New Year's Eve PARTY

Just a reminder that we still have some availability for our complimentary (that's right, complimentary) New Year's Eve party this December 31st.

Now, we know what you're probably saying: They'll just raise the room rates for that night, right? No! That's right: this year the Wine Country Inn will be offering our guests a special New Year’s Eve party on December 31 at regular December (off-season) rates. Highlights of the event include:

~ Our New Year’s Eve party will be complimentary for guests of the Inn that night. That’s right—while most places mark up (significantly!) their fees for New Year’s Eve, we’re going to throw a party at no additional cost to you.

~ In keeping with our old-fashioned holiday theme, the Inn’s room rates for that night will not increase.

~ Our New Year’s Eve Party will run from approximately 10:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. (or so), and include a champagne toast and dessert bar loaded with all sorts of homemade goodies.

~ Of course, you’ll avoid driving hazards by simply walking to your room.

Come celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of a new one with old friends... or make some new ones in our cozy common room complete with roaring fire. Visit our web site our call toll-free 1-888-465-4608 for room availability and rates.

Olive Taste-Off Winner

We had a wonderful time Saturday, Nov 15 at The Wine Country Inn for our Olive Oil Taste-Off, which was the culminating event in our four-day "Ode to the Olive" celebration. Three celebrity judges blind-tasted four Napa Valley olive oils, and also answered questions and conversed with Wine Country Inn guests (we were nearly sold out -- there was one available room!). The judges were the Inn's own Innkeeper, Jim Smith; Chef Lars Kronmark from our neighbor the Culinary Institute of America (CIA); and Diane DeFilipe, an expert on Italian food and olive oil through her Italian touring company, Let's Go Cook Italian.

And the winner was... Harris Ranch Napa Valley! The judges loved this organic extra virgin olive oil's flavor (of course), but also its aroma and that spicy/peppery taste that hits the back of the mouth. (When tasting olive oils, it's a GOOD thing to cough! No, seriously!) Congratulations to the brother and sister team of Gingy Harris Gable and Jody Harris who own and run Harris Ranch Napa Valley. The winning olive oil retails for $38 per 500ml bottle. For more information or to purchase this fine Napa Valley olive oil, visit their web site at http://www.hrnv.net/.

Stay tuned for more re-cap info soon on the Ode to the Olive event... and as we begin looking forward to our New Year's Eve celebration.

Ode to the Olive: Events Schedule

Here is the schedule for our 2008 Ode to the Olive event:

Wed., Nov 12:

Breakfast - selection of dips and olives

Afternoon wine service - Kendall-Jackson Winery and Pearl Wonderful Clothing

Thur., Nov 13:

Breakfast - selection of dips and olives

Afternoon wine service - 'Ode to the Martini' with Charbay Vodka; displays by Christopher Hill Art Gallery

Fri., Nov 14:

Breakfast - selection of dips and olives

Afternoon wine service: William Harrison Winery; olive oil tasting with Long Meadow Ranch

Sat., Nov 15:

Breakfast - selection of dips and olives

10:30 a.m. - tour of Long Meadow Ranch

Afternoon wine service: Rutherford Hill Winery; Olive Oil 'taste off'

For information or reservations, please call the Wine Country Inn toll-free at 1-888-465-4608.

PEARL Wonderful Clothing

We're excited to announce that PEARL Wonderful Clothing will be participating in our Ode to the Olive event Nov. 12-15.

PEARL will be visiting the Inn on Wednesday, Nov. 12 during our afternoon wine service (4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m.). The PEARL folks will be showcasing some of their new fall and winter fashions, be available to answer questions, and will be providing Inn guests with special incentives, should you want to visit the PEARL store, located on Main Street in downtown St. Helena. Don't miss this fun event at the Inn.

For information or to inquire about availability, please call us at the Wine Country Inn toll-free at 1-888-465-4608.

