases are filled with both vintage and modern works.

You probably don’t think of downtown Napa as a destination for style or shopping. People used to bypass Napa on their way to winery tasting rooms and St. Helena.  Well things have changed.  Now Napa is a must stop for great dining, wine tasting and shopping.

We drove up to Napa on Friday morning with only one destination in mind: Helen Lyall. Helen is the ultra-chic owner of her eponymous clothing boutique. She’s just relocated her store from Vallejo (a town south of Napa) to the new Riverfront development in downtown Napa.

No surprise that my friends are all wine fashionistas. We had a denim-free weekend (unplanned); most of us wore cute dresses the entire time.  We had the run of the boutique with Helen and her staff pulling clothes, swapping out sizes and making sure we found just the right outfits. There’s a wide range of prices, and something for everyone from Helen’s well-edited collection of clothing and jewelry. We had so much fun we forgot about lunch and barely had time to make it to our first winery appointment.  We missed going to Cake Plate, another Napa boutique and Oxbow Market for the beautiful local food purveyors and places to dine.

The drive up to Chappellet on Pritchard Hill is breathtaking. Behind you Lake Hennessey comes into full view. The winery itself has a 1970′s modern vibe, with a low slung roof line. Inside the ceiling rises to form a point at the center. It wasn’t until I saw an aerial photo that I realized the building’s roof is a pyramid, with three triangles, just like Chappellet’s red pyramid logo on the label.

Our host Henri lead us through a tasting of a Chenin Blanc, which we all loved, the Mountain Cuvee, a Bordeaux style blend, and the Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Chappellet’s flagship wine.  This intimate tasting takes place in the barrel room and lasts about an hour.

We were back in downtown Napa to dine at Morimoto, just a few doors down from Helen Lyall at the Riverfront.  It’s definitely a see and be seen type of place.  All day people had been recommending two appetizers – the spicy king crab legs and the rock shrimp tempura.  In our opinion the appetizers and desserts are much better than the entreés, so next time we’ll skip the main course altogether.

Carpe Diem Wine Bar is open late, till 11 pm on weekends.  I was very happy to find a Sean Thackery wine by the glass.  Our evening ended here.  Another suggestion for a late night glass of wine is the new 1313 Main wine bar.  They’ve got an eclectic wine list, served in a beautifully designed bar where you just want to hang out.

On Saturday we drove to St. Helena, where winemaker Julian Fayard was pouring his Rosé, Sauvignon Blanc and a red blend from his Azur Wines label.  The Azur Rosé, made from Syrah, is my one of my favorite American Rosés, and I wanted my friends to try it.  They loved it (I knew they would).

We spent a lot of time (and money) at Reeds shopping for dresses and jewelry.  Reeds carries several European designers we like, including Crea Concept from France.  If we had more time, I’m sure we would have hit our other favorite shops:  Footcandy Shoes, Pearl Wonderful Clothing, Jan de Luz linens and Woodhouse Chocolates.

We’d been saving our appetite for a wine event at Charles Krug, the annual Appellation St. Helena tasting.  A dozen or so wineries were pouring.  Peter Mondavi, Jr. was pouring his Charles Krug wines, including a very nice Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel.  The food was from local favorite Cindy Pawlcyn’s restaurants (Cindy’s Kitchen, Mustard’s); we went back for several servings of duck sliders and ribs.  A few of us took part in a blind tasting, trying to deduce the wine varietal, vintage, and even the producer.  One of my friends and I did well enough to win grapevines, which are now planted in another friend’s backyard.

Our evening activity was at von Strasser Winery, on Diamond Mountain in Calistoga.  The winery had an art event, with the works of various local artists displayed in the vineyards and in the wine cave.  They paired their wines with small bites from a  Napa caterer.  We loved sitting on the patio, enjoying our glasses of Gruner Veltliner and Eye of the Diamond Rosé (it was a warm night).  In the caves, we sampled the wine von Strasser is known for, their reserve cab blend.  A fabulous evening!

For brunch the next day, we dined on the patio at Angele, again in downtown Napa.  Our first winery stop was Robert Biale Vineyards.  We liked the wines so much from trying them the day before that we set up a last minute tasting.  The setting is so peaceful, in the middle of the valley floor.  Biale is known for Zinfandel and they offer 13 Zins.  Be sure to try the Black Chicken, it has a direct tie to Biale’s early days bootlegging during prohibition.

