Thirty Jewish vintners and winemakers from Napa Valley will gather for the second L’Chaim Weekend, a celebration of a return to their agricultural roots, June 29-July 1.

Boris Champy steps down as winemaker at Dominus Estate Dec. 15.

About 100 fun loving wine enthusiasts each brought a 375ml bottle of their favorite wine to the annual Half-Bottle Party June 6, an unofficial — very unofficial — kickoff for the big auction week.

Living in Napa Valley, it is easy to think that the world of American wine revolves around us, so it’s sobering to think that the colonists under Capt. John Smith at Jamestown in Virginia planted grapes and made wine soon after they arrived on May 13, 1607.

Each year Sutter Home Winery's Build a Better Burger National Cook-Off, with its grand prize of $50,000, draws competitors from around the nation with recipes for burgers that range from sublime to strange. Duck burgers, anyone?

If hot dogs and hamburgers don't inspire you to hit the hiking trail and pitch a tent, how about sausage jambalaya bubbling over the campfire followed by hot berry cobbler?

Sticky Chicken

The intense, dry heat of the grill can be a chicken breast's worst enemy.

Blue Cheese Burgers