Are you a globe-trotting wine drinker? American cities sizzle with hot spots where you can sip Portuguese vinho one night, and pop open a Spanish Cava sparkler on another. So go ahead, play the international field. Flirt with exotic hotties from faraway lands. Just take a moment to appreciate our own wine heritage and where it all began: California's Napa Valley.

Before 1960, few Americans drank wine. Of those who did, "Old World" regions of France and Italy were the order of the day. Robert Mondavi and his Napa Valley brethren popularized the concept of drinking wine from the Napa Valley and put the region on the cultural map.

Today, Napa is a destination onto itself. Just a few scenic hours from San Francisco, Napa offers some of the best restaurants in the world, incredible resorts, and the rare opportunity to taste wine standing in vineyard where it was grown and made.
"This is what I love about the Napa Valley," says Sean Kagy, chef owner of One Restaurant & Lounge in Mason, Ohio. "You can take a tour of the vineyards and winery, actually touch the grapes, meet the winemaker, and then taste the finished wine in the tasting room." Even better, you can relive the experience over and over again in Cincinnati's Napa-friendly restaurants.

Burke Morton, sommelier at Pigall, says that the restaurant frequently entertains customers who have just returned from the Napa Valley and would like to recall their trip with a bottle of Napa Valley wine. One of his favorite Napa wines on the list is Karen Work's boutique Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, a wine that has the kind of high acidity and fresh floral aromas that marries well with Chef/Owner Jean-Robert's Fingerling potatoes and sea beans.

Sometimes, chefs have a pairing in mind when they create a dish. For example, Chef Sean Kagy of One Restaurant likes Napa wines because they are fruit-forward, and for that reason pair quite nicely with dishes on his "redefined modern American cuisine" which offer many fruit components. "Beyond that," Kagy says, "they are a good value. I have some excellent Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc wines from Cakebread and Silvarado, along with some top Cabernet Sauvignon Napa wines from the 1990's, a decade that had one of the best growing seasons ever."

Daveed Cook, owner and executive chef at Daveed's in Mount Adams, Ohio, also offers several outstanding and affordable Napa Valley wines on the menu. "Many people enjoy white wine, so I have offer many Napa Chardonnays and a few Sauvignon Blancs," says Cook, suggesting that guests try a 2002 Silverado Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc with a dish such as his Peekytoe crab salad or tempura oysters with Meyer lemon.The light, aromatic, citrus notes in that wine works well with these dishes, providing refreshing acidity. For his delicious, buttery-textured Scottish salmon (the fish is slow-braised in a chardonnay stock) Cook recommends the oaky, fuller-bodied 2003 Chardonnay from Stags Leap Winery.
Chris Meutsch of Wine Cellar Innovations, a firm helping wine aficionados nationwide build their cellars, says that many of his customers stock up with cases of wine from the Napa Valley. "Often they'll fly out to meet with the wine makers and taste from the barrels, returning home with thousands of dollars in wine."

Happily, you don't have to be a famous jet-setter to meet the wine makers and tour the wineries in Napa. Just make a reservation. You will find one-stop shopping at http://www.napavintners.com/, where you can find wineries arranged by category and by city along with clear-cut, helpful information such as the kind of tours that are available, the fee (if any), and how to register. If your goal is just to picnic on the grounds, find out whether your dog is allowed, and whether food is available for purchase, the site will give you this information as well.

Of course, if you want that insider experience consider attending the charity-centric, four-day Napa Valley Wine Auction held this year June 5-8, 2008. In addition to having a paddle to wave at the Auction, your donation includes scores of hospitality events including intimate lunches or dinners with winery owners in their estates, barrel tasting of young wine, open house events where you can visit dozens of Napa wineries and be welcomed with delicious wine and cuisine, and the popular Taste of Napa extravaganza featuring cuisine from the best restaurants in the valley.

Alternatively, you can play armchair traveler by visiting Napa Valley winery websites (accessible via links from http://www.napavintners.com/). Many sites now feature audio interviews with the winemakers as well as short films that give you a sense of the winemaker's philosophy and even show you some of the steps involved in wine making. Then, go to Pigall or One Restaurant or Daveed's and ask the sommelier or your server to suggest the perfect Napa Valley wine to complement the entrée of your choice. Reflect on what you've seen and experienced in your virtual or real Napa Valley travels, and as you take that first sip, raise your glass in salute to America's premiere wine region.