Napa Valley, Here I Come

So, how do you make a small fortune out of a vineyard in Napa Valley?

You start with a large fortune. . .

Well, the ever fabulous suefunky is moving across the continent, from San Francisco to Washington D.C. This is okay with her, as Mr. Funky has a fabulous new job, and suefunky has been working on east coast time while living in California, as all her co-workers, clients, etc., were located there, so she's just cutting down on her business travel.

But! What about me?!?

Because, of course, it IS all about me.

And with suefunky no longer living in California, what will my excuse be to go out there anymore?

I am going out one last time, to help her with the move. The original reason I offered to help was that it was looking like suefunky was going to have to drive cross-country, to transport the car and the dog, and she couldn't possibly do that alone. Since then, she has decided that she is going to fly, reasoning that 5 hours on a plane is better than 10 days in the car, since the dog likes neither option. But, she claims she still wants me to help her wrangle said dog, along with her computer and other carry-on stuff, since she is limited to 2 items, and the dog counts as one.

So, I have arranged to fly out on a Friday--and the fabulous suefunky has arranged for a trip to Napa on Saturday. Hey, it beats loading a U-Haul.

In fact, suefunky, Mr. Funky, three other friends and myself are booked on a tour of the Del Dotto winery, which is called "Del Blotto" at Chez Funky, because there is so much nice wine to taste. There is also a wonderful lunch planned as well. Did I mention that suefunky is fabulous?

But back to the winery. Just take a look at the montage of photos on the homepage. You look at that--the whole "cathedral of wine" thing they have going, and it's possible to overlook the fact that running a winery is basically. . .

. . .farming. Sure, it's farming with great PR for the crop, but at its heart it's no different from the old guy in Iowa running a John Deere through the soybean harvest. It's all about when it rains, and how much, and when it gets cold, and how cold, and if the birds ate the crops before you could harvest them. Plus, in Napa, you can't run a John Deere through the vineyards to harvest--you have to hire migrant workers.

Not that you can tell any of that from the promotional material on the website. It's all about the glamor and chicness of wine. Not that I am going to complain. I have driven through Iowa, and through Napa, and I'll take Napa every time.