ST. HELENA, Calif. – March 21, 2017 – St. Helena, the premier travel destination in Napa Valley, welcomes spring in wine country with a slew of charitable events, new culinary experiences and exciting openings.

“St. Helena offers the very best in wine country hospitality and is the ideal destination for a day trip or an extended vacation,” said Pam Simpson, chief executive officer, St. Helena Chamber of Commerce. “Guests experience our vibrant, relaxing, small town environment and create unforgettable memories in the heart of beautiful Napa Valley.”

This spring, St. Helena offers a variety of options for guests visiting wine country:

• ARTS IN APRIL: The Napa Valley showcases its wealth of art and artists from American Canyon to Calistoga for the sixth annual Napa Valley Arts in April, featuring works that span artistic disciplines, genres and decades. Dozens of special shows, openings and exhibits throughout the entire month of April 2017 provide an artistic feast.

  On April 15, St. Helena will host “Arts in the Streets” from 12 to 3 p.m. at Lyman Park. The event will highlight the beautiful complexity of the city’s modern and multicultural identity from generations of winemaking families to our rich Latino community. In the spirit of this theme, the park will come alive with community interactive art with Nimbus Arts, poetry from the Napa Valley Writer’s Conference, culinary delights from the Napa Valley Cooking School and music from local bands across the valley.

• BASH ST. HELENA: Join Appellation St. Helena in partnership with The Culinary Institute of America, The St. Helena Chamber of Commerce and Visit Napa Valley for their expanded public event, celebrating St. Helena and its tradition of fine wine and great food. Taste a wide range of wines from over 25 St. Helena Appellation wineries, sample food and wine pairings created by St. Helena restaurants including Market, Goose & Gander, Press, St. Helena caterers, and in house winery chefs, as well as by 20 student chef teams from the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone. Guests have an opportunity to vote on the best food and wine pairing. The event is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 1, at The Culinary Institute of America, St. Helena.
• CHARLES KRUG: The oldest winery in Napa Valley will host “Pigs, Pizza & Paella,” a Sunday lunch on April 30 to celebrate the final day of CampoVelo Napa Valley, a three-day event combining unforgettable cycling, incredible food and exceptional libations. The lunch follows a Sunday ride, offering a variety of route options starting from the winery. CampoVelo benefits Chefs Cycle, Napa County Bicycle Coalition and the Napa Valley Vine Trail.

  Additionally, Charles Krug and the recently renovated Napa Valley Wine Train have partnered to create one-of-a-kind wedding experiences. Charles Krug is one of the only wineries in Napa Valley that is permitted to have wedding ceremonies and receptions, and will be the only winery to offer this exclusive wedding party entrance via the Napa Valley Wine Train. For more information, please contact 707-967-2222 or events@charleskrug.com

• THE CHARTER OAK: An elemental restaurant by Chef Christopher Kostow and Nathaniel Dorn of the Michelin-three starred Restaurant at Meadowood, is expected to open in St. Helena in May 2017. The Charter Oak will be centered on a celebratory and casual dining experience. For more information, visit www.thecharteroak.com.

