The Travelling Celts

Drunk as a Skunk

by Michael Cameron

Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area located in Napa County in California's Wine Country. Napa Valley is considered one of the premier wine regions in the world. Records of commercial wine production in the region date back to the nineteenth century, but premium wine production dates back only to the 1960s.

The combination of Mediterranean climate, geography and geology of the region are conducive to growing quality wine grapes. John Patchett established the Napa Valley's first commercial vineyard in 1858. In 1861 Charles Krug established another of Napa Valley's first commercial wineries in St. Helena. Viticulture in Napa suffered several setbacks in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including an outbreak of the vine disease phylloxera, the institution of Prohibition, and the Great Depression. The wine industry in Napa Valley recovered, and helped by the results of the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, came to be seen as capable of producing the best quality wine – equal to that of Old World wine regions. Napa Valley is now a major enotourism destination.

What a long and full day we spent there, up early in the morning to catch a balloon flight - then spent the rest of the day visiting several vineyards and learning about the area from a knowledgeable guide. Tasting wine can be fun, but also intoxicating - as we found near the end with a very generous vitner continually filling our glasses. We slept well that night!

Click the links below for the Napa Valley photos and/or videos