Dear Peter,
I know it’s our tradition to leave notes for each other in hotels around the world and for me to send you these electronic postcards as I travel on my own, but today I have decided to begin the Napa Bottle Blog since I am out and about doing the entire area scene.

There’s going to be a Born to Shop California Wine Country, so I will have a lot more to report on besides Napa, but right now I am living in the Westin Verasa in East Napa, California.

Fall has come to the Wine Valleys, with some spectacular leaves and many miles of pumpkins. There are patches, there are piles, there are posts with pumpkin décor, there are vines everywhere—most of it adds to the harvest feel of the area.

Most of the vineyards have harvested their grapes, although a few reds remain on the vines and sparkle in the sunshine (once the fog burns off). There are been two early rain storms, so many vineyards rushed to harvest while others are waiting for the vines to dry out a bit. Whites have been harvested, but reds are still at play.

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I am not staying in the vines but rather in East Napa. East Napa, you may be asking yourself, East Napa? I know there is no such thing, but I am in the newly developing eastern part of the city, closer to the Silverado Trail access than to Highway 29, the basic road that most tourists take.

East Napa is where Copia (the American Center for Wine, Food and the Art) used to be located, alas they closed their doors as well as the kitchens of Julia, the only restaurant named after Julia Child. The river is being re-routed (much construction going on) but has created a charming new part of town that is not touristy like other parts.

Within a sneeze of my room, there’s a twice weekly Farmers Market (Tuesdays and Saturdays; 8am-noon, parking lot of Wine Train) as well as wide sidewalks and plenty of places to walk and feel like a member of the community.

Find out why Napa is a Great Dog-Friendly Destination.

The Westin Verasa has only been open a year and is actually a lodge-type of structure built to have as many views as possible and to work double time as condos for time shares.

Hallways may be long because of the design of the hotel, but most rooms have a great view. My room overlooks not only the Bocce Courts, but the tiny bend in the river and is just down the street from the new Oxbow Market and a handful of restaurants, wine bars and even the famous Wine Train.

For a mere $299,000 (winter price) you too can have your own time share in the destination of your dreams.

More on the Wine Train with 5 American Trains You Shouldn’t Miss.

My room is the perfect apartment—a full kitchen that opens to a studio/ living and dining room combo with a balcony overlooking the courtyard and the river. There’s a bedroom and a bathtub complete with twin headed shower-head and deep soaking tub. The bed is as comfy as a nest, one of Westin’s trademarks. There’s a café here as well as a rather famous restaurant, La Togue, but so far I’ve put in groceries or gone over to Oxbow.

I had dinner last night at Taylor’s Refresher, a 1960s diner sort of space that began in the Napa Valley. This one is new and serves juicy burgers and the world’s best garlic fries. There were many choices for dinner, including rotisserie chicken, sandwiches at a wine store and Venezuelan cuisine at Pica-Pica, a stand in the Oxbow Market. I wanted to try it all, but the siren call of garlic fries cannot be resisted.

I thought the best way to spend my first day of research was on the Wine Train. I considered that this could be a hokey touristy experience, which was not at all the case.

Find more experiences in our Train Travel section.

Although part of the street out front and the side yard are under construction and it’s a bit hard to find your way, the train and its station are important parts of the destination … perfect for beginners, day trippers or those who don’t want to drink and drive. Whoo whoo, all aboard.

The station house has several stores and a wine bar inside, you get a small tasting and lecture before you board and are then divided into groups per the type of experience you have chosen. The décor is reproduction Victorian although the trains themselves are actually Edwardian, from 1915-1917. They are modern, with stunning bathrooms, with air-conditioning and ever modern convenience, so you can dream of a murder on the Orient Express without the murder part. Eat your heart out, Agatha Christie … and clean your plate.

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There’s a café car for a la carte meals, as well as cars that feed into specific winery tours, and a series of gourmet meal tours. I didn’t even get to see the Vista Dome because it was sold out (book this one in advance) so we booked Gourmet Late Lunch. Gourmet Lunch is divided into two seatings, so you move along the train between three different cars, beginning with an appetizer in one car and then moving on later to a car decked out in heavy white damask table linen and a three-course meal of your choice from a small carte.

For more culinary experiences, try Gourmet Traveling, North American-Style.

We enjoyed drinks and appetizers from the first car we boarded, where we stared out to the vines, the end of the harvest days and the varied architecture of the vineyard homes. When we moved over three cars to the lunch table, we noted that we were seated on the other side of the train—obviously this taken into account to maximize the experience and the views. I’ve looked at grapes from both sides now…

Along with the previously served nosh tray, there was a three-course meal with five exotic choices for the main course (even a vegetarian choice). I went with roast beef, rosemary potatoes, grilled squash, salad and crème brûlée. Each main course comes with a suggested wine pairing, for which there is an extra charge. (Wines are typically $15 per glass). Our server forgot my wine, so I eventually canceled the order—this led me to a dilemma regarding tips, since no guidelines are given and guests are expected to tip but are not told how much. Furthermore, there were two separate checks—one for beverages consumed during the snacks portion of the trip, at the beginning and then again after lunch. We left $20 on the table, not really knowing what was proper or what I should have left if wine had been served.

There was a wine tasting onboard—four glasses for $10, which is a really good price as most area vineyard tasting s cost $15-35 per person. The wine educator is geared to beginners and does a one on one presentation of any combination of international and/or local wines so you can see differences if you are inclined. There are more than 40 different bottles to choose from.

She also tries to pour wines that you don’t know from your hometown grocery store and which don’t have tasting rooms in the vicinity. Back in the Station House after the tour, the fully stocked wine shop sells these bottles at excellent prices. Locals have told me this is one of the places they often buy wine because there is no extra mark-up. I’ve have the Cab, please.

Sun-drenched Kisses,
SuzyKG

Read Part Two of Suzy’s Bottle Blogs here.

By Suzy Gershman for PeterGreenberg.com. Join Suzy on the road this spring on her “Born to Shop” trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam from March 10-15, 2010, with an optional Bangkok extension. Guests will stay at the InterContinental Asiana and participate in “In the Know” shopping experiences filled with authentic local experiences and off-the-beaten path venues. For more information, contact Sarah at srlahey @ gmail.com.

• Suzy’s Postcard from San Francisco, California
• Suzy’s Postcard from Hanoi, Vietnam
• Suzy’s Postcard from Santa Barbara, California
• Suzy’s Roadtrip from San Antonio to San Francisco
• Suzy’s Postcard from Shanghai, China
• Suzy’s Postcard from El Paso, Texas
• Suzy’s Postcard from Paris, France
• Suzy’s Adventures in Las Vegas