Ode to the Olive: Thank You to Our Sponsors

We would like to thank the following sponsors who will be part of the Wine Country Inn's Ode to the Olive event Nov. 12-15, 2008.

Every Meal A Feast
A fun food and wine blog







Nord Vineyards
Fantastic Napa Valley wine

PEARL Wonderful Clothing
Upscale women's clothing boutique

Return Guest Reunion

Many of our Wine Country Inn guests return to the Inn year after year. Of course, our staff becomes quite close with this new friends.... With these guests in mind, we decided to say "thank you" by offering a "Return Guest Reunion" in early 2009. Even if people didn’t know each other at the beginning of the weekend, we figure that they would by the end! Here are the details:

~ Our Return Guest Reunion weekend will be February 27-28, 2009.

~ You and a guest will receive two nights lodging, all regular Inn amenities (breakfast, etc.), and on the Saturday night a return guest party in our common room complete with cocktails, wine, and a four-course catered dinner.

~ The package price for the weekend, for two people, varies by room type:

Traditional Room: $700

Suites: $870

Cottages: $1,190

Please visit our web site or call toll-free 1-888-465-4608 for availability or to make a reservation. We hope to see you --again! -- soon!

New Year's Eve Party

What, a New Year's Eve party that's... free? Oh, wait--they'll just raise the room rates, right? No!

That's right: this year the Wine Country Inn will be offering our guests a special New Year’s Eve party on December 31. Highlights of the event include:

~ Our New Year’s Eve party will be complimentary for guests of the Inn that night. That’s right—while most places mark up (significantly!) their fees for New Year’s Eve, we’re going to throw a party at no additional cost to you.

~ In keeping with our old-fashioned holiday theme, the Inn’s room rates for that night will not increase.

~ Our New Year’s Eve Party will run from approximately 10:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. (or so), and include a champagne toast and dessert bar loaded with all sorts of homemade goodies.

~ Of course, you’ll avoid driving hazards by simply walking to your room.

Come celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of a new one with old friends... or make some new ones in our cozy common room complete with roaring fire. Visit our web site our call toll-free 1-888-465-4608 for room availability and rates.

Ode to the Olive

Yes, the Napa Valley has awesome wine. But we also have many other food producers, including many ultra-premium olive oil companies. To help our Wine Country Inn guests experience this wonderful fruit, we’ve created what we hope will become an annual celebration: the Ode to the Olive, to be held Nov. 12-15 at the Wine Country Inn.

Wine Country Inn guests will have a multitude of ways to experience the olive, including:
~ Numerous tasting opportunities, from spreads to tapenades to olive oils ~ The opportunity to visit one or more nearby olive oil producers
~ A complimentary copy of our Ode to the Olive Collector’s Book
~ An “ode to the martini” evening event, complete with stuffed olives
~ Special discounts or goodies from nearby participating restaurants

The nearly-week long celebration will culminate in our Saturday afternoon Olive Oil Taste-Off, in which three celebrity judges (stay tuned!) will taste from numerous Napa Valley and local olive oil producers. The winner will become the Wine Country Inn’s featured olive oil for 2009.

For more information, visit our web site, or call toll-free 1-888-465-4608 for room availability and rates. We hope to see you in November!

Rosemary Syrup

We discovered this wonderful Rosemary Syrup during a visit to the nearby Culinary Institute of America (see previous post), and one of its visiting chef's: John Ash. It makes a fantastic dessert topping, as well as would be a wonderful sauce for fish or chicken. Enjoy!

Rosemary Syrup

3/4 c sugar

3/4 c dry white wine

1/3 c water

3 tablespoons rosemary leaves

1 bay leaf

1/2 tablespoon whole peppercorns

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes. Let cool, then strain, store in refrigerator.

Sophisticated Palate

We’re lucky that our Napa Valley inn rests only a mile or so from one of the premier culinary education centers in the world: the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone. While the CIA specializes in formal chef and sommelier programs, there are many reasons for Wine Country Inn guests to visit the CIA, such as:

* The CIA offers numerous public cooking demonstrations and cooking classes.

