There are only so many vineyards even the hardiest drinker can visit before they need to stop and pad their stomach. Many of those wine-tasters end up at Genova Delicatessen, which means perennial long lines at this Italian-style deli. If you have the patience to wade through the crowds of semi-drunk people who seem to have particular difficulty with the deli's number system, then Genova is worth a stop. More

As small city food markets go, Oxbow Market in Napa, California, couldn't be more impressive. Opened in 2007, it feels like a scaled-down version of San Francisco's Ferry Building—little coincidence, as Oxbow's founder, Steve Carlin, was the Ferry Building project manager, behind the launch of that incredible marketplace. At Oxbow, you've got the same careful selection of stores, the same open-air feel, and the same variety, but on a scale appropriate to a smaller town. Here are seven great bites to try there. More

As part of a press group touring Louis M. Martini and William Hill Estate last week, I got the chance to check out a little winemaking behind the scenes. For a quick look at the making of the 2010 vintage, check out the slideshow! More

I'm a big fan of dinners that require some assembly at the table: give me some lettuce and pancakes for wrapping, sauces to smear, and free rein to create my own masterpiece, and I'm happy to roll up my sleeves. The classy patio at Solbar in Calistoga may not seem the most obvious place for freeform finger food, but their Lucky Pig is as delicious as it is fun. More

According to the New York Times, Copia, the food, wine, and art museum in Napa, California, has filed for bankruptcy protection. Julia Moskin is too polite to state the obvious, that Copia was clearly overly ambitious, to say the least, and never quite found its footing or place in the food world. Even 35 million dollars of Robert Mondavi's money wasn't enough to see it through. It's hard to imagine a reorganizational scheme that can work for Copia, particularly in these times. Everyone in the food world rooted from near and far for Copia to succeed, but to me it seemed doomed from the outset. I take no pleasure in saying that, believe me.... More

Because a majority of my food comes from the farmers market, I am often tied to the schedule of farmers markets around the Bay Area. I missed my home market twice in a row due to scheduling conflicts in recent weeks, but I made up for it by visiting the brand-new Divisadero Farmers Market and the Napa Farmers Market. I was in Napa for the unbelievably great Taste3 Conference and snuck out between speakers to visit the small, but extremely friendly and adequate, downtown market. Cruising the markets, I noticed a proliferation of plum and apricot-like stone fruits: pluots, plumcots, apriums, plums, and apricots. It wasn't until I came home and perused the Internet that I figured out the... More