by Sandra Crittenden

As seen in the December 2021 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine,  take a taste of the sparkling wines of Domaine Carneros. 

 As seen in the September 2021 issue of Galveston Monthly magazine

 As originally seen in the August issue of Galveston Monthly magazine. In this month's issue, I write about Schramsberg Vineyards which sits on Diamond Mountain in the Napa Valley. This historic property has been owned and operated by the Davies family since the 1960s. I met Hugh Davies at a dinner in 2015 at the Meritage Resort so I am sharing the link to that story below but this feature was inspired by a tour of the caves I did this past May when my husband and I took a short trip to Calistoga. Schramsberg was the ideal place to take a bubble break after all the Cabernet Sauvignon. http://www.sancrittenden.com/2015/09/schramsberg-dinner-at-meritage-resort.html

As originally seen in  Galveston Monthly  magazine

I'm not sure why we were British with our spelling of judgment/judgement in this feature. As originally seen in the May 2016 editition of Galveston Monthly Magazine

Hotel Yountville   is a highly recommended hotel in Napa Valley, in addition to its convenient central location, it features l arge, beautifully furnished rooms with private patios. There are numerous comfortable outdoor lounge areas for the guests to share as well.  I enjoyed a fantastic breakfast  at the restaurant, a nice  massage at their spa, and a few glasses of the local sparkling at the well stocked bar in the lobby. The pool area looked inviting though it was too chilly during my stay to consider. I also found the  on-site staff to be friendly and helpful with my Napa questions throughout my stay.  

Hugh Davies and Sandra Crittenden After spontaneously booking our trip to Napa Valley during Harvest and then seeing the difficulty in getting hotel rooms, I started making dinner reservations as quickly as I could. I also started checking for events. I had been disappointed that I couldn't fit a trip to Schramsberg into our tasting schedule so I was excited to see this paired Schramsberg dinner with winemaker, Hugh Davies at the Meritage Resort. I immediately booked a place at the table. We arrived promptly at 6:30 to enjoy our first glass of Blanc de Blancs and passed hors d'oeuvre out overlooking the vineyard. We met a nice couple from Chicago before moving down into the Estate Cave for dinner. Mystical mood lighting set the stage for the next glass of sparkling. It created a beautiful ambience but it was not the best lighting for food pictures. I ended up sitting directly across from second generation winemaker, Hugh Davies.  I was impressed with the quality of ...

After a phenomenal first day of wine tasting in the Napa Valley, along with an array of some excellent local cheese in the late afternoon, we found ourselves in the unfortunate position of not being as hungry as we would have liked when it was time to "get our  Bouchon  on."  It was an early reservation and, in spite of the plush surroundings,  the restaurant had a bit of a happy hour feel . We decided on the "build your own" cold seafood platter and some of the area's famous sparkling wine to get our evening started. A local couple at the next table struck up a conversation as soon as our order arrived. We had a great time discussing the Napa restaurant scene with them while enjoying our dinner. Bouchon: Highly recommended- beautiful dining room, excellent service, fresh seafood, a great wine list and friendly locals! Side Note: We, of course, also enjoyed Thomas Keller's famous boxed fried chicken at Addendum for lunch one day and Bouchon B...

On a recent trip to Napa Valley, my husband and I decided to check out the  Michelin-starred restaurant,   Auberge du Soleil . In addition to the amazing views that summertime dining on the terrace provides, the   menu  showcases  local ingredients prepared with Mediterranean flair  by  Chef Robert Curry .  It was our first night in town and we had big plans for touring and tasting on the following day. We arrived for an early alfresco dinner at 6:15pm on the covered terrace  overlooking the lush resort grounds with the expectation that our multi-course meal would keep us there until sunset. The dinner options at Auberge feature a choice of either a three course meal for $110 or four courses for $130. You can also add an extra gourmet touch to your dinner with extravagant add-ons like c aviar with all the traditional garnishes, fresh truffles to top your entrees or an extra course of cheese for an extra fee. There is a Chef's selection ...