Two famed restaurant guides and a popular TV program just released their latest ratings, and Napa Valley establishments naturally did well.

The Michelin Guide just released its first San Francisco, Bay Area & Wine Country ratings, and only the French Laundry in Yountville garnered the coveted three stars.

Cyrus in Healdsburg got two, while Auberge du Soleil and La Toque in Rutherford, Bistro Jeanty and Bouchon in Yountville as well as Terra in St. Helena received one.

All together, 356 restaurants were rated.

The Michelin Guide seems out of touch with the Bay Area food scene, perhaps reflecting the Francophile tastes of its judges.

Zagat also released its 2007 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant Survey results and the winners included Gary Danko for food and popularity, while Yountville’s French Laundry is No. 2 spot for food and Cyrus in Healdsburg third place for top food.

Redd in Yountville and Ame in San Francisco as top newcomers for the Bay Area. Ame is owned by Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani, who also own Terra in St. Helena.

The 2007 San Francisco Bay Area Restaurants guide ($13.95) was edited by Meesha Halm and Randi Gollin.

NBC11’s “In Wine Country,” a popular TV show looked at our attractions and announced the winners — chosen by its viewers in the second annual Golden Grape Awards.

A number of  Napa Valley businesses were winners, including Napa Valley Balloons Inc. for adventure,  the French Laundry for restaurant splurge, Carneros Inn for resort and Taylor’s Automatic Refresher for bargain bites.

Uvada Wines releases 2001 Merlot

Uvada Wines has just released the 2001 vintage of its Napa Valley merlot, a wine they say marries Oakville appellation fruit with an Old World approach to winemaking. Uvada means “bountiful harvest” in Spanish.

The wine is a blend of 90 percent merlot from Andy Beckstoffer’s “Vineyard X” and 10 percent cabernet sauvignon from the Yount Mill Vineyard in Oakville.

The wine is $28, and it can be purchased from UvadaWines.com or at the Cellar Door tasting room of the Napa Wine Company in Oakville.

Hollywood comes to vine

Coming from the entertainment world, Doug Barr and Bruce Orosz founded Hollywood & Vine Cellars, a boutique Napa Valley winery that produces cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay.

Barr was an actor with roles in Designing Women and the Fall Guy, and now works from Napa as a film writer and director.

Orocz owns a video and event production company in Miami’s South Beach.

In 1996 Barr and his family moved to Napa, and found their new house was the former home of famed UC Davis wine professor Maynard Amerine.

It didn’t take long for the friends to hire winemaker Celia Masyczek and create a wine company.

Their current releases are the 2003 “2480” cabernet sauvignon and 2005 Chardonnay.

Oktoberfest food, wine and beer tasting

The Women’s Council of Realtors will hold a Taste of Autumn, an Oktoberfest benefiting  Community Resources for Children and Cybermill Club House,  Saturday at Napa Valley Expo, in Cabernet Hall from 4 to 8 p.m.

It will feature the best of the wurst, music by Lunatic Fringe, a kid’s corner with pumpkin painting and a silent auction.

General Admission is $20.

Tickets are available at: Community Resources for Children, 5 Financial Plaza,  Suite 224 (Big Ranch  Road at Trancas Avenue  or from 477-3968 or 251-9910

An evening at the garden

Vintage High School’s garden program celebrates its donation of 10,000 pounds of produce to the Napa Valley Food Bank with its first public event, held in conjunction with the high school’s culinary arts program.

“An Evening at the Garden” will be on Thursday from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the school garden at the east end of Trower Avenue.

The event is free.

For information, contact Travis Title at 253-3601 or Lassa Skinner at 321-8094.

Columbus Day sale at Napa Premium Outlets

Napa Premium Outlets is having a Columbus Day Sale Friday through Monday.

Among the stores participating are BCBG Max Azria, Benetton, Clarks Bostonian, Cole Haan, Dana Buchman, DKNY Jeans, Easy Spirit, Ellen Tracy, Kenneth Cole, Liz Claiborne and Tommy Hilfiger.

Domaine Chandon PumpkinFest is Saturday

To kick off the harvest season, Domaine Chandon is hosting PumpkinFest Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.

The event includes pumpkin carving, music, a puppet show, hay maze, face painting and caricature artist, animals and programs on sustainable farming and stewardship of the land.

Children will have the chance to make pumpkin soup with Etoile Chef Chris Manning.

They can also select a pumpkin to decorate at the crafts table or take home for Halloween.

A $50 donation per family is suggested. The event supports Acorn Soupe.

St. Helena Catholic School wine auction

The parents and friends of the St. Helena Catholic School will hold their benefit wine auction, “Under the Harvest Moon” this weekend.

The preview Friday will be at Revana Family Vineyards in St. Helena from 5 to 7 p.m.

It will include a private vineyard and winery tour followed by a rare wine and cheese tasting with John Raymond. Tickets for the preview are $45.

On Saturday, the main event is a seafood and sparkling wine reception and silent auction followed by an alfresco dinner and live auction. It begins at 6 p.m. at Rutherford Grove Winery. 

Tickets for the auction and dinner are $150 by calling 963-4677. See details at sthelenacatholicschool.org.

Raymond Harvest Celebration

Raymond Vineyards is having its harvest celebration, Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will be food paired with wines along with a behind-the-scenes look at harvest underway at Raymond Vineyards.

This event is $15. R.S.V.P. by calling 1-800-525-2659 x653 or go online to reserve space at www.raymondvineyards.com.

From Persia to Napa — wine, poetry and culture 

Copia is holding a program on the Persian culture including a conversation with wine, book launch and signing of “From Persia to Napa: Wine at the Persian Table.”

The book celebrates Persian culture and contains recipes, food and wine pairings, poetry, tidbits of history and a look at Darioush winery.

The authors — Najmieh Batmanglij, Dick Davis and Copia Associate Director of Wine Burke Owens will taste wine and talk with vintner Darioush Khaledi.

The event is $35 and is Saturday from 1 to 2:30 p.m.

Napa Emergency Women’s Services benefit

Napa Emergency Women’s Services will host Three Acts, featuring boy soprano Michael Angelo Calfwell, Hall wines and “Three Acts,” a real-life drama presented by Dreamweavers Theater and NEWS.

It will be held at Hall Winery in St. Helena Friday, from 6 to 8 p.m. It is sponsored by Craig and Kathryn Hall. Tickets are $50 by calling 252-3687 or www.napanews.org.

Blessing of the animals

It’s time for the blessing of the animals in Yountville.

The brainchild of Carol Fink, it is Saturday at 4 p.m. on the lawn at Compadres.

Napa Humane Society will be there with its mobile adoption van, so you can add a kitten, puppy or bunny to your household.

E-mail news to paul@napalife.com.