* The CIA is located within a historic building, and has several displays of antique wine-related equipment.

* The facility has a wonderful gift shop sure to entice the cook (and especially the foodie!).

* Our guests can dine at the school’s renowned Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant.

For those who want to embrace the full CIA experience, be sure to review the CIA’s Sophisticated Palate program—an intense four-day “Epicurean Adventure” with nationally known chef John Ash and one or more CIA chefs. You’ll spend parts of each day cooking, exploring the bounty and offerings of our part of the Napa Valley, and of course dining and wine tasting. Inn guests who have enjoyed the Sophisticated Palate program have raved about both the one-to-one contact with top chefs and Napa Valley winemakers and food producers and simply the breadth of the food and wine experience. If you're a "foodie" (and you know who you are!), the Sophisticated Palate program is a foodie's paradise.

Please contact the CIA directly for schedules, costs, etc.

Salsa!

It's late August, and our gardens are beginning to burst! I've been busy making my world famous (O.K., Napa Valley famous) salsa for our afternoon wine socials here at The Wine Country Inn, plus our staff has been making a killer V-8 juice for the morning. (And, because August is the Inn's anniversary month -- this is our 33rd -- we've also had several bottles of Charbay vodka available for those interested in a morning Bloody Mary.)

The next time you visit us for your Napa Valley vacation, please take a walk down to our gardens. We're proud of how we're utilizing our land and contributing to your enjoyment of wine country with organic, grown-right-here produce. Cheers!

Event 3: Spirit Appreciation

Ah, isn't there something magical about the word cocktail.

We hope you'll join us on August 21 at the Inn when we introduce you to our friends at CHARBAY Winery and Distillery. They will be leading us on a "Spirit Appreciation" quest in which we'll learn about spirits, and (of course) do some tasting, including several of their award-winning fruit-flavored vodkas. This will definitely be something different and unique, which you won't want to miss.

Also, the CHARBAY folks are generously providing a "goody bag" to each couple which will include your choice of either their Pomegranate aperitif or their Green Tea aperitif. And our own Chef Guy will be providing a light lunch.

Details:
Thursday, August 21
Noon - 2:00 p.m. at the Wine Country Inn (registered guests only, please)
$45 per couple

Come join us! To reserve your spot or make a reservation at the Inn, please call our staff toll-free at 1-888-465-4608.

Event 6: Taste the Grapes

Sure, tasting wine is awesome. But wouldn't it be amazing to taste the grapes that are used to make the wine? We thought so, which is why we asked our friends the Nord family to lead us on a taste-the-grapes adventure in one of their vineyards. During this fun outing to one of the Napa Valley's most well-known vineyards, we'll taste grapes, talk to the Nord's about their vineyard management tips and tricks, and learn about stream restoration and other eco-friendly farming methods. Then we'll picnic in the vineyard while enjoying a variety of the Nord Estate Wines. We can't think of anything that says "Napa Valley" more than a picnic, grape tasting, and wine tasting in a Napa Valley vineyard, can you? (As you can see, we can't wait, and hope to make this an annual event with our Nord family friends. Julie: fingers crossed!)

Details:
Friday, September 5
10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
at Nord Vineyards (transportation provided by Wine Country Inn)

$75 per person (registered Inn guests only, please)

Come join us! To reserve your spot or make a reservation at the Inn, please call our staff toll-free at 1-888-465-4608.

Event 5: SALSA! with Jim

What, a salsa showdown?

That's right! Please consider joining us at the Wine Country Inn on Friday, September 4 when our Innkeeper, Jim Smith, will be preparing his famous salsa (many of you have had this -- and raved about it -- during the Inn's afternoon wine service in the summer months...). Jim will be talking about fresh ingredients (right from our gardens), pepper varieties, and so on. In addition, certified natural chef Monica Sallouti (see pic) will also be creating one of her own unique salsa recipes. We won't quite do an Iron Chef-type thing (Jim would have to win, or there'd be H*** to pay...) but you will get a chance to try two amazing salsas, learn about the Napa Valley's bountiful vegetable harvest, and receive recipes you, too, can use at home.

