President’s Letter

Dear Members,

The website for NVWLA has been re-designed and launched by Bob Dye. Bob is both a new board member and experienced web-hand (his company is Vintagefactor). We think you will find the site easy to navigate, comprehensive and rewarding. Go to www.napawinelibrary.com and have a look. As we want to keep you informed about the organization by e-mail, when you are at the site, click on the tab About Us and under it go to Contact Us to send us your e-mail address. Thanks for the site go to board members Bob, Morgan Morgan and Julie Dickson, and Executive Secretary Jane Burger for this long-anticipated achievement.

Next up is a foundation to support the St. Helena Public Library which will simplify and amplify funding and provide the Library with greater flexibility and outreach. Cataloguing, scanning and the addition of new media will benefit as we continue to improve access to divers materials, many of them original, unique and unpublished, for scholars, wine lovers and others in need. Earlier this fall, San Francisco Opera staged its production of “Elixir of Love” in the Napa Valley of 1915. The Opera asked us to provide images of wine labels of the era (“high def” requires a new degree of verisimilitude), and we did.

Wednesday evening programs for adults at St. Helena Public Library are well established. We have participated in several, most recently “Prohibition: Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Repeal,” December 3. The reception and presentation included remarks by vineyard owners Robin Daniel Lail and Pete Molinari, authors Lin Weber, Vivienne Sosnowski and Rebecca Yerger, and wine purveyor Darrell Corti. Our thanks go to Library Director Jennifer Baker for spearheading these events.

In conclusion, we would like to thank everyone who took part in the Varietal Seminar and Annual Tasting. Next year red wines outside of the Cabernet family will be in the spotlight, August 15 and 16 at CIA-Greystone and Silverado Resort. Although the venues will be the same, we have several innovations underway, so watch for details via the Web and US Mail.

Kevin Alfaro, President