An Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove

David White

Napa Valley accounts for less than 4 percent of America’s total wine production. Yet it’s the country’s best-known wine region.

Napa rocketed to the forefront of American winemaking in 1976, when British wine merchant Steven Spurrier organized a wine competition in Paris to pit California‘s best Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon against the [...]