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'Tis the Season: Holiday Celebrations and Giving Back
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Weekly Newsletter

November 29, 2012
Greetings!
Are you taking that deep breath yet following Crush? Well now we're into the holidays and they are full of fun parties, holiday shopping, festivities with friends and more! Following up on "shop local", let's do all we can to shop in our wonderful stores and wineries here in Wine Country. To help you along we've listed some of the places you can find great gifts from fellow CANVAS Members on a special webpage.
I'm looking forward to having a toast with you at the CANVAS Holiday Party. It will be beautiful at the lush Franciscan Estate Winery! They are creating a Winter Wonderland just for our evening! Lots of fun surprises to make the Holiday special.
See you soon!
Colby

CANVAS Announcements
More Press for CANVAS!
Highlighting the Wine Tourism Conference held 11/14 & 15 at the Flamingo Resort in Santa Rosa, Liza Zimmerman wrote a wonderful article in Wine Business.com. Check it out here. She gives a nice description ofCANVAS' Concierge Panel, a bit more than 1/2 way down the page. The three Concierges on the panel that inspired the audience were: Monica Stevens, co-owner of 750 wines, and former co-founder of CANVAS; Kathy Cady, Concierge at the San Francisco Marriott and former President of the Northern California Concierge Association; and Harris Oranges, Concierge at Bardessono Resort.
Hospitality Development Program SELLS OUT!

Wow! what a response! With 90 attendees in the Dec. 11th Hospitality training we've sold out. We will be doing the same class again on February 4th! So those of you who we had to turn away, not to worry you can attend then.
Now for part two! For any CONCIERGES who have attended either of these first classes, you can go further! On Feb. 5th and 11th there will be two additional days of Concierge only training that you won't want to miss! Any professional knows that it is always important to renew and restimulate their knowledge. So even the pros will appreciate the full program. AND attending the two additional classes will give you CANVAS Concierge Certification to add to your resumé. So mark your calendars and sign up. Click here to see more, and sign up!
Support CANVAS Members for Holiday Shopping
Take a look at some of our members' great holiday gift items for the season!
  • Bardessono Spa Shop
  • Ca' MomiEnoteca in Oxbow
  • California Welcome Center in Railroad Square, Santa Rosa
  • Charles Schulz Museum
  • DomaineChandon
  • Envolve Winery Tasting Lounge and Gift Shop
  • Inglenook Winery
  • Kowlowski Farms
  • Landmark Vineyards
  • Meadowood Pro Shop and Spa Store
  • NapaStyle (CANVAS Members can contact Cindy Crater directly for a 10% discount)
  • Napa Valley Bike Tours
  • Raymond Vineyards
  • Robert Mondavi Winery
  • Spa Terra and Trinitas Cellars Tasting Room at the Meritage Resort
Great Dickens Christmas Fair
Nov. 23-Dec. 23, The Great Dickens Christmas Fair sweeps you into a holiday world of waltzing, feasting, and shopping for treasures!Wind your way down lamp-lit streets as the crooked lanes of"London in San Francisco" lead you into the world of Charles Dickens' imagination. There are pubs, dance halls and saucy Victorian shows on the "Lower" side of London, and fine foods, tea parlours, and shops filled to overflowing with holiday traditions and treasures on the "Upper" side. Discounts on tickets for groups of 15 or more.Group Tickets Valid on any day of the Fair! More info hereor contact Terry for details on group tickets for CANVAS members.
Sonoma Photo Booth for the Holidays!
Creating Custom Green Screen Photo Strips for your Holiday Event! See them at the CANVAS Holiday party
Sonoma Photo Booth Co. provides Unique, State-of-the-Art Green Screen technology to personalize each Special Event. Every detail is considered and designed to enhance professional, customized green screen photography, online photo galleries, and photo strips with guest messaging.
CANVAS Member Discount~$250 for 4 hr. Green Screen Photo Booth Holiday Reservation.
For more information contact them at 707.772.6868 or
Congrats to Raymond Vineyards on Winery of the Year!
Wine Enthusiast has named CANVAS member Raymond Vineyards the 2012 American Winery of the Year. "At Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena, Jean Charles Boisset has added the Theater of Nature, a two-acre educational exhibit about biodynamic farming. He also introduced The Red Room, a swank, velvet-swathed Mad Men-era tasting lounge with a pool table and pinball machine; the Crystal Cellar, a separate luxe entertaining space with a Baccarat crystal chandelier; andFrenchie, a tasting room for dogs." For more of the article, read here!
Thinking ahead pays off!
Mark your calendar for the next Napa Valley Film Festival, November 6 - 10, 2013. Holiday Pre-Sale on 2013 Passes offers the best rates you'll find! Festival Passes are $190 (regularly $250); Pass Pluses are$425(regularly $500). Passes offer five-day access to films, panels, wine tasting pavilions,Pass Holder Perksand more (Pass Plus holders get access to festival special events).
Enjoy deeper discounts on 4-Packs:
Four Festival Passes : $680($170 each- regularly $250 - a 32% total savings)
Four Pass Pluses: $1,560 ($390 each- regularly $500 - a 22% percent savings)
For these special rates, visitnapavalleyfilmfest.orgby December 15!

