| Napa Valley, in the Bay Area in California, is the main | | | | WINE IN NAPA VALLEY |
| wine growing region of the United States of America | | | | Napa Valley is widely considered one of the top |
| and one of the major wine regions of the world. It is | | | | American Viticultural Areas in California, and all of the |
| also known for its gourmet restaurants, cafes, and | | | | United States, with a history dating back to the early |
| spa-treatment centers. | | | | nineteenth century. By the end of the nineteenth |
| Napa Valley, a world famous wine area, is one of the | | | | century there were more than one hundred and |
| most popular tourist attractions in California. More | | | | forty wineries in the area. Of those original wineries |
| than five million visitors come each year, often | | | | several still exist in the valley today including Charles |
| overcrowding the roadways on summer weekends. | | | | Krug Winery, Shramsburg, Chateau Montelena and |
| Peak times are the summer months and the harvest | | | | Beringer. Viticulture in Napa suffered a setback when |
| "crush" during September and October. Napa Valley is | | | | prohibition was enacted across the country in 1920. |
| home to more than two hundred wineries. With wine | | | | Furthering the damage was an infestation of the |
| as a focus, great dining naturally emerged to | | | | phylloxera root louse which killed many of the vines |
| compliment it. The Culinary Institute of America at | | | | through the valley. These two events caused many |
| Greystone in St. Helena supplies a steady stream of | | | | wineries to shut down and stalled the growth of the |
| well-trained chefs, supplementing the already | | | | wine industry in Napa County for years. Following the |
| prestigious chefs drawn by Napa Valley's reputation | | | | Second World War, the wine industry in Napa began |
| and locale. | | | | to thrive again. |
| Napa is warmer in the summer than Sonoma County | | | | In addition to large scale wineries, Napa Valley's |
| to the west or Santa Barbara County, a | | | | boutique wineries produce some of the world's best |
| wine-producing county in southern California. Thus, | | | | wines. The producers of these wines include but are |
| the Napa wineries favor varietals such as Cabernet | | | | not limited to: Araujo, Bryant Family, Colgin Cellars, |
| Sauvignon, while Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are more | | | | Dalla Valle Maya, Diamond Creek, Dominus Estate, |
| the specialty of Sonoma wineries and Santa Barbara | | | | Duckhorn Vineyards, Dunn Howell Mountain, Grace |
| wineries. At the north end of Napa County, in the | | | | Family, Harlan Estate, Husic, Kistler, Jericho Canyon |
| Mayacamas Mountains, lies Mount Saint Helena, the | | | | Vineyards, Marcassin, Screaming Eagle, Shafer Hillside |
| Bay Area's second tallest peak at 4,344 feet (1,323 | | | | Select, Sine Qua Non, Spencer-Roloson Winery and |
| m) and home to Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. | | | | Vineyard 29. |
| At the west side of the Napa Valley is Hood | | | | Today Napa Valley features more than three |
| Mountain, elevation 2,750 feet (838 m). | | | | hundred wineries and grows many different grape |
| Napa County is home to a variety of flora and fauna | | | | varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, |
| including numerous rare and endangered species such | | | | Merlot, Zinfandel, and other popular varietals. Napa |
| as Tiburon Indian paintbrush and Contra Costa | | | | Valley is visited by as many as five million people |
| goldfields. | | | | each year. |
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