During this latest trip to the California wine country, we had the pleasure of staying at Graeser winery, which is up on Diamond Mountain in Calistoga. Richard Graeser, owner of Graeser winery, and his partner Rebecca Ahl, have a beautiful guest cottage, which I was lucky enough to secure for two nights at a charity auction event. Aside from the opportunity to capture some great shots of their vineyard, Lisa and I truly enjoyed the opportunity to meet Richard and Rebecca and share their company while sampling their terrific wines. As guests of their cottage, we had to do our part in running the winery and that included finishing all the half empty bottles that remained after the tasting room closed its doors for the day. Running a winery is tough work indeed. We also had the opportunity to enjoy some of Napa’s finest dining with Richard and Rebecca, including Cindy Pawlcyn’s newest restaurant, Go Fish, which is not to be missed. If you find yourself in Napa, anywhere near the Calistoga area, you should definitely go out of your way to visit Graeser. There are few remaining Napa wineries where you can stand across the tasting bar and enjoy a well crafted wine in the company of the owner and winemaker himself. Graeser is one of those rare gems. http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0407-v2/236271566_jpKPN-Ti.jpg http://alfredo.smugmug.com/gallery/3876840_arXTU/ 2007-12-26T10:31:56Z Copyright 2009, the copyright holder of each photograph. Some portions copyright SmugMug. All rights reserved. SmugMug <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#236271566_jpKPN" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0407-v2/236271566_jpKPN-Th.jpg" width="150" height="92" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-23T09:41:09Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0407-v2/236271566_jpKPN-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:15:38 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224523713_7LdpC" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0429/224523713_7LdpC-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:24:04Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0429/224523713_7LdpC-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:41:10 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224524774_dN2d3" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0432/224524774_dN2d3-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:24:14Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0432/224524774_dN2d3-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:42:23 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#236279997_Le8E7" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0416-v2/236279997_Le8E7-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-23T09:23:17Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0416-v2/236279997_Le8E7-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:28:18 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224526644_gSULs" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0479/224526644_gSULs-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:23:16Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0479/224526644_gSULs-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 02:08:45 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224560200_rY3DM" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0355/224560200_rY3DM-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:00:42Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0355/224560200_rY3DM-Th.jpg 2007-11-01 23:23:20 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224562714_TyDnB" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0400/224562714_TyDnB-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T07:54:21Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0400/224562714_TyDnB-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:07:35 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224521631_heQb5" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0423/224521631_heQb5-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:25:35Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0423/224521631_heQb5-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:35:14 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224522733_ApByD" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0427/224522733_ApByD-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:21:20Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0427/224522733_ApByD-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:38:30 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224525111_BrsXf" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0434/224525111_BrsXf-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:22:05Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0434/224525111_BrsXf-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:43:32 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />"Jill" at Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224552266_7xP2T" title=""Jill" at Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0264/224552266_7xP2T-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt=""Jill" at Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title=""Jill" at Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:07:18Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0264/224552266_7xP2T-Th.jpg 2007-11-01 00:54:27 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Jill, who together with her canine partner Jack, roam the grounds of Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224526112_4bZKg" title="Jill, who together with her canine partner Jack, roam the grounds of Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0450/224526112_4bZKg-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Jill, who together with her canine partner Jack, roam the grounds of Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Jill, who together with her canine partner Jack, roam the grounds of Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:17:32Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0450/224526112_4bZKg-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:53:55 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224559588_zZqcB" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0337/224559588_zZqcB-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T07:56:38Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0337/224559588_zZqcB-Th.jpg 2007-11-01 08:13:37 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224525431_gcKTE" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0439/224525431_gcKTE-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:23:19Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0439/224525431_gcKTE-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:47:32 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224567012_SkYtN" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0420/224567012_SkYtN-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T07:50:48Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0420/224567012_SkYtN-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:33:38 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224522433_pK8PW" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0424/224522433_pK8PW-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:25:12Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0424/224522433_pK8PW-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:35:38 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224561588_bFnGC" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0383/224561588_bFnGC-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T07:57:34Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0383/224561588_bFnGC-Th.jpg 2007-11-01 23:54:17 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224525749_BwdLX" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0441/224525749_BwdLX-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:26:18Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0441/224525749_BwdLX-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:48:47 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224525257_y7An8" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0438/224525257_y7An8-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:25:53Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0438/224525257_y7An8-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 00:46:24 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224550508_JsR6Y" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0247/224550508_JsR6Y-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:08:51Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0247/224550508_JsR6Y-Th.jpg 2007-11-01 00:21:36 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Morning Fog at Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224551146_WL4rP" title="Morning Fog at Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0254/224551146_WL4rP-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Morning Fog at Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" title="Morning Fog at Graeser Winery, Calistoga (Napa Valley), CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T08:08:10Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0254/224551146_WL4rP-Th.jpg 2007-11-01 00:35:00 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Rebecca Ahl and Richard Graeser at Graeser Winery, Calistoga, CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224986191_R2ft3" title="Rebecca Ahl and Richard Graeser at Graeser Winery, Calistoga, CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0484/224986191_R2ft3-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Rebecca Ahl and Richard Graeser at Graeser Winery, Calistoga, CA" title="Rebecca Ahl and Richard Graeser at Graeser Winery, Calistoga, CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T03:08:34Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0484/224986191_R2ft3-Th.jpg 2007-11-02 02:20:06 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Richard Graeser, dispensing his wine and his humor at Graeser Winery, Calistoga, CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224986882_HUhCU" title="Richard Graeser, dispensing his wine and his humor at Graeser Winery, Calistoga, CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0350/224986882_HUhCU-Th.jpg" width="100" height="150" alt="Richard Graeser, dispensing his wine and his humor at Graeser Winery, Calistoga, CA" title="Richard Graeser, dispensing his wine and his humor at Graeser Winery, Calistoga, CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T03:11:15Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0350/224986882_HUhCU-Th.jpg 2007-11-01 10:07:55 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Richard Graeser with one of the costumed waiters, Halloween night at Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena, CA</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224985292_m5tYd" title="Richard Graeser with one of the costumed waiters, Halloween night at Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena, CA"><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0354/224985292_m5tYd-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Richard Graeser with one of the costumed waiters, Halloween night at Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena, CA" title="Richard Graeser with one of the costumed waiters, Halloween night at Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena, CA" style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T03:05:57Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0354/224985292_m5tYd-Th.jpg 2007-11-01 13:06:47 <p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com">Alfredo</a><br />Lisa and I (at opposite ends) with Rebecca Ahl and Richard Graeser of Graeser Winery enjoying a terrific Halloween night dinner at Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena, CA.</p><p><a href="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/3876840_arXTU#224987161_N5aKq" title="Lisa and I (at opposite ends) with Rebecca Ahl and Richard Graeser of Graeser Winery enjoying a terrific Halloween night dinner at Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena, CA."><img src="http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0352/224987161_N5aKq-Th.jpg" width="150" height="100" alt="Lisa and I (at opposite ends) with Rebecca Ahl and Richard Graeser of Graeser Winery enjoying a terrific Halloween night dinner at Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena, CA." title="Lisa and I (at opposite ends) with Rebecca Ahl and Richard Graeser of Graeser Winery enjoying a terrific Halloween night dinner at Go Fish restaurant in St. Helena, CA." style="border: 1px solid #000000;" /></a></p> 2009-01-31T03:08:56Z Alfredo http://alfredo.smugmug.com http://alfredo.smugmug.com/Other/Graeser-Winery/IMG0352/224987161_N5aKq-Th.jpg 2007-11-01 13:04:57