• CLIF FAMILY WINERY: On Sunday, April 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Clif Family Winery hosts Pedal & Party, a cycling season kickoff event and fundraiser. The event begins at the Clif Family Winery tasting room, Velo Vino, where participants can enjoy espresso and breakfast treats before embarking on a 35-mile bike ride led by Ride Napa Valley. Before the ride, The Calisotga Bike Shop Crew will be on site to offer bike tune-ups. After the ride, participants are invited back to the winery to enjoy beats by DJ Boca Negra, bites from the Clif Family Bruschetteria Food Truck, and wine by the bottle, carafe or glass from Clif Family Winery. Other local Clif Family partners including Clif Bar, Purity Organic, Health Spa Napa Valley, DH Betty and the Napa County Bike Coalition, will be in attendance to showcase their products. Pedal & Party is a continuation of Clif Family’s commitment to supporting the local community. One hundred percent of the proceeds from tickets sales for this first ride of the season will go to support the Napa Valley Vine Trail. In addition, 20 percent of proceeds from food and wine purchases at Velo Vino and the Bruschetteria Food Truck from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. will go to the Napa Valley Vine Trail, as will 20 percent of proceeds from the tune-ups offered by The Calistoga Bike Shop Crew from 8 to 10 a.m. The Napa Valley Vine Trail’s mission is to build a walking/biking trail system connecting the entire Napa Valley. This includes 47 miles of a paved, family-friendly, free-access Class I trail, stretching from Vallejo Ferry to Calistoga. Also, Clif Family Executive Chef John McConnell will ride 300 miles in three days with Chefs Cycle, a fundraising endurance event featuring award-winning chefs and members of the culinary community fighting hunger outside of the kitchen. The event will take place from May 16-18 in Santa Rosa, and will benefit No Kid Hungry. On Wednesday, April 5, from 4 to 7 p.m., Clif Family Winery will host a Dine & Donate event at the winery to support Chef John’s fundraising efforts.
• THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA (CIA) at GREYSTONE: The St. Helena campus of the world’s premier culinary college recently opened its all new student-run restaurant, Gatehouse Restaurant, located in the Williams Center for Flavor Discovery, which is also the site of the historic property’s gatehouse. Students run front-of-the-house and back-of-the-house operations as they dish up a delicious prix-fixe menu for both lunch and dinner. Using items from the CIA farms and gardens and under the guidance of CIA instructors, students create dishes inspired by the Napa Valley bounty. For more information, please visit www.ciagatehouserestaurant.com

  The CIA at Greystone will hold the 19th Annual Worlds of Flavor® International Conference & Festival April 26-28. The theme, “World Flavors: Casual by Design,” highlights fast casual, upscale casual, street food and food hall casual, world casual, quality casual in food trucks, supermarkets, and home delivery services with a focus on freshness, flavor discovery, and food ethics. Worlds of Flavor is widely acknowledged as the country’s most influential professional forum on world cuisines, food cultures, and flavor trends. For more information: www.worldsofflavor.com

• FARMSTEAD AT LONG MEADOW RANCH: On Sunday, April 9, Long Meadow Ranch will host its annual Egg Hunt along with face painting, a return appearance by the Easter Bunny, and more. The cafe at Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch will serve Bloody Marys, Stumptown Coffee, and the regular breakfast and lunch menus. Tickets are available for $15 for adults and include one Bloody Mary. Children’s tickets are complimentary. Guests can register their children for the Egg Hunt in one of the three age groups offered: infant to two years old, three to five years old, or six years and up. Check in and festivities begin at 10 a.m. and the Egg Hunt will proceed at 11 a.m. To buy tickets for the Egg Hunt and find more information, guests can go to http://www.longmeadowranch.com/things-to-do/events/egg-hunt

  The Farmstead culinary team hosts the acclaimed chef and restaurateur Zakary Pelaccio at Long Meadow Ranch on Saturday, April 29, from 6 to 9:30 p.m to kick off their Guest Chef Dinner series. The 2016 winner of the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Northeast has been noted for influencing culinary trends from nose-to-tail cooking, gastro-pubs, Brooklyn cuisine, and bringing Southeast Asian cuisine to the mainstream. Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch is thrilled to welcome Pellacio to roast, smoke, and sear a family style feast served right from the flames, paired with Long Meadow Ranch Wines. Tickets, which include food and wine, are available for $135. Guests can purchase their tickets at http://www.longmeadowranch.com/things-to-do/chefs/zak-pelaccio.

  On Saturday, May 6, Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch hosts a screening of the Kentucky Derby. In addition to a big screen viewing, there will be Southern eats and drinks for purchase, a betting pool for charity (half of the pool benefit St. Helena Cooperative Nursing School) and live music to cheer on this year’s contenders. Guests are encouraged to dress the part as there will be prizes for “best dressed” and “best hat.” Tickets are available for $15 with one Mint Julep included. Children’s tickets are complimentary. The Kentucky Derby celebration is from 2 to 4 p.m., with the big race starting at 3:34 p.m. Guests can purchase their tickets at http://www.longmeadowranch.com/things-to-do/events/kentucky-derby.

