By Kathy Chin Leong
Disembodied hands grasping for a glass of wine is not your typical image of Napa Valley. But at Lewis Cellars, what’s unusual is the norm. A work like this forces conversation. In a stone building choc-a-block with exotic animal patterns and surreal paintings, you can sip its “big reds and sexy chardonnays” and gaze upon all that is weirdly wonderful.
Slowly, but surely, Napa is reinventing itself, offering up rebooted wineries, new food journeys, and even bargains for the frugal gourmand. Since the beginning of 2026 (and even the end of 2025), valley businesses have popped up with new endeavors, one after the other.
Here’s what we’ve uncovered:
WINERIES
On the renowned Silverado Trail, Lewis Cellars has opened a lavish tasting pavilion. While it has been making wines for more than 30 years, Lewis Cellars can now do show and tell at its first physical space. The 13,200-square-foot entity is grand and opulent, with no bad seat in the house. Lewis Cellars was founded by Indy race car driver Randy Lewis and his wife Debbie. Hitting a concrete wall at 220 mph and surviving caused him to shift gears to winemaking in Napa in 1992.
Today, the enterprise is owned by The Wonderful Company, parent to POM pomegranate juice and FIJI water. In 2021, the corporation found great potential in the Lewis Cellars brand that was already making its way into fine dining establishments and specialty wine shops.
Today, the tasting experience is an immersive one. In the gathering room with a panorama of glass, a multitude of sultry living room groupings allow couples and friends to imbibe in a sumptuous atmosphere. Since the building is perched on a hill, everyone gets to feast upon vineyards and the Mayacamas mountain range in the distance.
Design mavens, get ready: color explodes everywhere. The fifteen art pieces commissioned to Calif. artist Zachary Scott resemble oil paintings of the Dutch masters with a twist. In reality, these works are a mixed media composite of photos and digital images of winged creatures and giant flowers that seem to unfurl before your very eyes. Coming here is like making a pilgrimage to another world. Upon entering, you walk under a purplish-and-white patterned barrel ceiling and past Scott’s unusual works. Into the central seating area, you are transported to an English-inspired drawing room with pendant chandeliers, plush leopard print pillows, and area rugs woven with giant cobras. Then there’s the secret sipping room called the Salon Privé. Available for private bookings, the windowless, tiny space is clad with floral wallpaper saturating the walls and ceiling with a matching loveseat- perfect for two. (FYI: The claustrophobic need not apply.)
Lewis Winery prides itself on its chardonnays and award-winning reds. Accolades for depth and complexity go to the winemaker, Jordan Jeffries. The artwork that is playful and full of swagger reflects the wine, which is also “unapologetically bold,” says the company’s marketing materials.
Other exciting and good changes in Napa Valley include the complete transformation of the historic Robert Mondavi Winery, which is reopening this month after a three-year renovation. A few miles away, Bouchaine Vineyards boasts a new, sleek, and modern tasting center with fire pits, outdoor seating, and umbrellas overlooking vineyards.
- Find Lewis Cellars at 6320 Silverado TrlNapa, CA 94558
SECRET BARGAINS
Everyone complains about Napa Valley’s exorbitant prices. But there’s no need to whine when you do your homework. The big bargain? Drum roll, please! Celebrating fifty years in operation, V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena provides free tastings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Walk on in, and you can imbibe three wines with no guilt whatsoever. Be entranced by its chardonnay, rosé, and cabernet. While there, elevate your moment with homemade marshmallows in a s’mores experience.
Not only will you pat yourself on the back for finding a true bargain, but you can also brag about finding a gorgeous new setting to bring your friends and family. In the old days, you would have to shoulder your way up to the bar that was already three drinkers deep for the free daily tastings. Then, you would go to a separate area to buy your cheese, bread, and pate for your picnic. Things are better with an enhanced flow for customers. V. Sattui is now a relaxing abode where you want to linger rather than being a sip-and-run winery.
More than 20 percent larger at 8,000 square feet, the building features stonework, wood rafter vaulted ceilings, chandeliers, a circular tasting bar at seats up to 25, a refrigerated cheese wall, and more- this is the Mercato del Gusto or Taste of the Market.
In its reinvented and expanded deli and store, you’ll find reasonably priced salads, sandwiches, house-made chocolates, olive oils and vinegars, and tasteful home décor. No detail is left to chance. The winery employs its own cheese monger, James Ayers, who brings more than 20 years of cheese expertise to the party. Ayers has curated a wall selection of over 200 cheeses from all over the world, and on weekends, you can sit in on a workshop and geek out on how cheese is made.
