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By Bill St. John Beginning shortly after the unification of their country in 1861, millions of Italians immigrated to this country and to Canada and countries in South America. Many brought grapevine cuttings with them.   Never be surprised to see an Italian surname among the descendants of those immigrants making wine in the Americas today...

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Robert Mondavi was always convinced that California's wines could compete with the European heavy weights and he set out to prove it.   In 1966, Robert Mondavi and his eldest son, R. Michael Mondavi, founded the Robert Mondavi Winery in Napa Valley, California. And today, the company has grown to international proportions, having embarked on...

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Italy has given American wine lovers a lot of gifts over the centuries. Most of those produced in California are the result of Italian and French pioneers investing in and bringing their knowledge to places like Napa Valley.   The Italians have enjoyed sparkling wines of all varieties as part of their cultural wine experience for many years....

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With the recent demolition of two exhibit halls and the structure housing six nonprofit food booths, the August earthquake will have a long-lasting impact on the Napa Valley Expo.   Napa's Sons of Italy Lodge has had a food booth at the fair since 1956. Losing its stand is less about how it impacts the organization financially and more about...

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My first experience with a wine from Ca'Momi was the Ca' Secco sparkling wine offered by the glass at Uncorked in the Sovereign North Plaza. Ca' Secco is a fun, simple, refreshing, light sparkling wine that is made in California with the same method as Prosecco made in Italy.   While I have seen other wines on the shelf made by Ca' Momi, I t...

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by Paul Franson   For the founder of a wine import company, Brian Larky's love for adventure travel is a great perk. He worked as a river guide to pay for college, and he's ventured down many of North America's, Europe's and Asia's major rivers.   Other water trips include a three-month stint as head whitewater guide on the Afric...

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Stefano Masanti, a Michelin-star chef from Italy, was in St. Helena last week to lay the groundwork for a guest chef residence he'll be doing at V. Sattui Winery from April 11 to Nov. 6.   Masanti and his wife, Raffaella, are the owners of Il Cantinone restaurant in the ski resort village of Madesimo in the Italian Alps. Longtime friends of...

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Fifty years ago this month, the landscape of Napa Valley changed when Robert Mondavi opened his winery along California Route 29 in Oakville. The winery's Mission-style archway quickly became an iconic symbol of California wine, and Mondavi and those who worked with him forged a revolution not only in Napa but also across the country, transforming...

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by Paul Franson Cyclists and Clif Family Farm and Clif Bar founders Gary Erickson and Kit Crawford have spent many days cycling through the Northern Italian Dolomites, where they were fueled by the bruschetta made by their friends Nene and Paolo.   The memory of these bruschetta traveled back to the Napa Valley with Gary and Kit, who sought...

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by Rebecca Yerger The once-prominent and award-winning G. Migliavacca Wine Co., a 19th-century Napa Valley winery, has essentially been forgotten over time. This downtown Napa winery was established circa 1866. Its founder and namesake, Giocomo Migliavacca, received a formal wine and spirits education and training in his native Italy.   In...

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