AficioNada

"Being boring is a choice. Those mild salsas and pleated khakis don't buy themselves."  - From a Dos Equis Ad

One of the things I most love about Napa Valley is that it embraces creativity in all its forms - food, wine, art, design.  Last Sunday, I spent an afternoon with good friends poking around the Di Rosa Preserve and certainly had this concept reinforced. The Preserve's undulating landscape houses the work of over 800 artists. I encourage everyone to spend a day there, to let their footsteps leave indentations in the dry, crunchy grass, to feel their spirits lift with the dry, salty winds, and to fuel yet never sate their curiosities in the densely packed rooms of what was once Rene di Rosa's private house. 

Built by Rene di Rosa in the 1960s, the Di Rosa Preserve is an endlessly fascinating combination of man-made artifice and nature. It is on these acres that Rene first discovered how perfect Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fit Carneros' ancient sea soils and started a winegrowing revolution in the practically unplanted region. And it was on these acres that Rene invited thousands of Northern California artists to indulge and explore their creative paths. The works showcased here range from wacky and uplifting to dark and searching. And all of them seem to perfectly fit the extraordinarily beautiful Carneros landscape on which they rest. 

Again, I encourage everyone to visit this fantastic, challenging Willy Wonka-meets-the Wizard of Oz-with-a-healthy-dose-of-Henry-Miller-and-Larry-David-thrown-in-just-to-maintain-the-balance micro-world. And they have peacocks.

See, wine isn't the only thing we drink in out here.