• GOOSE & GANDER: The wine country public house presents its annual Summer Sundays on the Patio starting June 4. Guests are treated to live music in the garden, featuring musical artists playing rock, funk, reggae, American blues, and more. Enjoy live music, amazing drinks, and bites on the expansive Goose & Gander garden patio from 1 to 4 p.m. Sundays through September. No cover charge.
• HALL ST. HELENA: Pop a Cork and Grab Your Fork! On April 29 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Hall Wines hosts its 8^th Annual HALL Cabernet Cookoff. This competition partners professional chefs with local charities in a culinary challenge to pair HALL Cabernet with creative and delicious dishes. All ticket proceeds benefit local charities. VIPs will enjoy a sky view of the Cookoff, up above guests from Peterson’s Loft n the Historic Bergfeld building. Sip on single vineyard cabernets and enjoy seasonal bites prepared just for VIPs and experience the Cookoff from a new point of view. To buy tickets, visit www.hallwines.com/cabernetcookoff. For more information, contact visit@hallwines.com or 707-967-2626.
• HARVEST INN BY CHARLIE PALMER: The hotel, named one of Condé Nast Traveler’s 2016 Top 50 hotels in the world and the No. 3 hotel in Northern California, is undergoing a major enhancement and expansion of its culinary garden program. Jean-Pierre Madrigal, the Harvest Inn’s Culinary Horticulturist, leads the charge by immersing the property’s main garden into the guest experience, as well as the introduction of several dozen new types of plantings throughout the five gardens. In the main garden area, walking paths have been engineered around the garden boxes, and a new garden table has been built for wine and dining events and enjoyment, complete with bistro string bulbs for a mood-lit experience. New botanical and herbal edible species include multiple varieties of carrots and peppers, strawberries, Buddha’s Hand, kiwis, tangelos, pineapple guava, finger limes, and more. Harvest Table’s menus directly reflect the new garden offerings, including a robust new garden-inspired cocktail program by Lead Bartender Joel Pfeifle with drinks like the ‘What the Fudd,’ with gin, CP meyer limoncello, Contratto Bianco, fresh carrot juice, and herb garden syrup, and the ‘Beets Me,’ with brandy, rhubarb tea liqueur, Geiger Glogg lemon juice, rhubarb beet syrup, beet juice, and coconut orange foam. In addition, the property has launched its own on-premise brewing facility, including their White Oak Pilsner and HTIPA.

  Join Chef Charlie Palmer and Executive Chef Levi Mezick for Harvest Inn’s Easter Brunch on Sunday, April 16, from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Easter Brunch at Harvest Table includes an abundant buffet of wine country-inspired Easter dishes for adults and children, including Hobbs Farms Clove & Pineapple-Studded Ham, Roasted James Ranch Leg of Lamb, Bacon & Cheddar Biscuits Benedict Hollandaise, Kids Easter Punch, and Virgin Bloody Marys, as well as a number of selections from Harvest Inn’s culinary gardens. $59 per person; $35 for children under 12.

  Following Easter Brunch, hop on over for Harvest Inn’s first annual Easter Egg Hunt, hosted by Chef Palmer and ‘Harvey’ The Easter Bunny. Three Easter Egg Hunt sessions will take place on Harvest Inn’s Manor Lawn (10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.) with prizes ranging from candy and games for children to golden tickets redeemable for dinner for two at Harvest Table. Harvest Table’s signature Bloody Marys will be served for parents joining the festivities on the lawn. For more information, visit http://www.harvesttablenapa.com/calendar/harvest-table-events/easter-brunch-and-egg-hunt_654

• LAS ALCOBAS: The luxury hotel will open in St. Helena in late March 2017 as a sister property to Las Alcobas in Mexico City. Las Alcobas features 68 guest rooms and suites with terraces and outdoor fireplaces; Acacia House, a signature Chris Cosentino restaurant; Atrio, a 3,500 square foot spa; an outdoor swimming pool, meeting and event facilities, and all of the brand’s signature amenities and services. For more information, visit www.LasAlcobasNapaValley.com.
• V. SATTUI WINERY: The family-owned winery will host Jazz Under the Oaks on Sunday, April 2, from 1 to 3 p.m. Attendees will enjoy wine and cool jazz tunes performed by The Walnut Creek Civic Arts Jazz Band, a collection of 21 talented musicians from all over the Bay Area playing a range of hip classics from the 40’s to contemporary jazz. No reservation required.