Chimney Rock was our next stop, where we did a tour and tasting of their fabulous Bordeaux-inspired wines.  On a hot day, we enjoyed both Elevage Blanc, a white blend, and the Rosé of Cabernet Franc.  We also tasted the winery’s flagship Elevage red blend and Tomahawk Vineyard Cab.  We weren’t done yet.  Last stop was dinner at Ad Hoc on the way back home.  We love Thomas Keller’s one menu restaurant, where you share dishes family style.  We lucked out with pork shortribs and a strawberry rhubarb crisp.

With full tummies, and a jam-packed car (try fitting many box carriers of wine, bags of clothing, suitcases, four grapevines and four women into one car), we headed back home.  Of course we’re already planning our return visit for another ultimate weekend in wine country.

Turning my girlfriends on to Riesling.  Girls trips are great, especially when you are in New York City.  I was determined to get to the wine bar Terroir in Tribeca.  There was arm twisting involved as my friends resisted because they didn’t like Riesling. August at Terroir is the Summer of Riesling.  We almost left because Riesling dominates the wine list. Determined to change their taste buds, I enlisted our server for my mission to turn the girls on to Riesling.  I asked for samples that were bone dry (as my friends’ main complaint about this wine is that it is too sweet).  The other requirement – no aromas of petrol.  He brought us 3 samples.  Of course I can’t remember which wines, but the plan worked.  We ordered a bottle for the table.  My friends left Terroir liking Riesling.  In the words of Tim Gunn, thank you Terroir!

Discovering Virginia wines.  This summer the Wine Bloggers Conference was held in Charlottesville, Va.  I had never tried any of the local wines, but glad I had the opportunity to do so.  I left with many favorites including a sparkling Viognier from Barboursville Vineyards and a Petit Manseng (a white wine) from Horton Vineyards.  My favorite moment was tasting Virginia wines on the lawn of Monticello, home of Thomas Jefferson.  I highly recommend a journey through this beautiful wine country.

There are some Chardonnays out there that I actually like.  I’ve long been a Chard no way drinker and not a fan of the sweet and oaky bottlings.  I still have a hard time believing Chardonnay is the top white wine seller in this country.  But two Chards really stood out for me this year, from Oakville Ranch and Lioco.  When I tasted Oakville Ranch’s wine I had an ephiany that California Chardonnay can be fruit forward and have good acidity.  I shared a bottle of Lioco, from Sonoma County, with my girlfriends on, yes that same trip to NYC, and it was a big hit.

The Brunello Cucinelli Trunk show at Ma(i)sonry.  A fashion event at a winery?  Oh yeah.  Ma(i)sonry, an art and wine gallery, is one of my favorite places in Napa Valley, and I’m a big fan of Blackbird Vineyard wines.  The Italian label Brunello Cucinelli has sumptous and luxurious clothing for both women and men.  And with Brunello in the label, well that gets me thinking about Brunello di Montalcino wines.  Alas, all I could do was dream about this line as it’s totally out of my budget.  But what I could afford were the elegant wines being poured, from Ma(i)sonry’s Recuerdo label, a Torrontes and Malbec, both from Argentina.  There couldn’t be a more perfect pairing, fashion and wine.  Ok, jewelry and wine or perfume and wine or shoes and wine are up there too.

Learning about aromas in wine that mean the wine is flawed.  Believe it or not, there are wines out there with aromas that tell you there’s something wrong with that bottle of wine.  I took a class at Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley where I learned to recognize the different smells that mean a wine is just not right, and wrote a blog post about it.

Spending time at Contiuum in Napa Valley with Tim Mondavi.  I’ve been producing a video series about the trade event Premiere Napa Valley.  Contiuum is one of the 15 winemaker stories, where the vintners talk about the inspiration for the one-of-a-kind wine they create only for this auction.

We shot at Continuum towards the end of the day.  Tim (one of Robert Mondavi’s sons) spent more time with us than we expected, and is a wealth of information about the Napa Valley and its wines.  We had the pleasure of watching the sun set from this amazing hilltop vineyard overlooking much of Napa Valley.  Contiuum makes only one wine, and it is pretty amazing as well.