In addition, our friends at Envy Wines will be on hand sharing several of their wines. Plus, either Envy winemaker Nils Venge or cellarmaster Richard Carter will be on hand to discuss what they are pouring and answer your questions (and cheer on Jim, too). Own Chef Guy will be preparing a salad and other goodies for those interested in a light lunch.

Don't miss this fun, summertime, peppers-and-garlic-and-wine good time!

Details:
Thursday, September 4
Noon - 2:00 p.m.
at the Wine Country Inn (registered guests only, please)
$45 per person

Come join us! To reserve your spot or make a reservation at the Inn, please call our staff toll-free at 1-888-465-4608.

Event 4: Barrels & Bocce

Barrels and bocce, oh yeah!

On Friday, August 22, we'll depart the Wine Country Inn at approximately 10:30 a.m. and journey via shuttle bus to our friends at Diamond Oaks Vineyards. Diamond Oaks' winemaker Mark Fasi will personally lead us on a barrel tasting of Diamond Oaks as-yet-unbottled wines. Barrel tasting offers a fascinating way to "see" the winemaking process, learn about the differences among barrel types, and "taste" the role oak plays in the vast majority of today's Napa Valley red wines.

For lunch, we'll dine at the winery's picnic area which offers a fantastic view of the surrounding Napa Valley, taste more Diamond Oaks wines (these will be in bottles!), and have a picnic lunch provided by the nearby Oakville Grocery. Later, for those interested, we'll roll some bocce balls (prizes will be awarded; no professional players, please).

This will be a wonderful way to see the inner workings of a winery, speak first-hand to the winemaker, and have some afternoon fun living the Napa Valley good life. All this -- wine, lunch, bocce, transportation, etc. -- only $75 per person. (Because we're friends with the Diamond Oaks folks, they are going to include a reserve wine tasting too -- for free!)

Details:
Friday, August 22
10:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
At Diamond Oaks Vineyards (shuttle provided by Wine Country Inn)
$75 per person (Wine Country Inn registered guests only, please)

Come join us! To reserve your spot or make a reservation at the Inn, please call our staff toll-free at 1-888-465-4608.

Event 2: Oysters & Port

Oysters and what? That's right, we're pushing the envelope a bit right from the start of our new food and wine events at the Wine Country Inn. On Friday, August 8, we've invited the Hog Island Oyster folks and our friends from Prager Port for an oyster and port tasting. Now this may sound like a strange combination, but here's the little "secret": the Prager's (you'll meet one of the brothers during this event) make a WHITE port, and WOW is it good... especially with oysters!

In addition to oysters and port, you also can enjoy a salad and other goodies prepared by our own Chef Guy.

Details:
Friday, August 8
Noon - 2:00 p.m.
at the Wine Country Inn (registered guests only, please)
$45 per person

Come join us! To reserve your spot or make a reservation at the Inn, please call our staff toll-free at 1-888-465-4608.

Event 1: Paella Party

Our NEW-in-2008 food and wine events at the Wine Country Inn kick-off with an amazing paella party with paella chef whiz Gerard Nebesky. Paella, the national rice dish of Spain, is amazing combination of rice, beans, seafood, chicken, and spices. Gerard brings a huge paella pan for his magical mixture, which is fun to watch... and intoxicating to smell! Our friends from Markham Vineyards will be pouring wine, and to round out this lunchtime fun, our own Chef Guy will be preparing a salad and other goodies.

Details:

Thursday, August 7

Noon - 2:00 p.m.

at the Wine Country Inn (registered guests only, please)

$45 per person

Come join us! To reserve your spot or make a reservation at the Inn, please call our staff toll-free at 1-888-465-4608.

