I arrived at the Napa Valley Vintners’ Wine Educators Academy ready to go. It was Monday morning at 8:30 AM and we were asked to board the bus to begin our week-long adventure. We were greeted on the bus by Paula Kornell, General Manager of Oakville Ranch Vineyards and after a brief welcome, were handed a glass of sparkling wine from her father’s former winery.

We drove from the River Terrace Inn in downtown Napa to the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone. This beautiful stone building was once a winery itself back in California’s first golden age of wine — the 1880s. Upon arriving at CIA, it was time to disembark and head into the Rudd Center for Professional Wine Studies. But, as I walked down the stairs, a wonderful impediment blocked my way. I was formally welcomed to the Napa Valley by Michael Mondavi, who then proceeded to shake my hand. It was an auspicious start to what turned out to be an amazing week!