Shopping
Napa offers a rich bounty of not only wines and foodstuffs, but antiques, crafts, and clothing from couture to cutting-edge funk. Shopaholic alert: Napa Premium Outlets (629 Factory Stores Drive, Napa; 707/226-9876; www.premiumoutlets.com) has 50 discount havens from Calvin Klein to Coach and Barneys to Banana Republic. Of course, most of your shopping will likely be at wineries with the goal of stocking your wine cellar, but when you're ready to stock your pantry, we have a few suggestions. Chocoholics should check out the daily tastings at Anette's Chocolate Factory (1321 First St., Napa; 707/252-4228, www.anettes.com) for their fix – chocolates are crafted from 50-year-old recipes and the result is sinfully scintillating truffles, fudges, caramels, chocolate wine sauces, and more. Olives and wine seem to go together (many wineries craft artisan oils); St. Helena Olive Oil Company (8576 St. Helena Hwy., St. Helena; 707/967-1003; www.sholiveoil.com) bottles everything by hand with no artificial additives including marinades, grilling sauces, tapenade, balsamic vinegars (cranberry or blueberry anyone?), and flavored oils.
But for foodies, the absolute, must-visit destination is COPIA (500 First St., Napa; 707/259-1600, Wed-Mon 10am-5pm; $5 adults, $4 students & seniors, children under 12 free; www.copia.org). Part museum, part restaurant, part classroom, part gardens, the "American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts" is a feast for the senses. Take classes on landscaping, pumpkin carving, or wine pairing, or dine at the superb onsite organic restaurant, Julia's Kitchen, a tribute to Julia Child. It houses the 2,500-square-foot retail store Cornucopia (500 First St., Napa; 707/265-5810; www.copia.org) which sells private label wines, has an astonishing gourmet food section, extraordinary kitchenware collections, and much more – an absolute must-visit for anyone with even a mild interest in food, cooking, and wine.
