Napa Valley runs about 50 km north from San Pablo Bay. Fog and sea air cool the southern end, while the north is markedly warmer. It became California's first American Viticultural Area in 1981 and is now divided into more than a dozen nested sub-appellations.
Hagafen Cellars, founded in 1979 by Ernie Weir, was California's first kosher winery and the first of the upscale kosher brands. Its wines have been served at the White House, including the 1981 state dinner for Menachem Begin.
Napa shows that kosher wine can compete at the top price level when it comes from a winery for which kashrut is part of the concept rather than an add-on.
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