Callie Harries Meets Her Namesake, Calistoga

Callie and her father Tony meet Mayor Jack Gingles (right). Photo credit: Kim Beltran, Calistoga Tribune

You can’t make this stuff up. Here’s a story that couldn’t be more perfect in its illustration of how fondly people regard Calistoga. It involves a couple who named their child Callie in honor of the city and then recently brought her to see her namesake for the first time.

The story starts about 20 years ago, when Tony Harries, on a visit to the United States from his native England while researching a book, ended up in Calistoga at one point in his trip.

He fell in love with the beauty of the city and its welcoming nature. Later when he married his wife Rachel, they both traveled many times to Calistoga from their home in England.

When the Harries’ daughter was born in 2003, they decided to name her “Callie” out of their love for Calistoga, but never told her about the origin of her name, wanting to ultimately surprise her during a visit to the city.

Just recently, the Harries brought the now 7-year-old Callie to Calistoga, where they had prearranged for her to meet Mayor Jack Gingles and receive a proclamation from the City Council recognizing her as a “special individual with a strong connection to the community.” She also received a City of Calistoga pin from the mayor and a Lighted Tractor Parade t-shirt from the Chamber of Commerce.

Callie, endearingly shy and sporting strawberry blonde curls, accepted all with a quiet, “Thank you. I’ll always remember today.”

No doubt many who had a chance to meet Callie and hear her remarkable story will remember her for a long, long, time, too.

Calistoga’s Green Resorts and Wineries

With Calistoga’s Earth Day Celebration and Green Fair on April 17, it’s a great time to talk about how many of Calistoga’s wineries and resorts help preserve the beauty and environmental quality of their Wine Country setting through eco-friendly operations. Following are some of the properties striving to reduce their carbon footprint, while providing a healthier and more relaxing experience to visitors.

Solage Calistoga
755 Silverado Trail, Calistoga

Solage Calistoga

Solage Calistoga, a luxury resort with a spa recently voted #1 in the Americas and the Caribbean by Condé Nast Traveller, has been extremely proactive in implementing measures to conserve energy and reduce waste. Among them are:

• On-site geo-thermal water that produces radiant heating at the Spa Solage treatment building and bathhouse and acts as a natural heat source for the resort’s soaking pools
• Local, hand-made bath amenities in guest rooms, spa and public areas delivered in bulk-size containers for dispenser refilling and waste reduction
• Complimentary cruiser bicycles for use by guests to explore the area, so that they “can leave their cars behind as soon as they arrive,” says Renee Risch, Director of Sales.

Mountain Home Ranch Resort
3400 Mountain Home Ranch, Calistoga

Mountain Home Ranch

Mountain Home Ranch Resort, a secluded country style bed and breakfast and group retreat center calls itself a “sanctuary of sustainability.” One of its owners, Suzanne Fouts recently completed a one-year course in permaculture and intends to transform part of the grounds at the resort into an organic garden. John Fouts, the other co-owner of the resort, is currently working on creating a wildlife preserve in the area surrounding the resort, to allow for migration of wildlife.

Calistoga Ranch
580 Lommel Road, Calistoga

Calistoga Ranch

Calistoga Ranch is a luxury resort nestled in a secluded canyon on 157 lush, oak-lined acres. The resort features warm furnishings, natural textiles, original artwork, fireplaces, private patios and expansive views. According to Sales Director Julie Baker, Calistoga Ranch just recently started a pilot program with Upper Valley Disposal & Recycling for composting of all the compostable waste from its food operations on the property. The resort also offers “green meeting” set-up for groups wanting to save energy and recycle materials used during meetings and a “green check-in” option allowing guests to indicate they prefer energy-saving and recycling measures apply to their accommodations. Calistoga Ranch’s restaurant, The Lakehouse, also has started serving “pole-caught” fish to help in the movement against overfishing.