NEW: Food & Wine Events

We're excited to announce today the launch of our NEW Wine Country Inn Food & Wine Events exclusively for Wine Country Inn guests. Our vision for these is to create a series of fun, educational, and memorable events for you to enjoy... and remember for years to come! We'll also be introducing you to our friends throughout the Napa Valley, be they winemakers, chefs, or plain ole "foodies".

The events will range from a paella party to a port tasting to cooking at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). We'll take you on a barrel-tasting-and-bocce-ball extravaganza, as well as have you tasting grapes (and later, we promise, wine too!) in some of the most pristine Napa Valley vineyards. Plus lots more.

Visit our Web site for a complete list of events. For more information or make room or event reservations, contact our staff toll-free at 1-888-465-4608.

We hope to see you soon!

NEW: WCI Aprons

We're excited to share that our NEW Wine Country Inn aprons are here. They're hunter green with white lettering, have two front pockets, adjustable straps, and are made of high-quality 100% cotton with, on the front, a DuPont Teflon fabric protection to prevent staining. The aprons cost $18 each, plus tax, and are available in our gift shop in the reception (check-in) area, or by calling our staff toll-free at 1-888-465-4608. Enjoy! (Note: Shipping charges will apply if needed.)

Viva Mexico!

I review all the guest comment cards which guests complete, and it always amazes me how almost everyone comments so positively about our breakfasts. If you haven't stayed with us before, just know that one of the highlights of your visit to The Wine Country Inn will be the breakfast: big, fresh, tasty, varied, and fun! Chef Guy prepares a great breakfast, the cornerstone of which is one of his great egg casserole dishes. Recently he served his Mexican Quiche, which is one of my favorites. Here’s the recipe, should you want to indulge:

Chef Guy’s Mexican Quiche
(serves 6-8)

1 lb chorizo sausage, sans casings
2 medium onions, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
¼ diced fresh mild chilies
10 eggs
2 cups milk or half-and-half
1 can (about 2 ¼ oz) sliced ripe olives, drained
1 can (about 8 ¾ oz) whole kernel corn
3 cups (about 12 oz) shredded Jack cheese
Avocado, tomato slices, and cilantro sprigs for garnish

Crumble chorizo into a wide frying pan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until browned. Add onions and cook, stirring often, until soft (about four minutes). Discard fat. Stir in salt, pepper, and chilies. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, beat eggs until blended. Stir in the chorizo mixture, olives, corn, and cheese. Spread mixture evenly in a greased 10x15-inch rimmed baking pan.

Bake in a 350F oven until a knife inserted in center comes out clean (about 30 minutes). Let stand for 10 minutes. To serve, cut into squares, and garnish with tomato, avocado, and cilantro sprigs.

We hope to see you soon at our Napa Valley vacation spot.

Foodie Haven: the CIA

Wine is awesome, of course, but a person has to eat too, right? Just a mile or so from the Wine Country Inn sits the historic Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, aka: the CIA. Not only do they have a fabulous restaurant -- the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant -- they also give many public and private cooking demonstrations.

We suggest that you begin with a public cooking demo. They are approximately one hour, cost $15 per person, and generally run Fri-Sun at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. I'm looking at their June calendar right now, and some of the fun demos include traditional strawberry shortcake...with a twist, and summer berry neapolitan. As always, you can contact our staff at 1-888-465-4608 for assistance in planning events during your stay with us, or you can contact the CIA directly at (707) 967-2320.

And be sure to check out the restaurant while you're here. My marketing manager, Tim, and I did so the other night, just to be certain that it's still going strong, and we were VERY happy: fantastic setting, exceptional staff, great wine selection, and, of course, awesome food.

Preview

Just wanted to let you in on two little behind-the-scenes secrets regarding our california wine country vacation spot.

One, my staff and I are brainstorming and preparing several Wine Country Inn guest food and wine events for this fall. These will (we hope!) be different, fun, and introduce you to new wines, foods, and people you otherwise wouldn't have met while visiting the Napa Valley. Again, more info to come shortly....

