Napa, Day One: Where the Story (Really) Begins
Honeymoon Journal – Day 1
This is where it all started.
Before Finger Lakes summers.
Before winemaking classes, internships, and late-night bottling sessions.
There was Napa.
We already loved wine when we boarded that flight to California in May of 1998. Scott had worked at Whitehouse Liquor in Rochester while finishing school, and through those liquor distributor connections, we’d lined up a string of private tastings and comped meals at some of the best wineries in Napa Valley.
But what we didn’t know was that this trip would spark something much bigger—something that would unfold over decades. It would lead us to Cayuga Lake, to Finger Lakes winemaking, and eventually to Scott’s own winemaking journey.
So we’re sharing it, day by day, journal page by journal page, from dusty notebooks to dusty bottles.
Arrival Day: Fireplaces, First Impressions, and Wedding Cake
We arrived in Napa on May 20, 1998, a day after our wedding, and checked into the 1801 Inn—a Victorian bed and breakfast in Old Town Napa that, surprisingly, is still around today.
My first impression was... mixed:
“It’s not exactly what I’d envisioned, but I’m getting used to it—and it may grow on me.”
— Niki, journal entry, May 20, 1998
The road outside was busy, we were told we’d have to switch rooms halfway through our stay, and it all felt a little off from the picture I had in my head.
But the bed was big, the tub was deep, and the fireplace worked. By morning, Scott, ever the optimist, had warmed up to it more than I had:
“The room here is really very nice. Downside is the busy road right outside our window. But the room has a big bed, a big bathroom, and a fireplace. I’m happy with it.”
— Scott, journal entry, May 21, 1998
We unpacked and settled in for our very first evening in Napa as newlyweds.
Our First Wine in Wine Country
Dinner was at Bistro Don Giovanni, which is also apparently still around, where we leaned into the moment with comfort food and our first Napa wine of the trip: a split of 1995 Ravenswood Zinfandel.
🐟 Scott: Salmon and mashed potatoes—excellent
🐖 Niki: Pork loin with sundried tomatoes and green olives over potatoes, basil, and artichokes
It wasn’t a white tablecloth wine pairing. It was cozy, unpretentious, and memorable.
Afterwards, we came back to the inn, shared leftover wedding cake we’d brought with us with glasses of milk, and were asleep by 10.
Looking Back from Here
This trip didn’t start our love of wine, but it absolutely turned it into something lasting. It’s the reason we fell for wine regions. It’s what pulled us toward the Finger Lakes years later. It’s why Scott went from tasting wine to making it.
Now, more than two decades later, he’s taken winemaking classes, worked at Boundary Breaks and Silver Thread, and made his own Riesling from Finger Lakes juice purchased from Fulkerson. But before all of that, there was this: a handwritten journal, a couple of wide-eyed twenty-somethings, and a Zinfandel on our first night in Napa.
📓 Original Journal Pages – May 20–21, 1998
Below are scans from pages of our original honeymoon journal. We took turns writing and didn’t realize at the time how much we’d treasure these entries years later (scroll through to read):
Where We Went (and What’s Next)
With help from Scott’s distributor friends, we had a full itinerary planned, filled with private (and some public) tastings, spontaneous discoveries, and lots of journal scribbling. Here’s what’s coming in future posts:
May 21 – Sterling Vineyards, Beringer, Domaine Chandon
May 22 – Simi, Silver Oak
May 23 - Hess Collection, Raymond, Markham, St. Clement
May 24 - Clos Pegase, Mt. St. Helena,Guenoc
May 25 - Ravenswood, Gundlach-Bundschu, Matanzas Creek, Chateau St. Jean, St. Francis, Kenwood
May 26 – Cakebread, Joseph Phelps, Robert Mondavi
May 27 – Stag’s Leap, Opus One, Frog’s Leap
We’ll share stories, tasting notes, photos, and memories from each day as part of this series of posts.
Follow Along
There are many more memories to come—of Napa, the Finger Lakes, Scott’s amateur winemaking, and our favorite wineries and food spots in the FLX region.
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Thanks for being part of our story. We had no idea what that first glass of Zin would lead to—but we’re really glad we wrote it all down!
Read all about Day 2 of the honeymoon here.
Cheers from the lake,
— Niki & Scott
