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.