And two, here's something fun that could turn into something BIG: a Wine Country film production company, Susan and Wayne Boyer of Twin Brain Productions, are attempting to produce what they call a non-scripted reality show about life here in Wine Country. They've lined up three wineries/vineyard management companies, have spent several days filming, and now are producing what's called a "sizzle reel" -- a 5- to 7-minute video which they'll use to promote the show and the concept to the big cable execs back East (or wherever those big cable execs hang out). If Susan and Wayne get the "green light" on the project, called Crush, they'll begin production almost immediately and plan to produce 5-7 episodes, sort of a year-in-the-life-of-a-winemaker/vineyard manager type thing. And little birds have whispered into my ear that if the series gets picked up, the Wine Country Inn has already been scouted out and approved for some sort of filming/shots. Wouldn't that be fun, some filming here? Why, I might even have to get a facial from the spa ladies beforehand! Anyway, stay tuned....

P.S. Pics courtesy of Lori Laube

Room 2

Occasionally I thought I'd talk up an individual room, suite, or one of our five luxury cottages. Today I'd like to talk about Room 2. This is located in the main building, and is the closest room to our sun-drenched pool. I particularly like this room's patio: surrounded by plant life, it's an excellent place to relax in the morning with a cup of coffee, read during the day, or enjoy in the afternoon with that someone special in your life a great glass of Napa Valley wine (and perhaps with one of our fruit and cheese plates, too). The rate for this room runs between $275 and $335 per night, depending on the season, and includes our full breakfast, afternoon wine tasting, and complimentary evening restaurant shuttle service.

We hope to see you soon. If you're interested in learning more about our rooms, you can of course check us out online or -- and this makes me so warm and fuzzy inside -- you can call us toll-free at (888) 465-4608 and TALK TO A REAL PERSON.

Heirloom Tomatoes

Of course we're partial to the Napa Valley, seeing as how we're pretty much in the center of it, especially when it comes to Napa Valley vacations. We do acknowledge our neighbor on the other side of the mountain, though: Sonoma County. They have lots of great wineries and some fantastic restaurants. It's definitely worth a day trip from the Inn, should your schedule permit.

One big event that's especially fun is the Heirloom Tomato Festival at Kendall-Jackson Vineyards. They showcase more than 150 different types of heirloom tomatoes, plus there's lots of food and wine. The K-J Wine Center is about a 35- to 40-minute drive from the Inn, and our staff will be happy to give you directions. And here's an inn-sider's tip: this event ALWAYS sells out, so if you are interested in going, I suggest that you purchase your tickets now. Here are the details:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008

Time: 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

$: $55 per person before June 30; $65 thereafter

Tickets: call (800) 769-3649 or visit their web site

Note: The pics are from the K-J gardens...

Working Lunch

Most of the time being an innkeeper is a lot of fun. You get to meet lots of new people, play around (a lot) on computers and with Photoshop, and make decisions like whether to add more pepper to my Clam Dip recipe or not. Sometimes, though, it can be tough, tough, tough, especially during "working" lunches when my staff and I visit local restaurants to stay up-to-date on what's current and cool here in the Napa Valley, and also network with our neighboring wineries friends. Let me tell you, this legwork and checking things out can be gruelling!

Case in point: Last week, myself, the Inn's manager, Deniese, and our marketing manager, Tim, met at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in downtown St. Helena with the Nord family. While their primary focus is on the family's vineyard management company, they also recently have released their own wine label, Nord Estate Wines. We met with the Nords both to learn the "story" behind their wines and, of course (!) taste. I'm excited to say that their wines are quite good. And here's the cool part: we're adding the Nords to our Inn-cursion wine tour program, and they're going to do their tastings in the vineyards. Fun! Anyway, just know that we're working hard, hard, hard to make your stay at our Napa Valley inn as relaxing, fun, and as special as possible.