Inn Wins Celebration Vacation Recognition

ST. HELENA, Calif. July 1, 2009 – Editors of BedandBreakfast.com, the leading online bed and breakfast directory and reservation network worldwide, have named the Wine Country Inn among its best inns nationwide for celebrating love.

Sandy Soule, a BedandBreakfast.com editor and highly recognized author on the B&B industry, said Wine Country Inn received the “celebration vacation” recognition based on many factors. “The Wine Country was singled out as being a romantic destination based on its pampering amenities, quality décor, vineyard setting, hospitality, and food and wine,” Soule said. “Again and again guests have called this a truly magical place to celebrate a special occasion.”

Jim Smith, The Wine Country Inn’s innkeeper, said the award didn’t surprise him. “We put a focus on hospitality and creating a unique guest experience in everything we do, from our staff to our beautiful grounds to our homemade granola,” Smith said. “We feel there’s no better romantic getaway for two in the Napa Valley.”

Celebration vacations remain a key part of travel nationwide. According to editors at BedandBreakfast.com, a June 2008 survey conducted by Peter Yesawich’s Y Partnership found that 70% of respondents celebrated a special occasion with a vacation, while 75% vacationed in celebration of their honeymoon or significant anniversary. Similarly, a May 2009 survey compiled by hotels.com found honeymooners are not cutting back despite the economic times; more than 98% of the 500 brides surveyed are still planning to honeymoon after their wedding.

About The Wine Country Inn: Celebrating 34 years of romance
Built and operated by the Smith family since 1975, The Wine Country Inn has been transformed from the Napa Valley’s first bed and breakfast inn into a magnificent Boutique Hotel. The Inn contains 24 distinctive rooms and five luxury cottages. Each guest stay includes a full gourmet breakfast and afternoon wine tasting. Guests also can avail themselves to spa services, local winery tours, and a complimentary evening shuttle service to nearby restaurants. For more information: www.winecountryinn.com and www.winecountryinn.blogspot.com.
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2009 WCI Special Events

At Wine Country Inn, we believe strongly in adding as much value to your stay with us as possible. With this in mind, we have created the following Special Events throughout 2009 to make your stay even more pleasurable. Most are complimentary to Inn guests, and all are available only to our guests. For reservations or more information, please call our front desk staff toll-free at 1-888-465-4608 or send an email to: romance@winecountryinn.com.

February 27-28: Return Guest Reunion
Please click here for a quick recap of our inaugural Return Guest Reunion.

Fun Thursdays: April through November
Each Thursday April through November, we will be hosting a special food and wine educational event in the Inn's Common Room from 6-7 p.m. These events are complimentary to Inn guests (and subject to availability). Here's the lineup:

First Thursday: Wine Appreciation
Join Marty Paradise to learn the ins and outs of how to better understand -- and appreciate -- the various wines you'll be exposed to during your stay in Napa Valley. Marty is a fantastic wine person (note, we were tempted to call him a 'wine geek') and fun to be around, to boot.

Second Thursday: All About Olive Oil
Diane De Filipi, who leads yearly gourmet cooking class excursions to Tuscany and Rome through her company Let's Go Cook Italian, will help educate us on all things olive oil-related, including how to taste, olive oil characteristics, and much more. Diane's passion for food and wine -- particularly as they relate to Italy -- are unmatched!

Third Thursday: Beer Fun
Our friends at Silverado Brewing Company will lead a "beer fun" course sure to entertain and delight. Brewmaster Ken Mee will lead many of these events. As Ken says, "Keep drinking beer--I'll make more!"

Fourth Thursday: Italian Wine Appreciation
Our friends at Benessere Vineyards will lead this exploration of all things Italian-wine related, including some fantastic wine and cheese pairings. Wine Country Inn guests will learn about the various Italian grape varieties planted throughout Napa Valley, and the steps Benessere takes to produce the highest quality grapes possible (in the winemaking world, more is not better, better is better).

TBD: Fall Harvest Party
Stay tuned for info regarding the Fall Harvest Party we are planning this September/October.

November 12-14: Ode to the Olive
We'll put on a three-day tribute to all things olive-related, culminating in a Saturday blind olive oil tasting with celebrity judges. This was event was a huge hit with Wine Country Inn guests in 2008; click here for info on the 2008 Ode to the Olive.

December 31: New Year's Eve
We're putting together plans for a special New Year's Eve party (hint: might be one of only a handful of dinners we've actually hosted at the Inn). More info coming soon...

February 26-27, 2010: Return Guest Reunion
Mark your calendars now: We'll celebrate our 2nd Annual Return Guest Reunion this weekend. Stay tuned for more info.

Return Guest Reunion Rocks!

Wow, we had a wonderful time February 27-28 with our first annual Wine Country Inn Return Guest Reunion. Guests who have stayed with us before from all across the U.S. attended our special event.