Turning my relatives on to Cava Rosé from Spain.  My family came to stay with me for Christmas, and we were getting ready to open our gifts.  I like to make the event festive, so we got the holiday music playing and I pulled out a bottle of Freixenet Cordon Rosado Brut and popped the cork.  My relatives had never heard of Cava and I explained that it’s made the traditional way as in Champagne, but can’t be called Champagne since it wasn’t grown and made there.  Everyone loved the wine, and I plan to stock up on it because this sparkling wine is very affordable.  This is the wine I’ll drink for ringing in the new year of 2012.

The Champagne Grand Tasting in San Francisco.  I think I died and went to heaven at this event, put on by Comité Champagne.  There were 30 Champagne houses pouring, including Pol Roger, where I tasted the same bubbly that Kate Middleton and Prince William had for their wedding.  Of course some of the well known wines were here, like Bollinger and Henroit, but I also liked wines from smaller producers, including Mailly, Gosset, Charles de Cazanove and Lanson.  There are some really nice bubblies out there that don’t carry the names and cachet, of let’s say a Krug, but are worth seeking out (and cost less too).

My favorite wine label art with good wines inside.  I’ve read about Charles Smith wines, but never tried them until I was in NYC with my inlaws at Kin Shop (first Top Chef winner Harold Dieterle’s second restaurant), and a Charles Smith Viognier was on the wine list.  I feel in love with it, so I always seek out this unconventional winemaker’s bottles not just for the wines, but his label artwork is fabulous.  For Syrah, it is called Boom Boom, with a bomb on the label.  Chardonnay is named Eve, and has an apple with a bite taken, invoking Eve in the garden of Eden.  Merlot is The Velvet Devil.  For me, the label’s cachet is not at all compromised as many of these wines are sold at Trader Joe’s and have a very friendly price point.  Gotta love it.

My favorite post of 2011 is about crowd-sourced winemaking.  Tom and Matt Johnson are owners and winemakers of Silversmith Vineyards in California’s Mendocino wine country.  The came up with the crazy idea of turning the winemaking of one of their varietals to their cadre of Facebook fans, and inspired my blog post about it.  They had more folks participating than they could have imagined.  Every decision was posted on Facebook, from which varietal to make, when to pick, and how to press and the level of dryness in their #crowdmadewine project.  It’s not too late for you to get involved, as there will be decisions to make about what barrel to use and how long to age the wine.  I still think this is one of the best examples of social media in the wine world.

To all my readers, thank you for your support and for reading my blog here on Huffington Post.  I raise a glass of bubbly to you and toast with best wishes to ring in 2012.

It’s nice to have options that don’t always include wine.  You can only sample so much wine in a day, and it’s good to have a break.  If you don’t drink wine at all, you may feel left out.  Fortunately there’s more art in Napa Valley than even I knew was on view.

Next month “Arts in April” will showcase visual and performing arts with special exhibits, performances and experiences, all part of what’s being dubbed as “The Napa Valley Collection” at wineries throughout wine country.  Each week one or more geographic regions host special events, starting in Calistoga for the first week and moving south to Napa on the last week.

During a press preview, I learned that Markham Vineyards has a permanent collection of Rolling Stone magazine cover photos.  Wow.  Baron Wolman was the man behind the lens, from the first cover for three years, and he was there to give us a personal tour of his photos.  Every picture, as they say, tells a story, and Wolman recounted each photo session in great detail.  His photos are iconic, especially the one of Jimi Hendrix.

For me, he is a rock star too.

I love behind the scenes stories.  Wolman will be at Markham on April 14 from 11am to 1pm doing a slide show about his backstage access, with a Q & A session.  Tickets are $10 per person. Trust me, you don’t want to miss this.  I’m adding Markham to my list of recommendations.

We also went to Clos Pegase, owned by Jan Shrem.  The winery itself is a work of art, designed by architect Michael Graves.  In fact the winery is often referred to as a temple to wine and Shrem’s extensive art collection.

He took us on a tour, which started in his office.  Every room, every hallway has paintings, drawings and sculptures.  What a great place to work.  Shrem created a stage in winery’s caves, and he himself performs “Bacchus the Rascal” which he describes as a Bacchanalian history of wine seen through 4000 years of art.

If you can get to Clos Pegase on April 7 at 3 pm, again, this is not to be missed.  Shrem has a wicked sense of humor and a sparkle in his eye, as any rascal would. Tickets are $25 per person.

Of course there is the wine at these wineries, but art is the main attraction.  That the art pairs with the wine is a happy bonus.

You can find a complete listing of all Arts in April events here.