My Favorite Napa Happy Hour Is At Folklore

The reason is simple. I’m a wine geek. But it’s a great Happy Hour even if you’re not.

Welcome back. That goes to you, too, baseball season.
SF Giants - Opening Night - vs the Yankees - on Netflix - off day tomorrow. There is nothing normal about any of this. I’m turning more into that crusty Clint Eastwood character every day.

I have a fun story today, and an excellent tip whether you live in Napa or will be visiting sometime. Here’s a thought…how about a monthly Eat Drink Cook Social Club gathering at Folklore. Everyone kicks in $25 and I choose the wines to drink. Would you become a Social Club member to join in this wine geek fest? (Reminder: upgrading to a paid Substack subscription earns you Social Club membership.)

EVENTS COMING UP
Member or not, LOVE to have you!

Road Trip!
Sunday, April 12
Graziano Family Wines in Hopland and Ridge Lytton Springs in Geyserville
First stop, Graziano Family with founder/owner/maker Greg Graziano.
We’ll taste, visit, snack (I’ll bring the bites) and buy some of Greg’s great wines.
Second stop: Ridge Lytton Springs for a ride through their 100+ year old vines followed by a tasting of current release and library wines.
Social Club member price $85/person. (Not a member: $125)
More Info and Book

Eat Drink Cook Wine Tasting Showcase #2
Friday, May 1, 6 to 8 PM
At FoodShed Take Away, Napa
Five wineries - 14 wines to taste!
Tasty treats fresh from the FoodShed Kitchen.
Wineries pouring:
Valravn & Marine Layer. Pass Wines. Syntropy and Whitlatch Cellars.
Hendry Vineyard. Pestoni Family.
Social Club member price: $15. (Not a member: $25)

Eat Drink Cook Wine Tasting Showcase #1 in February

Bring a Bottle Wine Dinner on the Farm
Saturday, June 20, 6 PM
at Umbel Roots on Highway 37 east of Novato
Theme: Rhone Valley and New World Rhone wines.
Umbel Roots owner William Hennpen and I will prepare an awesome farm-to-table dinner family-style under the stars at Umbel Roots.
An Umbel Roots CSA box prize for best wine of the night (crowd vote).
One bottle admits two people + $50/person for social club members (not a member: $75).
More Info and Book (Book it soon - this will sell out.)

---

******* A paid Substack subscription = EDC Social Club Membership *******

---

I’ll Meet You At Folklore!

I wouldn’t say I’m a regular at Folklore. I stop in once or twice a month. Not for Happy Hour in particular, but their “Happy Hours,” as the A-Frame sign on the sidewalk reads, are Monday to Friday 3 to 6 PM, longer than most. For my schedule the time works nicely.

Before I go further, I’ll mention that Napa has a wealth of inviting Happy Hours. Visit/search for DoNapa Happy Hours and Happy Hour Napa for fairly well maintained lists. Paul Franson’s NapaLife newsletter includes a thorough Napa Valley Happy Hour list with subscription. There is no best Happy Hour – just favorites. My favorite is at Folklore.

I have a few reasons, some personal, like knowing owners Faith and Steve Ventrello since they moved to Napa 27 years ago. The number one reason Folklore Happy Hour is my favorite is because they discount half their wine list 33%. The wines are well-priced anyway, so with 1/3^rd off I’m often paying less than I would at a wine shop.

A Friday Afternoon

I walk into Folklore a couple of Fridays ago with my daughter Talia. My wife Holly is wrapping up work at the county building across the street and will meet us soon. I see Jin and Jen, old friends from my wine merchant days, enjoying the Crocker & Starr Cabernet Franc 2019 for $66 (wow). We sit next to them at a small bistro table.

You may remember from my last column that my desert island wine grape is Chenin Blanc, especially if it’s from Loire Valley, France, where its wonderfulness shines brightest. I see the Aubert Vouvray Sec (dry Chenin Blanc from vineyards around the town of Vouvray…Aubert is the winery) for $35, so $23 for the bottle during Happy Hour. I’ll have that.

Jessie Montero, our server, suggests to Jin & Jen the smoked trout dip and the warm salted pretzel too, in case the accompanying naan runs out before the dip. They order it and I do the same. Talia orders a Shirley Temple and we’re all set for now.

The Vouvray tastes of Meyer lemons, tart pineapple and Bosc pears. It coats my mouth with a honeyed essence but without sweetness. Served frosty cold so it warms in the glass a bit, it’s refreshing and satisfying. Dare I say the best $23 bottle I’ve had in a restaurant this century?

Holly arrives, as do our friends Tom and Angela. We finish the Vouvray and, to keep things simple, order another. Talia orders a second Shirley Temple and borrows a deck of cards from Jessie for a game of Go Fish with Dad as the others chat away. We’re there until 7.

