subject: Inside beauty of Napa valley [print this page] Inside beauty of Napa valley Inside beauty of Napa valley
Napa Valley is an American Viticulture Area located in Napa County, north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. Napa Valley is considered one of the top wine regions in the United States. The combination of Mediterranean climate, geography and geology of the region are conducive to growing quality wine grapes. Almost 4.5 million people visit Napa Valley each year, making it a very popular tourist destination in California, and "The World's Best Wine and Food Destination" as awarded by Trip Advisor's 2010 Travelers' Choice Awards. Today Napa Valley features more than 450 wineries that grow many grape varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel, and other popular varietals. While some winemakers produce wines from specific AVAs within the valley, the majority choose to blend their wines using a mixture of wine from grapes grown on the valley floor and the surrounding hillsides. In addition to large scale wineries, Napa Valley's boutique wineries produce some of the world's best wines.
Napa Valley hosts plentiful cultural events throughout the year. The county fair takes place annually in early July. The Napa Town and Country Fair takes place in early August at the Napa Valley Expo in Napa. In June, the Napa Valley Wine Auction takes place. Wineries from throughout the valley donate wines and other prizes to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. In 2006 Napa Valley became home to the Festival del Sole, an annual food, wine, art, and music festival held at various venues throughout the valley. Several microclimates exist within the area due to various weather and geographical influences. The open southern end of the valley floor is cooler during the growing season due to the proximity of San Pablo Bay while the sheltered, closed northern end is often much warmer. The eastern side of the valley tends to be more arid because winter storms tend to drop much more precipitation on the western mountains and hills.
Napa Valley is visited by as many as 4.5 million people each year, making it a very popular tourist destination in California, and "The World's Best Wine and Food Destination" as awarded by Trip Advisor's 2010 Travelers' Choice Awards. The Napa Valley is also internationally recognized as one of only nine Great Wine Capitals on earth.