Mayacamas Ranch
3975 Mountain Home Ranch Road, Calistoga

Mayacamas Ranch

Mayacamas Ranch is an exclusive-use group retreat center that offers an awe-inspiring, natural setting for a variety of group meetings, family gatherings and workshops, making it an ideal place to renew, reflect, and connect. Among its eco-friendly features are:

• An organic garden that contains many of the fruits and vegetables in the recipes cooked for guests. Mayacamas Ranch embraces biointensive practices, such as efficient spacing of plants, companion planting, and soil building.
• Organic linens: All beds are 100 percent organic and feature organic sheets.

Sterling Vineyards
1111 Dunaweal Lane, Calistoga

Sterling Vineyards

Sterling Vineyards is known for the quality of its wines and the trademark “tram” that takes visitors to the top of the winery’s hillside perch. In 2009, that famous tram was converted to solar energy.  Three hundred and thirty six solar panels were installed on the roof of Sterling Vineyards Reserve Winery and throughout the winery grounds.  This energy not only powers the tram, but supplies power to several processing areas, too.

Also in 2009, Sterling Vineyards became a certified Napa Valley Green Winery in 2009. Napa Green Certified Winery is a Napa-specific set of sustainable and green business practices developed for wineries. Sterling has also started offering an organic line of wines.

For more information about these eco-conscious properties and other attractions in Calistoga, please go to calistogavisitors.org or the Calistoga Visitors Facebook page.

Calistoga Mud, Mustard & Music Festival

Photo credit: Yvonne Henry

Spring is bustin’ out all over in Napa Valley, thanks to some early warm weather in Wine Country. Contributing to that feeling of “spring is almost here,” is the resurgence of the brilliant yellow flower known as the mustard plant in the vineyards.

Calistoga is celebrating the return of spring and the golden mustard blooms with its 15th Annual Mustard, Mud & Music Festival on March 6 and 7, part of the Napa Valley-wide famed Mustard Festival. The festival offers live jazz, wine tasting, an art show and mustard-inspired dishes prepared by local chefs. Free jazz music will be performed at various places downtown, from 1 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 6 and from 1 to 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 7. Wine tasting will be available from 1:30 to 6 p.m. both days, also downtown.

The festival’s music lineup features some of the best jazz bands and artists in the Bay Area, including Cavanaugh/Belair, Michelle Michaels Quartet, Rick Quisol, Herb Gibson, Bob “The Stick” Culbertson, Swing Seven, The Nancy Wright Trio, Mad & Eddie, Steve Dudgeon Quartet, Mark Holzinger, Rolando Morales, Susan Sutton, Larry Vann, and Tracy Rose. For a complete schedule of which acts are performing on each day, go to www.CalistogaVisitors.com/music.

Also returning is the Third Annual Mustard Arts Fete, an art show presented by the Calistoga Arts Center, which starts on Friday, March 5 and runs through Sunday, March 7.

Calistoga’s chefs are getting into the act as well, creating special dishes with mustard as a starring ingredient on their menus over the weekend. For the second year, by popular demand, Calistoga’s gourmet market CalMart, 1491 Lincoln Avenue, will hold a mustard tasting as part of the festivities on Saturday, March 6.

You can save 10% on wine tasting tickets by buying them online in advance at www.CalistogaVsitors.com. You can also save 10% on tickets purchased at the Calistoga Chamber office (1133 Washington Street, Calistoga, CA, 94515), by printing out a coupon from the website.

Mix wine, food and music in Calistoga, serve it up with a little mustard, and you’ve got the makings of a great spring mini-vacation.

Calistoga AVA: A Boon for Wine Enthusiasts

Photo credit: Yvonne Henry

Calistoga’s recent designation by the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) as a distinct American Viticultural Area represents a victory for those who produce — and those who purchase — wines bearing a Calistoga label. For vintners, the designation will “concrete Calistoga’s place in the world of wine” in the words of Rex Stults, Industry Relations Director for Napa Valley Vintners. For connoisseurs, the designation will help ensure authenticity when they choose a wine labeled as having a Calistoga origin.