Talia and I returned last Friday for a little more research on this piece. This time I go Loire Valley red wine, Domaine de Beausejour Chinon, for $36 during Happy Hour. Steve Ventrello, whose “day job” is owning & operating a wine import and wholesale company, is the wine director…the mind behind the wines at Folklore. He pops and pours for me. We try the Carnitas Street Tacos, only offered during Happy Hour. They’re very good but not as satisfying as the smoked trout dip. The Chinon tastes of red plums, pomegranate and sage. A good wine and a fine fit inside Folklore’s Parisian-esque bistro.

Steve Ventrello opens a bottle of Chinon for me as Talia sets up Life

Folklore Wine List – A Wine Geek’s Delight

In 2023 Jess Lander of The San Francisco Chronicle wrote, “Folklore has the most interesting wine list in the Napa Valley.” I say it’s not only the most interesting, it’s the best – because not only is it loaded with intriguing wines that I want to try, but the mark-ups are lower than most. To give you an idea of value, there are about 350 wines on the list - over half of them under $100. Put this same list in the hands of most any other Napa restaurant and 75-80% of the wines would be three figures. (Not to mention the 1/3^rd off Happy Hour prices.)

A perusal through the six page list is a journey through Europe and California, combining wine legends with imaginative newcomers and everything in between. Categories include “Seductive Whites from Southern France,” and “The Old Castilian – Rioja.” Steve pointed out his just-added category: “Burgundy Anomaly: Aligoté.” A bettin’ man would wager Folklore has the only Aligoté section outside of France.

The pricier the wine the greater the savings during Happy Hour, so it’s a good time to go large with a bottle of Krug or Roederer Cristal Champagne. Or, closer to home, Williams Selyem Russian River Pinot Noir 2021 for under $90.

With too many wine list twists and turns to cover here, I suggest you go in to slowly soak it all in. Steve, Faith and the staff will assist. At the bottom of the column are the 12 wines on the list I most want to drink. Keep it handy if you see me there and want to share one of them with me.

A Cold Splash of Water to the Face

I feel like Folklore is a gift of creativity and ingenuity to Napa. Their business model, an “intersection of the best in music, libations, and food” includes craft cocktails and a record store. While people like me reasonably think it would be constantly bustling, that is not the case. It’s busy sometimes, but not enough. Three years in, it’s still impossible for the Ventrellos to predict business. “Our local support has been amazing, but we need to work on getting more visitors to The Valley consistently,” Faith tells me. I’ve witnessed both sides: full of people music and laughter…and stunningly slow. “We haven’t been able to make accurate business projections yet,” Faith continues, explaining that each segment of the business (bistro, bar, records, events) needs its own capital infusion, and it’s hard with inconsistent business. I suggest you treat yourself to an afternoon, evening, or both at Folklore.

Dan’s Top 12 Wine Picks at Folklore

* offered for 1/3^rd off during Happy Hour, Monday-Friday 3 to 6 PM

Egly-Ouriet Champagne Extra Brut “Les Prémices” $175*. Tack on a Regiis Ova Caviar bump for $10.

Vignoble Aubert Vouvray Sec 2023 $35*. Praises sang above.

Bitouzet-Prieur Meursault “Clos du Cromin” 2019 $150*. A delicious lesson in White Burgundy for $100 during Happy Hour.

Rabasse-Charavin Cairanne Blanc “Cuvée d’Estevanas” 2018 $60. Personal pick. One of my favorite wineries growing up in wine in the ‘90s. Crazy it’s on the list. I’m so curious…

Williams Selyem Pinot Noir Russian River Valley 2021 $130*.
Mentioned above.

White Rock Claret, Napa Valley 2019 $125*. Superb Cab-heavy bland, excellent vintage, drinking perfect now, that is sold out most everywhere else.

Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape “Télégramme” 2020 $110* My headstone will read “His first loves were the 1981 49ers and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.”

Parador Tempranillo/Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley 2013 $90* Steve & Faith’s wine label. Steve makes the wine. Excellent vintage made to age. It has aged.

Cantina del Pino Barbaresco 2019 half-bottle $60. Want something really special but not too much? Bingo.

Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006 $200. We shall imbibe and discuss the vagaries of brettanomyces.

Château du Glana Saint Julien 2017 $90*. A killer Bordeaux flying under the radar. Paying $60 during Happy Hour is a misdemeanor in some states.

Adega de Monção Escolha - Vinho Verde 2021 $25. From “The Cheapest Wines On The List Deserve To Be Drunk” Section.

---

You made it: the end of this week’s Eat Drink Cook: a life-journal from a Napa Valley dad, wine expert and enthusiastic cook. I write stories about food, wine & cooking. Sometimes I sprinkle in bits about being a dad and just a guy enjoying these crazy times the best I can. Read me for food & wine tips, recipes, and stuff I come across that you may find interesting too. Join the club.

********** A paid Substack subscription = EDC Club Membership **********