Wine Country Inn in the News

Happy 2010!

We're looking forward to a great year, as this -- 2010 -- is our 35th anniversary. Please be watching for all kinds of special events (and yes, special packages) throughout the year.

For now, here are a couple of mentions of Wine Country Inn in the "news" (both online and in a traditional newspaper). The first article talks about us during a review of the St. Helena area, which the second article discusses our Ode to the Olive event we held in November 2009. Enjoy!

Wine Country Inn/St. Helena review

Ode to the Olive review

New Year's Eve: Dinner at the Inn!

Come join us for New Year's Eve at Wine Country Inn -- including a special dinner!

Many restaurants mark up their New Year’s Eve menu prices. Now you can have a great meal at a reasonable price, meet new friends, and walk back to your room. Our New Year’s Eve Extravaganza will include a four-course Italian meal served family style in the Inn’s common room (complete with roaring fire), wine, midnight champagne toast, and the opportunity to purchase for $50 a half-bottle of Hourglass wine (a standing-room-only wine, made from grapes on the Inn’s property).

Dinner wines will come from our friends at Jessup Cellars. Jessup makes a variety of varietals using their estate grown grapes. Winemaker Mark Jessup began Jessup Cellars in 1996 after working for, among others, the Opus One wines jointly produced by Robert Mondavi Winery and Chateau Mouton Rothschild.

Dinner begins at 8:00 p.m., and will be limited to 30 people (15 couples). Cost is only $75 per person plus tax and gratuity.

Please call us for information or reservations: 1-888-465-4608.

Happy New Year!

NEW: In-room Dining Menu

We're excited to announce a new program with our neighbors, Silverado Brewing Company: now you can order dinner from your room, and we will pick-up and deliver your food for you! Our special in-room dinner menu program runs from 5:00 - 8:30 p.m., April through November. You can order a wide selection of Silverado's amazing, unusually sustainable food, including the juicy Silverado burger (with Niman ranch beef!), beer-battered fish and chips, spinach salad, and much more.

And remember, at the Wine Country Inn front desk, we offer soda, water, beers, and of course a wide selection of great Napa Valley wines.

Just arrived and want to relax? Or simply want to "stay in" after an almost-too-much-fun day of winetasting? Now you can eat in the comfort and convenience of your room. Enjoy!

Summer Pleasure Package

A special note from Innkeeper Jim Smith:

I’m excited to announce that we just put together a cool Summer Pleasure Package here at Wine Country Inn (I wanted to call it Play with Your Spouse Package, but Deniese, our manager, reminded me that not everyone is married). Anyway, come stay with us and play, and you’ll save money. Here’s how: for a set price of $325, you and your partner will receive one of the following:
~ Two one-hour couples massages (a total of four hours)
~ Two Inn-cursion tours (each Inn-cursion is for two people)
~ One Inn-cursion tour (for two) and one couples massage

You save from $105 to $135 depending on what you pick. Obviously all offers do not include gratuities, and are subject to availability, so booking early is the key.

For room rates and availability, or for more information, please call us toll-free at 1-888-465-4608. PUT A LITTLE PLEASURE IN YOUR SUMMER.

Inn Wins Celebration Vacation Recognition

ST. HELENA, Calif. July 1, 2009 – Editors of BedandBreakfast.com, the leading online bed and breakfast directory and reservation network worldwide, have named the Wine Country Inn among its best inns nationwide for celebrating love.

Sandy Soule, a BedandBreakfast.com editor and highly recognized author on the B&B industry, said Wine Country Inn received the “celebration vacation” recognition based on many factors. “The Wine Country was singled out as being a romantic destination based on its pampering amenities, quality décor, vineyard setting, hospitality, and food and wine,” Soule said. “Again and again guests have called this a truly magical place to celebrate a special occasion.”

Jim Smith, The Wine Country Inn’s innkeeper, said the award didn’t surprise him. “We put a focus on hospitality and creating a unique guest experience in everything we do, from our staff to our beautiful grounds to our homemade granola,” Smith said. “We feel there’s no better romantic getaway for two in the Napa Valley.”

Celebration vacations remain a key part of travel nationwide. According to editors at BedandBreakfast.com, a June 2008 survey conducted by Peter Yesawich’s Y Partnership found that 70% of respondents celebrated a special occasion with a vacation, while 75% vacationed in celebration of their honeymoon or significant anniversary. Similarly, a May 2009 survey compiled by hotels.com found honeymooners are not cutting back despite the economic times; more than 98% of the 500 brides surveyed are still planning to honeymoon after their wedding.