It was a long road to achieving the designation, walked by vintners and others who cherish the unique vintages produced by the Calistoga grape-growing region.  Chateau Montelena Winery winemaker Bo Barrett wrote and filed the petition for the new AVA in September, 2003. He then made three lobbying trips to Washington, DC. “Of course Calistoga deserves to show up on AVA maps of the Napa Valley. We thought we were simply fixing a technical flaw that was keeping the name ‘Calistoga’ off those maps,” he says of the drawn-out process. “It should have been a slam dunk.”

An AVA is a designated wine grape-growing region with distinct geographic features and growing conditions, such as climate, soil and elevation that contribute to a wine’s identifiable features, such as taste and aroma. Effective with the newly mandated AVA, labels claiming Calistoga in their name or as their AVA must contain a minimum of 85% Calistoga grapes.

For vintners such as Jerry Seps of Storybook Mountain Vineyards, the formal Calistoga AVA is a welcome tool in further branding Calistoga as a renowned wine region. “Anything that gives consumers a better idea about where their dollar is going is helpful,” says Seps. “Wine is a product of place, and the only method a consumer has in choosing and trusting their purchase is the label.”

Calistoga boasts a unique terroir (special characteristics created by geography, climate, soil, etc.) that has an intensity all its own. Ranging from volcanic soil with cooler hillside climates to flat and warmer pockets, Calistoga varies in its overall flavor profile.

Some of the same geologic factors that provide Calistoga its trademark mud baths and spas, such as pure volcanic soil and geothermal waters boiling deep underground, also contribute to the area’s terroir. As Seps puts it: “People come here for the unique experience, and they can take some of it home with them in the wine.”

Calistoga Wellness Month

After weeks of feasting and festivities during the holidays, a little rest, rejuvenation and introspection might be in order. The start of the New Year is a traditional time to look at ways of shedding the extra pounds, nagging worries and bad habits that we all seem to accumulate by year’s end.

Calistoga’s Wellness Month in January, 2010, provides visitors with a perfect way to overcome this post-holiday, year-end malaise and launch a quest for greater vitality, by offering a rich variety of wellness-promoting activities and discounts.

Calistoga has long been known for the healing powers of its natural hot springs, but it is also a place for exploring exciting new therapies. During January, you can enjoy attractively priced, traditional services, such as massages and mud baths, at the town’s beautiful resorts and spas, but also indulge in other eclectic mind-body experiences, from a “Nia Techniques” class to a “Watsu® session.

Wellness activities are scheduled throughout the month, but are particularly plentiful on these dates:

January 9:  Calistoga Wellness Festival – This day-long event will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Calistoga Elementary School Auditorium, 1327 Berry Street, Calistoga, and will feature body fat and cholesterol tests by St. Helena Hospital, chiropractic demos, an aromatherapist, sample massages, Bach Flower remedies, hypnotherapists, dietitians, a tea vendor, and balance screenings, Also on January 9, from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., there will be free classes at the Calistoga Community Center, including Yoga, Qi-Gong, Embodiment Meditation and Zumba, all of which will continue throughout the week. Sponsors for the Wellness Festival include the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce, Calistoga Spa Hot Springs, St. Helena Hospital, The Baths at Roman Spa and CalistogaSpas.com.

January 10 – 15:  Women’s Wellness Week – This week-long series of events will encompass mindful hikes, massages, Yoga, Pilates, Nia Techniques classes (a cardiovascular blend of dance arts, martial arts and the healing arts), Watsu® (a form of acupressure, massage, and stretching done in warm water) and talks on creativity and wellness and other topics of special interest to women. Lodging properties will be offering discounted rates during the week so that women can stay and relax in beautiful settings while taking advantage of all the special activities scheduled.

For a complete schedule of classes, discounts and packages offered during the month, go to http://www.calistogavisitors.com or to the Calistoga Visitors Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/calistogavisitors. You’re sure to find something to pique your interest and perhaps turn that New Year’s resolution for better health into an invigorating new lifestyle.