Others in the star lineup include Chef Stefano Masani, who, with Michelin-star street cred, has created a menu of pairing plates. Items feature a beef tartare with capers and cornichons, and veal cheek with potato cream, to name a few. Sweet-toothed visitors will swoon over signature chocolate truffles created by in-house chocolatier and pastry chef Katryana Zide, a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.
Meanwhile, V. Sattui landscaping has been refreshed with trees, lawns, and flowering shrubbery. New outdoor spaces allow you to book a table or couch all around the perimeter, which you could not do before. A portion of the picnic zone is still open to kids, parents, and dogs without a reservation, but you must purchase your food and beverage here.
- Find V. Sattui Winery 1111 White LnSt Helena, CA 94574
Another sipping house touting free tastings is Raymond Vineyards on Thursdays and Sundays. You will be sampling the sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, and the cabernet sauvignon. Established in 1971, the winery features gardens and private tasting rooms and produces organic and biodynamic wines.
If you plan to spend the night, the good news is that lodging does not break the bank. Book on a Monday or mid-week for the best rates. American Canyon, about 15 minutes outside Napa, offers hotels in the under-$130 range. These include: Doubletree by Hilton, Holiday Inn Express, and Fairfield Inn.
And further north in Calistoga’s mud-bath-famed downtown, the Calistoga Inn Restaurant and Brewery charges less than $100 a night for a dorm-like, tiny room with no TV. Spend less than $130 at Mount View Hotel & Spa, also in Calistoga. The Calistoga Wine Way Inn serves up a three-star stay for $109.
- Pro tip: April and November are the cheapest months to go, and rates always fluctuate.
FOOD SCENE
Nowadays, the new foodie’s adventure we’re highlighting is Carabao Filipino Eatery, tucked in the middle of Soscol Gateway South, a nondescript strip mall. Young husband-and-wife duo, Mathew and Jade Cunningham, are making their culinary dreams come true as they provide home-style Filipino dishes on sophisticated dinnerware.
She is Filipino from Bulacan, Philippines, and has enjoyed cooking since she was seven. During her career, she worked under Thomas Keller at the French Laundry. Jade later tested out her heritage dishes at pop-up events, which were wildly successful each time. That applause, plus the support of her French Laundry mentors, encouraged Jade (and husband Mathew) to move forward with Carabao, which aims to be the premier dining destination for Filipino cuisine. Carabao means water buffalo, which happens to be the national animal of the Philippines.
The first thing you notice is that Carabao cares about interior design as much as its cuisine. Walls are splashed in vivid sage. Round bamboo trays are suspended in one big cluster from the ceiling. Behind the bar is a mural of green and white tropical leaves. When you see and get a whiff of dishes such as Sisig tacos, pork lumpia with house-made chili sauce, and hamachi collar with toyomansi glaze, you will cry happy tears. Substantiating its authenticity, on a weeknight, many Filipinos have come far and wide just to try Jade’s delicacies.
- Find Carabao Filipino Eatery at 145 C Gasser Drive, Napa, CA
Another new entrant to the gastronomy parade is Heston Napa, located in the downtown Napa First Street complex. Founded by owners Helen and Stanley Cheng, the Heston brand includes wines, cookware, and now, the restaurant. Glass walls look out to a boutique shopping courtyard, and of course, the menu of Heston Wines is on the docket in the wine bar. High ceilings give way to stone pillars for a modern farmhouse vibe. Repurposed wine barrel slats sandwiched together make up the custom tables.
New American cuisine means a little of everything. Try the raw hamachi crudo with lime and pea shoots, as well as the deconstructed crab and baby orange salad. Dishes are refreshing and innovative, masterfully plated. Video-ready is a Liberty Farms duck breast where the server pours a circle of warm wine sauce atop the entrée rimmed by baby potatoes and root veggies. Another winner is the seared salmon that sits on a carrot foam topped with slivers of pickled ginger and cilantro bits.
Integrated into the restaurant is the Heston culinary store, steps from the front door. On one wall, the heartfelt story of Heston Cookware is featured on a mammoth screen that shows how and why celebrity chefs such as Tyler Florence and Thomas Keller choose Heston. Pans at $100 and up are very tempting to buy. Not surprisingly, the kitchen staff cooks only in Heston brand pots and pans. The shiny cookware will turn non-cooks into cooks, testified one waiter.
Chef Mark Dommen leads the kitchen team. He impresses with a Michelin-star resume earned at One Market in San Francisco. Dommen focuses on farm-to-table ingredients as he rotates his menus from season to season.
Find Heston Napa at 6548 Washington Street, Yountville CA 94599
Making new memories at these wineries and restaurants will spiff up your spring and shake off any remnants of a dreary winter. Come now for clear skies, t-shirt weather, few crowds, and always –fine wine.
