ROHNERT PARK
The 4th of July Spectacular with Judy Collins is Friday at the Green Music Center, 1801 E. Cotati Ave. Gates open at 4:30 p.m., with music at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are from $35 indoor and $25 outdoor. (866) 955-6040.

CALISTOGA
The first annual Napa County Fair & Fireworks is Friday at the Napa County Fair, 1435 N. Oak St., with a parade at 10 a.m., art exhibits, food contests, rides, pie-throwing and -eating contests, cooking demonstrations, 10 local bands and a fireworks show at dusk. Admission is $10, $5 for kids, $25 all-day ride pass. 942-5111 or napacountyfair.org.

SONOMA
Food and game booths 9 a.m.-5 p.m, parade around Sonoma Plaza starts at 10 a.m. Music starts at 11:30 a.m., patriotic ceremony at 11:45 a.m. and fireworks show at dusk from the field by General Vallejo Home at Third Street West and West Spain Street. Free bike valet at Depot Park, 270 First St. W. 938-4626, ext. 4. sonomacommunitycenter.org.

MONTE RIO
Russian River’s annual Big Rocky Games include volleyball and horseshoe tournaments; canoe, inner tube, kayak and raft races; water balloon and beanbag tosses and rock skipping 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Free.

PETALUMA
PTown 4th starts at 5 p.m. at the Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds, with music from Paulies Garage, a fun zone for kids, food and drink, followed by fireworks at 9:30 p.m. Bring picnics, blankets or chairs. $5 includes fun zone games. Facebook.com/ptown4th.

Saturday, July 5

BODEGA BAY
Enjoy a free fireworks show over the water visible all around the harbor 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Bodega Bay.

MONTE RIO
Monte Rio Volunteer Firefighters Association fires up for its barbecue noon-5 p.m. Saturday at the headquarters fire station, 9870 Main St. Water Carnival and a fireworks show that begins about 9:15 p.m. Saturday night along the Russian River.

RIO NIDO
Celebrate the Friends of Rio Nido’s 104th anniversary with food, music, Pee Wee mini-golf and a children’s talent show noon Saturday at Rio Nido Homeowner’s Association Picnic Area, Canyon Seven Road. Hot dogs and hamburgers 4-8 p.m. and live music and dancing 5-9 p.m.

Happy Independence Day!

PS: Thinking about joining us for labor day? Call us now to book your wine tour in advance.

Javy!

Credit: Wine Folly

Shopping for a wine host in Napa can be both interesting and challenging. There are hundreds of wine tour services with distinct qualities that make each unique. When we first began providing wine tours in Napa we did it with the goal of going above and beyond a designated driver. There is no denial that having someone drive while you taste wonderful libations is a must, but we take pride in going the extra mile and literally gifting you with a wine experience to remember.

We are a boutique wine tour operator and our goal is personalization. No two wine tours are alike. By the time you board one of our luxury vehicles we have spent hours pairing you with the wineries that will best match your taste, cultural preferences and esprit of exploration. The tour itself is the culmination of careful research, detail-oriented planning and multiple conversations to get to know you better.

What makes us a five star wine tour in Yelp?

We are not the only wine tour operator in Napa, we are not the largest either but we can confidently say that we are committed to gain your friendship, loyalty and endorsement. We particularly take pride in helping you plan surprises, marriage proposals, anniversaries and corporate wine tours. If this is your first time visiting our page head to Yelp and see why we are one of the best wine tour companies in Napa.

Our wine coaches, drivers and concierges can help you plan an all-inclusive wine tour of Napa.

Yesterday someone mentioned a really interesting fact about wine. There are over eight million instances on Google search associated with the search “how to pretend to know about wine”. Before you run out and purchase wine for dummies or memorize key way to fake your knowledge about wine, consider this: Wine knowledge is now democratized and accessible to  all. Not only is it easy to access learning about wine is easy, fun and it absolutely makes sense.

Take Advantage of Experiential Learning

Unless you have all manner of time in your hands reading about wines, particularly at 101 level can be taxing and complex. Without a hands-on introduction embracing concepts such as body, acidity, appellation and bouquet is very tricky and almost impossible when it comes to connecting ideas with practical concepts and sensory feedback.  A wine tour; when planned correctly can serve as an immersive learning environment that can potentially replace endless hours of reading. Before you dive into a wine tour it is important to let your wine coach know that your goal is to increase your knowledge and fluidity about wines. Your Napa Private Tours Wine Coach will then select your wineries with a didactic objective in mind and will make it a point to share with you tidbits of knowledge that will equip you to move from faking it into really embracing a knowledge and love for wine

Learn About Wines in The Context of Food

One of the easiest ways to trigger recollection is to connect or associate what we are trying to learn with things we already know. All of us, at one level or another have familiarity with gastronomy. Learning wines as a pairing for food will help you identify the flavors you are passionate about and it will be useful for recall in a social context. You will for example recall that Cabs and fuller body red wines marry well with red meats. Your palate will connect the dots between a good Port and the flavors of sugared nuts and spices. Tell your wine coach about your favorite foods and he will make it a point to make dining recommendations that will expose you to culinary experiences that can be tied in with learning how to pair.

Make it a Social Affair

The best memories are those we make with friends and family. By learning together it sets the stage for incredible conversations as we recollect what we have learned and bounce ideas around. Involving someone you love in your wine learning tour results in double the fun. A beginners, intermediate or advanced wine tour with the objective of learning while having fun is a fantastic gift to share with those you love the most.

Celebrate Your Learning Milestones

Learning about wine is a addictive, fun and super engaging. Make it a point to mark your knowledge milestones with a celebratory bottle. If for example you just completed a tour to improve your familiarity with Pinot Noirs, let us help you put together a library case of Pinot Noir to take home and make it a party to mark your departure from fake connoisseur and arrival to a newly found passion for true, beautiful and simple knowledge of wine.

I look forward to helping you,

Javy