Thirty years ago this week, my father celebrated his retirement by inviting the whole family on vacation to an idyllic tropical isle. Various and sundry other friends and neighbors came along too. He was in an expansive mood — the more the merrier.

It looks to be a bumper crop this year in Napa Valley.

The Chefs Demonstration at Chefs Market just hasn't worked in the Napa Town Center Rotunda. The sun is in everyone's eyes, the wind whistles through and the acoustics are not good for that kind of activity.

Calvin Ross

May 29 did not go as planned.

Grape growers in Mendocino County, one of California’s most northerly wine regions, are both proud and embarrassed to state the following fact:

Living the outdoor experiences is fun: camping, hiking, swimming, fishing, boating, and traveling are all enjoyable activities. Sitting and NOT doing anything but passing time just doesn’t get it for me.

“Ratatouille,” a Disney film about Remy, a rat that creates fabulous food in a Paris restaurant, is one of the most hyped films to open this summer. The hype will be helped even further with the introduction of a “Ratatouille” wine at Costco stores starting in early August.

My mom took a tumble with her walker while trying to cross over one of those yellow, triangular-shaped, bumpy grids. What the heck are they for? They can be found at pedestrian crossing areas, so I am guessing they are some sort of alert for the visually impaired.

After reading considerable publicity about Daryl Sattui's new winery in the form of a European castle, I was more than a little suspicious. What were the odds that Sattui had crafted something convincingly medieval rather than Disney cute?

Miljenko Grgich was an old hand at crafting superior wine when he teamed up with Bay Area businessman Austin Hills three decades ago to launch a new Napa Valley brand.

Dear Len & Rosie,

Michael Polenske, the owner of Blackbird Vineyards just north of Napa, is buying the Burgundy Inn in Yountville. He closed escrow June 1.

Tom Mills