Holiday Events in Calistoga

Photo Credit: Ivan Miller

Holiday events in Calistoga range from the charmingly eccentric, such as the Lighted Tractor Parade, to the incomparably elegant, such as the Winter in the Wineries Passport Weekend. Both events are coming up the first weekend of December as the town’s seasonal activities kick into high gear.

If winetasting’s your bailiwick, then the Winter in the Wineries Passport Weekend is your ticket to a great experience in the Wine Country this holiday season. From December 4 through 6, almost 20 wineries in Calistoga will be opening their doors for winetasting, tours and talks with winemakers, giving those holding passports an insider’s intimate look at, and taste of, what these wondrous wineries have to offer.

Passports to this wintry, winery wonderland, at $40 each, can be purchased online at www.calistogavisitors.com. Passport holders can also take advantage of discounts at several of Calistoga’s finest restaurants and lodgings. Participating restaurants will waive corkage to any passport holder and lodgings will offer special room rates for that weekend only.

If you’re looking for a more family-oriented activity that harks back to Calistoga’s agricultural “roots” (sorry – pun intended), you can and your family can line up along Calistoga’s main street at 7 p.m. on Saturday, December 5, and watch some Christmas-light bedecked vintage and modern farm equipment rattle, rumble and roll along the street as part of the town’s annual “Lighted Tractor Parade.”  There will be treats available to help make the night even more special: Kara’s Cupcake van will be selling cupcakes from 6 to 8 p.m. and students from Calistoga High School will be going up and down the sidewalks with red wagons full of hot chocolate to sell. 

Capping off the night will be the appearance of Mayor Jack Gingles (in the guise of Good St. Nick), who may even arrive aboard a “John Deere” rather than a reindeer (sorry again!).

So whether you’re into sipping fine wine, cheering as vehicles adorned with twinkly lights pass by, or stopping in at warm and friendly shops, visiting Calistoga during the holidays is a treat not to be missed.

Holiday Shopping in Calistoga

The holiday shopping opportunities in the Napa Valley town of Calistoga are as varied and eclectic as the town’s other attractions. You’ll find a wide range of items that will tickle your fancy and stimulate your imagination, including custom-made furniture, formal and casual clothes, stylish but ultra-comfy shoes, vintage wear, candy, gourmet treats, and exquisite artwork.

Here are some of the dozens of shops in Calistoga from which you can choose a spectacular holiday gift:

Art/Collectibles/Home Décor/Jewelry
American Indian Trading Company -If you covet Native American crafts, you’ll be in seventh heaven with the assortment of artwork and cultural objects available at the American Indian Trading Company.  The store carries a large variety of one-of-a kind jewelry pieces that feature turquoise and other gem stones and many other fine Native American artifacts and collectibles, such as handcrafted flutes, drums, bows, arrows, pipes, shields, Kachinas, and dreamcatchers. For more information, visit http://www.aitcoc.com.

Calistoga Pottery - Have a fondness for usable art? Calistoga Pottery has been creating hand-thrown pottery in a variety of practical shapes for thirty years. This lead-free, microwave- and dishwasher-safe stoneware is widely used in local restaurants, inns, and wineries and is on view and for sale at the studio. For more information, visit http://calistogapottery.com.

Lee Youngman Galleries: Looking for a investment-quality painting or sculpture for that very special art lover in your life?  Lee Youngman Galleries showcases a broad selection of work by important national and regional artists. You’ll discover artists such as wine country and landscape painter Paul Youngman; cityscapes painters Po Pin Lin and Hye Seong Yoon; landscape painters Charles White and Teresa Dong; watercolorist Larry Cannon; and sculptors Corinne Hartley, Alan Thorpe, Robert Deurloo, and Ron and Sheila Ruiz.  For more information, visit http://www.leeyoungmangalleries.com.