The Return Guest Reunion culminated in a special dinner held in the Wine Country Inn common room. Guests and Inn staff began with cocktails from Charbay and wine from Benessere Vineyards, along with cheese and other passed appetizers, including Sonoma Duck Pate, Hog Island Oysters, and caviar and salmon gravlax on potato gaufrette.

For dinner, catered by the catering department at Silverado Brewing Company led by Chef Bernardo Ayala, we feasted on Maine Lobster Salad, pan-seared Filet Mignon, and, for dessert, Dagoba organic bittersweet chocolate cake with raspberry ganache and passion fruit coulis.

The Inn's common room looked beautiful, and guests were treated to a guitar accompanist.

Please note: If you missed this year's Return Guest Reunion, have no fear--plans are already underway for next year's event. Stay tuned.

Coming Feb 27-28: Return Guest Reunion

Just a friendly reminder that our first ever/annual Return Guest Reunion will take place at Wine Country Inn February 27-28, 2009. We have planned a fun time for those people who have stayed at the Inn before and would like an excuse (hey, it's February!) to get away, enjoy some fantastic food and wine, reconnect with our Inn staff, and also meet new friends.

For more information, click here.

For information, room rates, or availability, please call the Inn toll-free at 1-888-465-4608.

P.S. We're busy making plans for our events in 2009; stay tuned.

Happy 2009!

We want to wish all of you a Happy and Prosperous 2009! We are busy making plans for new and exciting things at the Wine Country Inn this year, so please check back again soon.

For now, we'd like to share a sampling of recent comments from guests who stayed with us in either October, November or December of 2008. These are real comments from real people, and used with their permission. Enjoy!

“Your entire staff is top-notch. Everything we could possibly want was anticipated and provided. Thank you for your hospitality. We will be back and we will send others!”
- Ann and Joel Davis

“Mr. Smith, this past week at your Inn has been incredible. Thank you for providing us with an amazing and memorable honeymoon. There were so many things that we loved about staying here. A few that stand out in my mind are: breakfast, the afternoon wine service, new recipes, restaurant shuttle, your well-kept grounds, wine glasses, and above all, your staff. We truly felt at home. Our honeymoon could not have been more perfect. I assure you that I will recommend (the Inn) to everyone I know!”
- Travis and Kayla Foreman

“This getaway has been most outstanding. My husband brought me here to celebrate my birthday, and what a present. Everything was perfect, from the rooms to the staff. The food was outstanding, too.”
- Kristi and Chris Ekkelboom

“We had a most wonderful time. All the staff was great—very hospitable. The room was so clean and inviting. It was the little touches that made our stay so great—loved having the fireplace ready to go each day.”
- The Von Elm Party

New Year's Eve PARTY

Just a reminder that we still have some availability for our complimentary (that's right, complimentary) New Year's Eve party this December 31st.

Now, we know what you're probably saying: They'll just raise the room rates for that night, right? No! That's right: this year the Wine Country Inn will be offering our guests a special New Year’s Eve party on December 31 at regular December (off-season) rates. Highlights of the event include:

~ Our New Year’s Eve party will be complimentary for guests of the Inn that night. That’s right—while most places mark up (significantly!) their fees for New Year’s Eve, we’re going to throw a party at no additional cost to you.

~ In keeping with our old-fashioned holiday theme, the Inn’s room rates for that night will not increase.

~ Our New Year’s Eve Party will run from approximately 10:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. (or so), and include a champagne toast and dessert bar loaded with all sorts of homemade goodies.

~ Of course, you’ll avoid driving hazards by simply walking to your room.

Come celebrate the end of one year and the beginning of a new one with old friends... or make some new ones in our cozy common room complete with roaring fire. Visit our web site our call toll-free 1-888-465-4608 for room availability and rates.

Olive Taste-Off Winner

We had a wonderful time Saturday, Nov 15 at The Wine Country Inn for our Olive Oil Taste-Off, which was the culminating event in our four-day "Ode to the Olive" celebration. Three celebrity judges blind-tasted four Napa Valley olive oils, and also answered questions and conversed with Wine Country Inn guests (we were nearly sold out -- there was one available room!). The judges were the Inn's own Innkeeper, Jim Smith; Chef Lars Kronmark from our neighbor the Culinary Institute of America (CIA); and Diane DeFilipe, an expert on Italian food and olive oil through her Italian touring company, Let's Go Cook Italian.

And the winner was... Harris Ranch Napa Valley! The judges loved this organic extra virgin olive oil's flavor (of course), but also its aroma and that spicy/peppery taste that hits the back of the mouth. (When tasting olive oils, it's a GOOD thing to cough! No, seriously!) Congratulations to the brother and sister team of Gingy Harris Gable and Jody Harris who own and run Harris Ranch Napa Valley. The winning olive oil retails for $38 per 500ml bottle. For more information or to purchase this fine Napa Valley olive oil, visit their web site at http://www.hrnv.net/.

Stay tuned for more re-cap info soon on the Ode to the Olive event... and as we begin looking forward to our New Year's Eve celebration.