Napa Valley: California's most-exciting foodie corner
Arriving in the Napa Valley, there has always been a sense of entering a different ecosystem: one not just of rose bushes and golden vine-covered hills, but of languorous lunches and time slowing to the pace of a ripening grape. Recent years have threatened the Edenic status of Napa and its neighbouring wine region Sonoma – the pandemic, of course, but also the wildfires that ripped through in 2020, destroying more than 30 wineries, including Calistoga Ranch, and causing extensive damage to woodsy properties such as Meadowood Napa Valley. Yet the story this spring is one of resilience. Meadowood is back up and running, and new tasting rooms have opened.