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| by Jeanne Lawrence FESTIVAL DEL SOLE – NAPA VALLEY PART III The annual ten-day Festival del Sole celebrates the fine arts in life, including music, dance, visual art, culinary arts, and wine making, with spectacular events held throughout the Napa Valley. Parts I and Part II of my coverage describe some of the food, music, and wine events. The story continues: DARIOUSH WINERY: CELEBRATING PERSIAN AND RUSSIAN DYNASTIES Credit Shahpar and Darioush Khaledi and Tatiana and Gerret Copeland with the clever idea of highlighting the culture of two great dynasties, Persia and Russia, to create one of the most exotic of the Festival’s parties. The lavish experience took place against the stunning architectural backdrop of the Darioush Winery. Its founder, Darioush Khaledi, was raised in the Shiraz region of Iran, and the building evokes the ancient city of Persepolis, the ceremonial capital of Iran (formerly Persia) from 550–330 BCE. |
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| HOSTING WINERIES BOUCHAINE & DARIOUSH The fantasy evening was hosted by Bouchaine Vineyards and Darioush Winery, two of Festival del Sole’s founding wineries. Just six vintners participated in the first Festival del Sole, and now there are more than 100—with others on a waiting list! |
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| Tatiana Copeland exclaimed that a festival dedicated to Sergei Rachmaninoff on his 140th birthday was “an occasional for indulgence.” (Remember, she’s his grandniece.) |
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| COCKTAIL HOUR |
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| THE MUSICAL PERFORMANCE IN THE AMPHITHEATER The vintners and proprietors bring their own personalities to their properties, so the ambience and experience of each venue is unique, giving Napa Valley an international quality One admiring guest said Darioush was an over-the-top host, in typical Persian fashion and in accordance with his heritage. Think of the grandeur of the Shah and the city of Dario at ancient Persepolis. |
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| THE EXOTIC AND EXTRAVAGANT DINNER Patron and guest CatherineSchmidt marveled at the tent—“the biggest I’ve seen, and so intricately designed with exotic scalloped borders and tassels and embroidered mirrors on the ceiling that shine like stars.” Tables were piled high with a bountiful mix of Persian and Russian food displays. |
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| DANCERS |
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| BALLET GALA The Dede Wilsey Dance Series brings top performers to the Festival del Sole. They came from diverse backgrounds, including New York’s American Ballet Theatre, the San Francisco Ballet, and Ballet San Jose, and performed classic selections from Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, and more. |
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| VINTNER’S LUNCHEON AT SILVER OAK Though many times I’ve passed Silver Oak Cellars, off Oakville Crossing in the Oakville Appellation, I had never before actually visited the winery, so I looked forward to tasting its wines. |
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| A HEALTHY LUNCH During lunch, Dr. Wendy Bazilian, author of The SuperFoodsRx Diet and presenter of the luncheon’s wellness conversation, explained the benefits of the traditional Mediterranean diet, considered the healthiest in the world. |
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| THE WINE |
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| OPERA GALA AT LINCOLN THEATER The Festival del Sole’s extraordinary 2013 season ended on a brilliant note with a final evening of operatic areas performed by Kelly O’Connor and Raymond Aceto, accompanied by the Russian National Orchestra. The program included works by Tchaikovsky, Dvorak, Bizet, Mozart, and Verdi. “The tenor was unbelievable and the Samson and Delilah was a favorite,” said board member Athena Blackburn.“He looked great and she was gorgeous and so expressive.” As we left the theater, I noticed glasses of vodka were awaiting the RNO performers. Is that a Russian tradition? |
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| CLOSING NIGHT DINNER AT SINEGAL FAMILY ESTATE After the Opera Gala, guests headed to the “last supper” hosted by David and Shelley Sinegal at the new Sinegal Family Estate winery. David, son of Costco co-founder and former CEO James Sinegal, recently purchased the original Inglewood Estate and then the Wolf Family Winery. |
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| DINNER The young, attractive crowd was representative of the changing face of Napa Valley winemaking. It’s nice to know that interest in this lifestyle is alive and well in the new generation. |
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| “The festival is unique,” said Italian guest conductor Carlo Montanaro. “The music is fantastic, the setting is great, the food and wine are spectacular. No event offers all the elements that make up the art of living quite like the Festival del Sole. The sponsors take care of everything, and we have only to dress and to arrive.” And enjoy—which isn’t hard. We raised a toast to another spectacular season, promising we would return for Festival del Sole 2014 and again enjoy the Napa Valley hospitality. Mark your calendars for July 11 – 20, 2014, for a visit to Napa Valley unlike any other. Patrons interested in buying tickets next year can find more information on the Festival’s website, http://festivaldelsole.org. |
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| Photos by Jeanne Lawrence, Drew Altizer, and Moanalani Jeffrey. *Urbanite Jeanne Lawrence reports on lifestyle and travel from her homes in San Francisco, Shanghai, and New York, and wherever else she finds a good story. |
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