Napa Valley     The on-line magazine sonomapicnic.com is an outgrowth of and continuing update to Sonoma Picnic, a California Wine Country Travel Companion and the recently published Napa Valley Picnic, a California Wine Country Travel Companion. Scroll on for highlights excerpted and updated from this handy little book! Please call the phone numbers listed for details Art Events are listed on our Sonoma County Arts Update For late inclusions see our page! Winter Events by Month: December     After the excitement of summer and harvest, it is easy to focus one's attention on the particular pleasures of California's wonderfully diverse wine regions. Winter is just a brief interlude of refreshing Pacific storms and a favorite, quieter time to explore the Wine Country. Yountville Festival of Lights Carols in the Caves 707-224-4222 Pioneer Christmas 19th-century Napa Valley re enacted Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park, 707-963-2236 January     A lush carpet of new grass and the mustard captures the eye from the windblown Carneros in the south to the forested slopes of Mount St. Helena. New Year is a time of refreshing rains with an occasional warm evening that brings out thousands of frogs in the lowlands, all a-peeping for love. Napa Valley Mustard Festival 707-938 1133 February     Even though it may still be officially the dead of winter, the daffodils and acacia are whispering "springtime." Napa Valley Mustard Festival 707-938 1133 Spring Events by Month: March     It is the time when the vines awaken, as the previous year's vintage rests quietly in the cellars. Napa Valley Mustard Festival 707-938 1133 Napa Valley World Cup Mountain Bike Race-Domaine Chandon World-class-these riders are the best from all over the world Napa Valley Marathon Sun and Stars-Wine tasting and Auction St. Helena April     You will see the field crews out planting rootstock in freshly prepared fields while the wild iris and lupine riot out in the wild places. April in Carneros 800-825-9475 Wine Country Cycling Classic 707-528-3283 Kitchen In The Vineyards Tour 707-578 5656 A special place in the Spring: Napa County Iris Gardens 9087 Steere Canyon Rd. 707-255-7880     During the months of April and May, Lesley and John Painter welcome the public to visit their unique farm set in the lovely countryside along the road to Lake Berryessa.     The gardens are about a mile and a half north of Highway 128. It is essential that you call ahead for directions and to inquire aobut the hours of operation and status of the bloom. When you arrive, pick up a list of varieties so you can order the rhizomes of your favorite varieties, and you might want to pack a picnic as the painters have provided a number of tables where you can enjoy your lunch while you plan your own iris-planting. May     There is so much new growth in the vineyards that the field crews are all busy with thinning and training the strong, fresh vines to the wires of their trellising systems. Napa/Solano Home and Garden Show Napa Expo, 800-881-6772 Sprint Car Races Memorial Day Weekend Napa County Fairgrounds, 707-942-6333 Calistoga Wineries Annual Open House 707-942-4437 Napa Valley Follies Uninhibited fun on stage 707-967-8938 Summer Events by Month: June     Summer comes to call with long, warm days and a strong bloom of roses. Napa Valley Wine Auction The Grande Dame of auctions; bring your pearls and your pocketbook Meadowood Resort, 707-963-3388, 800-982-1371 ext. 4 Art in the Park Pioneer Park, Calistoga, 707-942 4769 July     July is a time custom-made for picnic visits. It is a time to make reservations for dinner and spend your day at a well-shaded table or patio as you enjoy cool wine and simple salads and sandwiches. Fourth of July Fireworks Veteran's Home, Yountville, 707-944-4541 Napa County Fair Napa County Fairgrounds, Calistoga, 707-942-0795 July 4th Silverado Parade Calistoga, 707-942-6333 Napa Valley Shakespeare Festival Rutherford Grove Winery, 707-253-3208 Wine Country Film Festival 707-996-2536 Summer Concert Series Get tickets early and see the likes of Boz Scaggs Mondavi Winery, 888-769-5299 Summer Concert Series St. Helena lets down its hair and dances! Lyman Park, St. Helena, 707-963-4456 August     August begins with the cellar crews preparing to receive the coming vintage. Last year's grapes are making their way to the bottling lines, and there is much anticipation for the coming crush. Napa Town and Country Fair Napa Expo, 707-253-4900 Wine Country Film Festival 707-996-2536 Fall Events by Month: September     It's Harvest Time! Everyone is on the run from late August to early October. September is perhaps the most exciting time of the year, and the vineyards simply glow as the leaves take on their fall color surrounded by the often astonishingly golden hills. Concert on the River Downtown Napa, 707-257-0322 Napa Valley Music and Wine Festival Skyline Park, Napa, 707-252-4813 Napa Valley Harvest Festival St. Helena, 800-698-0997 Calistoga Beer and Sausage Festival and Chili Cook-Off Fairgrounds, 707-942-6333 October     As the first big winter storms sweep majestically in off the Pacific, the grapevines have loosened summer's firm grip on their foliage. The rain is a welcome refreshment, and the roses respond with a lovely late season show of color. AIDS Walk Napa Valley, 707-257-8686 Old Mill Days Music, traditional crafts, period costumes, food and fun Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park, 707-963-2236 Hometown Harvest Festival Your household pets en regalia St. Helena, 707-963-5706 Napa Valley Air Show Calistoga November     Olive harvest begins in the season of Thanksgiving. The new wines are being carefully tended to by the cellar crews who are shepherding them from tank to barrel, while we celebrate the process with bottles. Yountville Festival of Lights 707-944-0904 Carols in the Caves Unique music from Dave Auerbach 707-224 4222 Napa Valley Wine Festival Trade tech heaven Napa Valley Viticultural Fair