Other Shops:
Art: Ca’Toga Galleria d’Arte, Stix & Stones Gallery 
Home décor: Casa Design
Jewelry: Calistoga Jewels & Gallery, Irais of the Valley, North Star Gift Shop, Three Sisters, Silver Grape, Zenobia
Consignment/Collectibles/Antiques: CE Estate Furnishings, Sugardaddy’s, Jacque’s Barn

Bath and Body
Mudd Hens: Had a great time at a spa in Calistoga and wish you could bottle the experience and take it home? Mudd Hens carries spa-quality natural bath and body products that allow you to relive (or share) your spa experience at home. The carefully selected goods at Mudd Hens feature delightfully sensual ingredients. And of course, there are products that incorporate the local, mineral-rich Calistoga mud. For more information, visit https://muddhens.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc.

Other Shops: CalMart and Silverado Pharmacy

Clothing and Accessories
Mud Puddles: Shopping for a child? Mud Puddles is a children’s boutique specializing in educational wooden toys, organic clothing and healthy and safe baby products from smaller manufacturers, many of whom offer fair trade and environmentally friendly items. Fans on the store’s Facebook page rave about the hard-to-find merchandise. For more information, call (707) 942-5925.

Other Shops:
Clothing: A Man’s Store, Attitudes, Chateau Ste. Shirts, L. Funke & Son, Irais of the Valley, North Star Gift Shop, Three Sisters, Vintage Vogue, Zenobia
Casual Footwear: Bella Tootsie & More Good Things
Food, Wine and Other Specialty:  Cal Mart, Calistoga Smoke Shop, Calistoga Cellars, Calistoga Wine Stop, Candy Cellar, Enoteca Wine Shop, The Wine Garage.

For more detailed descriptions of each store, go to http://www.calistogavisitors.com/shopping.php.

Calistoga Blues Festival Nov. 7 – 8

Photo by Chick Harrity

Blues and winetasting…what a soul-satisfying and palate-pleasing way to spend a weekend in Wine Country!! And it doesn’t get any better than the Calistoga Blues Festival, coming up on Saturday, November 7 and Sunday, November 8, with its A-list assortment of blues artists and awe-inspiring wines. The first day (the Downtown Blues Festival) offers live blues and winetasting at some intimate, offbeat locales in Calistoga’s amiable and walkable downtown, and the second day (Blues in the Vineyards) promises plenty of blues tunes and wine sampling at some of the region’s oh-so-scenic wineries.

Here’s the Schedule:

Downtown Blues Festival – Saturday, November 7, 1 to 7 p.m.: Calistoga’s downtown will become a veritable blues club with Chateau Montelena, Dutch Henry Winery, Envy Winery, Grant Street Vineyards, Lava Vine Vineyards, Silver Rose Cellars, Solovino Wines, Tristant Vineyards and Twomey Cellars among the wineries pouring wine accompaniments to the riffs and licks of eight bands performing in venues in the heart of the city. Among the top-notch bands set to play are Mick Martin, Tia Carroll, Andy Just, and Volker Strifler, with guests Lou & the Blues from Siena, Italy…just to drop a few names.

“Blues in the Vineyards” – Sunday, November 8, noon to 5 p.m.: On Sunday, the music moves its groove out to various wineries for Blues in the Vineyards. A shuttle (stopping at 1133 Washington Street) will take wine/blues aficionados out to Dutch Henry Winery, Envy Winery, Lava Vine Vineyards, Madrigal Vineyards and Silver Rose Cellars, where they’ll be able to sip fine vintages and savor the sounds of hot blues bands such as Sugar G. Robinson, Jeff Johnson and Dennis Hubert.

To learn more about the participating bands, hear clips of their music, and purchase tickets for one or both days of the festival, go to www.calistogavisitors.com.  You can also go to the Calistoga Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Center at 1133 Washington Avenue to purchase tickets in person.