About The Wine Country Inn: Celebrating 34 years of romance
Built and operated by the Smith family since 1975, The Wine Country Inn has been transformed from the Napa Valley’s first bed and breakfast inn into a magnificent Boutique Hotel. The Inn contains 24 distinctive rooms and five luxury cottages. Each guest stay includes a full gourmet breakfast and afternoon wine tasting. Guests also can avail themselves to spa services, local winery tours, and a complimentary evening shuttle service to nearby restaurants. For more information: www.winecountryinn.com and www.winecountryinn.blogspot.com.
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2009 WCI Special Events

At Wine Country Inn, we believe strongly in adding as much value to your stay with us as possible. With this in mind, we have created the following Special Events throughout 2009 to make your stay even more pleasurable. Most are complimentary to Inn guests, and all are available only to our guests. For reservations or more information, please call our front desk staff toll-free at 1-888-465-4608 or send an email to: romance@winecountryinn.com.

February 27-28, 2009: Return Guest Reunion
Please click here for a quick recap of our inaugural Return Guest Reunion.

Fun Thursdays: April through November
Each Thursday April through November, we will be hosting a special food and wine educational event in the Inn's Common Room from 6-7 p.m. These events are complimentary to Inn guests (and subject to availability). Here's the lineup:

First Thursday: Wine Appreciation
Join Marty Paradise to learn the ins and outs of how to better understand -- and appreciate -- the various wines you'll be exposed to during your stay in Napa Valley. Marty is a fantastic wine person (note, we were tempted to call him a 'wine geek') and fun to be around, to boot.

Second Thursday: All About Olive Oil
Diane De Filipi, who leads yearly gourmet cooking class excursions to Tuscany and Rome through her company Let's Go Cook Italian, will help educate us on all things olive oil-related, including how to taste, olive oil characteristics, and much more. Diane's passion for food and wine -- particularly as they relate to Italy -- are unmatched!

Third Thursday: Beer Fun
Our friends at Silverado Brewing Company will lead a "beer fun" course sure to entertain and delight. Brewmaster Ken Mee will lead many of these events. As Ken says, "Keep drinking beer--I'll make more!"

Fourth Thursday: Italian Wine Appreciation
Our friends at Benessere Vineyards will lead this exploration of all things Italian-wine related, including some fantastic wine and cheese pairings. Wine Country Inn guests will learn about the various Italian grape varieties planted throughout Napa Valley, and the steps Benessere takes to produce the highest quality grapes possible (in the winemaking world, more is not better, better is better).

November 19-21: Ode to the Olive
We'll put on a three-day tribute to all things olive-related, culminating in a Saturday blind olive oil tasting with celebrity judges. This was event was a huge hit with Wine Country Inn guests in 2008. For a complete schedule of events, which are limited to Wine Country Inn guests and, unless otherwise noted, complimentary, visit our Ode to the Olive site. (For information on last year's Ode to the Olive event, click here.)

December 31: New Year's Eve
We're putting together plans for a special New Year's Eve party (hint: might be one of only a handful of dinners we've actually hosted at the Inn). More info coming soon...

February 26-27, 2010: Return Guest Reunion
Mark your calendars now: We'll celebrate our 2nd Annual Return Guest Reunion this weekend. Stay tuned for more info.

Return Guest Reunion Rocks!

Wow, we had a wonderful time February 27-28 with our first annual Wine Country Inn Return Guest Reunion. Guests who have stayed with us before from all across the U.S. attended our special event.

The Return Guest Reunion culminated in a special dinner held in the Wine Country Inn common room. Guests and Inn staff began with cocktails from Charbay and wine from Benessere Vineyards, along with cheese and other passed appetizers, including Sonoma Duck Pate, Hog Island Oysters, and caviar and salmon gravlax on potato gaufrette.

For dinner, catered by the catering department at Silverado Brewing Company led by Chef Bernardo Ayala, we feasted on Maine Lobster Salad, pan-seared Filet Mignon, and, for dessert, Dagoba organic bittersweet chocolate cake with raspberry ganache and passion fruit coulis.

The Inn's common room looked beautiful, and guests were treated to a guitar accompanist.

Please note: If you missed this year's Return Guest Reunion, have no fear--plans are already underway for next year's event. Stay tuned.