For a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, celebrity chef Rachael Ray suggests a simple pepper steak with cognac sauce accompanied by a salad topped with caramelized onions and followed by demitasse cups of chocolate pudding.

Several readers called to ask where the Phantom Fork’s column was last week.

While tradition has couples most often celebrating Valentine’s Day by going out to dinner, there’s nothing wrong with taking a new tack this year.

It is comforting to know not only that we have a wine country restaurant specializing in fish but that the chef-in-charge knows fin from flipper about seafood.

Here are a few of the Valentine’s Day-related events in Napa Valley:

Valentine’s Day has long been associated with romance. Whether the day is celebrated in a fine restaurant or in an intimate dining room, wine plays an important part in setting the romantic mood.

For 13 consecutive years, wine consumption in the United States has increased, and if that trend continues, the U.S. will become the largest overall wine consumer in the world, surpassing Italy and France.

Imported wine sales continue to grow in the U.S., and soon some wines may be coming from another source, closer to home than Australia, South America and Europe.

Napa Valley College is seeking applicants for two positions in the Viticulture and Winery Technology department, one to work in the teaching winery and the other to work in the student vineyard.