Calistoga’s Award-winning Cuisine

Calistoga is widely known for its wine, but the prowess of its local chefs is also earning local and national recognition. Chefs at several Calistoga restaurants, including Solbar at Solage Calistoga, All Seasons Bistro and Catering, and JoLe have received high marks in 2009 from their peers in the culinary world for the highly innovative and delectable cuisine they have created. Here are the accolades these chefs and restaurants have received:

Solbar Receives Michelin Star
Solbar at Solage Calistoga, under the direction of Executive Chef Brandon Sharp, received a star in the recently released Michelin 2010 San Francisco Bay Area/Wine Country Guide. When evaluating a restaurant, the Michelin judges consider the quality of products used, the mastering of flavors and cooking, the “personality” of the cuisine, and the value and the consistency of dishes prepared.

According to an article by San Francisco Chronicle Restaurant Critic Michael Bauer on sfgate.com, “Sharp has been cooking what he calls ‘American soul food’ at the restaurant since it opened in July 2007. That translates to dishes such as herb-scented chicken soup with hand-made gnocchi, spicy shrimp lettuce wraps, pasilla chile-rubbed pork tacos and a double cheeseburger topped with fried pickles. “

All Seasons Bistro and Catering Earns Critic’s Choice Award
Summer Sebastiani of All Seasons Bistro and Catering was named 2009 Napa Valley Mustard Festival Critic’s Choice Chef of the Year. The judges chose Sebastiani’s “Asparagus Soup with Mustard Greens & House-made Cheddar Mustard Seed Crackers” as the winning entry in the Critic’s Choice Recipe Judging portion of the Festival.

“We, at the restaurant, wanted to come up with an easy-to-reproduce, economical dish that reflected All Seasons’ emphasis upon very seasonal, very fresh cuisine,” says Sebastiani. “We know from experience that seasonal ingredients are of the highest quality.”

JoLe Chef/Restaurant Co-owner Named “Rising Star”
Matt Spector, co-owner and chef at JoLe restaurant, was named by StarChefs.com as one of the 2009 “rising star chefs” in the Napa and Sonoma counties area. “Rising stars” are up-and-coming chefs and culinary professionals under 40 “who represent the vanguard of the contemporary American dining scene,” according to StarChefs.com.

“It’s an honor to be associated with the other winners and past winners – there are some really big names in the group,” says Spector.

More Reasons than Ever to Visit Calistoga
So while you are visiting Calistoga’s world-famous wineries, don’t forget to stop at Solbar, All Seasons, or JoLe, or one of many of Calistoga’s other acclaimed restaurants, for an inspired meal.

A “Crush” on Calistoga

Photo by Chick Harrity

It’s easy to wax poetic about fall in Calistoga, part of Napa Valley’s Wine Country. The area is a feast for the senses this time of year, thanks in part to the natural beauty of the gently sloping hillsides that are beginning to turn from green to gold, and thanks in part to the lush aromas and burst of activity that accompany the grape harvest.

Within a few minutes of downtown Calistoga are world-famous wineries taking advantage of the last warmish days of October to gather the late-harvest grapes. Even with the lateness of the season, right now there are still vines heavy with the dark-purple fruit.

As you approach the wineries, the musty smell created during crushing of the grapes is a sensory symphony even for the less-than-sensitive nose. The distinctive aroma is a sure sign that winery workers are putting in long days, and that visitors can get an up-close look at grapes being trucked in from the vineyards, unloaded, crushed, and turned into a fragrant juice ready for blending and fermentation.

Although this is a busy time of year, you’ll find the staff at wineries in and around Calistoga friendly and more than willing to share their passion and vast knowledge of winemaking. It’s likely that if you ask to take a closer look at all the fascinating work going on, you’ll be warmly accommodated.

Winemakers cherish the rich soils and mild climate that help make the Napa Valley one of the best winemaking regions in the world. They know how blessed they are to live and work here, particularly at this time of the year, when the sights, sounds and smells of the harvest help us celebrate the last vestiges of summer and the promise of a perfect vintage to come.

For a list of wineries you can visit near Calistoga, go to http://www.calistogavisitors.com/wine.php.

We invite you to continue checking this blog for more great information about Calistoga, the attractions you’ll find there, and great deals for those wanting to visit.