When Carol and I first came to the Napa Valley in 1975 it wasn’t for the wine.

In fact what we thought went with red wine was 7up. We called them “wine coolers.”

Which red wine wasn’t important, it was Cribaria or as likely Gallo Hearty Burgundy.  The agent which made the drink palatable was the 7up. Lot’s of 7up.

Our generation had been raised on Coca Cola, so when we began to drink alcohol, Rum or Vodka were the firewater of choice. An unfortunate encounter with  too much orange juice and vodka put me off “screw drivers” forever.

Beazley House now has a full wine list.

Our wine education began, as nearly all things have, due to our dear Beazley House guests. It is not a heroic story full of the nobility of the hunt, but rather more like those lesser beasts who finish up after the lions have had their fill.

A group of  business guests took over the inn and ordered “the best Napa Valley wine we could buy for $15 a bottle.” In 1981 $15 a bottle was an extravagant sum. WE had never spent such a fortune on a single bottle, but we had just been introduced to Clos du Val vineyards. THEY had a Frenchman producing fine wines who supported Chamber Music Napa Valley.  We knew their wines were good, real good. So we bought 8 bottles at just under the $15 per bottle limit and placed them in our rooms.

The next morning, after the guests had left, lo and behold ONE guest had left behind just under half his bottle, uncorked and lonely. He had appeared healthy,”like he’d had all his shots”, as we say in our family, so we tried the now nicely aired cabernet.

Instantly we tasted liquid ENLIGHTENMENT! So THIS is what good wine tastes like!  No more would we wonder why wine lovers purred over perfect reds.

We've come a long way in 30 years...you'll be able to drink up our experience.

We had begun our evolutionary  journey out of the primordial swamp of bad wine toward the promised land: Napa Valley.  We were saved.

Today we introduce our guests to the best wines Napa Valley has to offer at Vintner-poured wine tastings each Friday and Saturday night. What fun to watch the faces of the new guests as they discover how GOOD really fine wine can taste.

Frequently the wines will be from small vintners offering very limited production. These are the hidden gems known only to locals and wine snobs.  They won’t be found anywhere else but our inn and their winery.  All of them will be places our guests will enjoy visiting the next day.

And our wine tastings are always accompanied by hors d’ oeuvres which compliment the wines.  A complete experience.

In this  our 30th “Year of Firsts” we’ve added our FIRST Napa Valley Wine Auction.

Jim & Carol smiling and serving at Rubicon Estates

Held at the fabled Rubicon Estate owned by Francis Ford Coppola and his talented family, it was a scene right out of Hollywood. All of the stars of Napa Valley culinary and viticulture scene were on stage.

And we played our bit part!

Our setting was “The Terrace” and the “E-bid Hall” on the second floor of the massive stone winery founded in the 1800s known then as Inglenook.

Shaded by a 150 year old Redwood tree, the Terrace was lined by a legion of legendary chefs, caterers and vintners. In the center was a grand piano on a Persian carpet,  its keys sending  familiar notes to the heavens.

The weather gods had been exceedingly kind by allowing the morning fog to linger- sparing us from the sun’s glare and heat.

Our duties were as simple as they were clear: we were to do anything the chefs, caterers, vintners asked, with a smile and knowledge certain that we ALL were there to serve the guests. We were a team.

Our team was captained by our dear  friend Arthur Roosa, a veteran volunteer of the Wine Auction.  His second in command was the lovely Keiko, his wife and we were joined by Arthur’s sister Donna from Phoenix. The team was filled out by Charles from Angwin and Laura from St Helena.

Team Roosa: Arthur, Keiko, Carol, Laura & Donna. The Electronic Bids "Cave" is behind.

We worked beside two other teams: one on the Terrace  and one team of techies helping with the Electronic Auction in the Barrel room. This cave-like hall was lined with vintners and purveyors with its center glowing with laptops set to take their “E” bids.

This was the first day of the famed event, which over the last 30 years has raised almost $100 MILLION for local charity. The auctioneers would wring a near record breaking $8.51 million out of the guests at Meadowood Resort the next day.

These generous guests were as easy to serve as our Beazley House guests. They were polite and grateful as we whisked away their napkins and nibbles on silver trays.  Even after hours of wine tasting NO one appeared tipsy.

Rubicon's fountain was the center piece for the 30th Napa Valley Wine Auction

Perhaps the setting of the romantic Rubicon Estate with its splashing fountains and gardens demanded decorum.

However, given the copious quantities of wine consumed along with culinary delicacies, even a saint would have been tempted to over indulge.

And there was serious money being bid, even before the next day’s “main event.” Usually money spoils a good time, ask any working girl.

But in the end it was the “paradise effect” that probably mellowed the crowds: that feeling that they had died and gone to Heaven.

That and they were a classy crowd.