Industry Announcements
You won't want to miss the 2nd year of TEDxNapaValley!
In addition to the outstanding presentations on Sunday, Dec. 2nd, they have added a "Meet the Speakers" dinner on Saturday, December 1st at the ANDAZ Hotel in Downtown Napa with great food from Chef Sarah Linkenheil paired with wines from Chandon & Newton Vineyards.Sunday the speakers present their TEDxNapaValley talk live on the theme "Connected" at the Napa Valley Opera House with more great Napa Valley food and wines. Mingle with speakers & other like-minded attendees.We're excited Holly Stiel is speaking at the event this year. A great way to get a sneak peak at how terrific she is before CANVAS' one-day December 11th Hospitality Development Program.And kudos to the TEDxNapaValley team for including a student speaker in their line-up. Winner of the local High School competition is Emilie Maranec from Sonoma Valley High School who we understand gave an incredible talk in the competition!For more info and tickets visit the TEDxNapaValley website.
SecondSunday Holiday Cheer at Joseph Phelps
Join us on Sunday, December 9th, 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. for our last Second Sunday event of 2012. Guests visiting our Joseph Phelps Freestone Vineyards Guest Center will enjoy Dungeness crab cakes and a petite salad served with our current selection of Napa Valley and Sonoma Coast wines. Complimentary for Phelps Preferred members, $10pp for non-members. No RSVP required.
Holiday Cave Dinner at Benziger Winery
Welcome the holidays with Sonoma Film Society's Holiday Cave Dinner, Thursday, December 13th at 6pm. An intimate cocktail reception will kick-off the evening at Oak Terrace Barn with a performance by world renown VOENA Choir, which has performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall (NYC), 2012 London Summer Olympics and most recently at the S.F. 49ers half-time! Swedish Lucia Maidens will escort dinner guests to the luxurious Benziger Cave where an intimate catered dinner by Elaine Bell will be served in a candlelit, magical environment.Buy tickets, FREE Member RSVP:
Envolve Winery's Secret Santa Toy Drive
The partners of Envolve Winery are joining forces with the Volunteer Center of Sonoma County for their Secret Santa Program. Come by their tasting lounge on the Sonoma Square anytime betweennow and Dec. 15 to drop off a new or gently used toy and receive a free Epilogue Wine Flight or any Epilogue wine by the glass! Or drop by on Dec. 14th from 4-7pm for a holiday mixer and celebration for the toy drive. Enjoy live music, small bites, $10 Holiday Wine Flight and specials on wines by the glass. No reservations required. More info here.
Design for the Season with Dragonfly Farm in Healdsburg

Have you been to Dragon Farm in Healdsburg yet? Not only can they help you with your Wedding and Event Design needs, but they are also offering fun classes to help you use your garden to get creative for the holidays. Learn how to make your own holiday wreaths and garlands on December 9th and 16th from 1:00 to 3:00. Please contact Carlisle for more information.
12 days of Christmas at Meadowood

Meadowood continues its 12 Days of Christmas dinners this year, Dec. 7-22. The event pairs chefs from across the globe with Christopher Kostow's favorite wineries.Each of the guest chefs will cook a five-course meal in partnership with Kostow using produce from the garden at the St. Helena Montessori school.The revamped kitchen includes four new chef's counter seats, and Kostow will offer those reservations through his Twitter account over the next few weeks. For more detailed information and the schedule of participating chefs click here.
ALL ABOARD! atthe Napa Valley Museum
Napa Valley Museum celebrates railroading with a major exhibition of HO gauge trains from December 1 through December 16. Over 1500 square feet of spectacular model railroad layouts from Coastal Valley Lines, along with a collection of railroad memorabilia, will delight adults and children.Museum President & CEO RenayConlin said that "people are fascinated by the important role railroads have played in the history and advancement of society. Not only is model railroading educational, it's a fun hobby." Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am until 4:00pm. Admission is $5 for adults and $2.50 for children 15 years and younger.For more information call visit the Museum'swebsite.
Be A BigShot!
The holidays are fast approaching. Hire your exclusive photographer to follow you around capturing holiday memories. Book an exclusive, nationally published photographer and writer who is a marvel artist at capturing both your story thru your time capsule of photos that will last a lifetime.
  • capture moments through vineyards, portraits, engagements, excursions, events, holiday parties
  • Books, albums, prints, and even signature gifts
  • Holiday Sale - Price$275 per family (starting at 1 hour)* includes 1 8x10 print and 1 5x7 print.
Please contact Nicole Marino for more information

SAVE THE DATE: Nov. 30 - Dec. 2
Holiday 2012 Rutherford Passport Weekend.
Kick off your holiday season with "A Toast to Rutherford" - a three-day wine experience including a Friday night welcome reception, a two-day Passport event, and an exclusive Saturday night winemaker dinner. Enjoy wines from CANVAS member wineries: Alpha Omega, Beaulieu Vineyards, Foley Johnson Wine, Grgich Hills, Honig, Meander, Peju, Raymond, Round Pond, St. Supery and TresSabores! Click here for more info!
New SemperV Tasting at Sequoia Grove
Sequoia Grove Winery is proud to offer the SemperV tasting venue at the winery in Rutherford, Napa Valley. This tasting includes 4 of our single-vineyard, small-production Cabernet Sauvignons and Cambium, our Bordeaux-style blend. This tasting also includes a unique lesson on how to pair Cabernet Sauvignon with food. Discover how simple adjustments to food allow for the full enjoyment of Cabernet Sauvignon, $50 per person. Reservations are required - call Dean Busquaert707-494-0905 or email
"Stay and Save" packages from Timber Cove Inn

Just in! As announced in USA Today, Sonoma is one of the top five places to visit this winter. So it is the perfect time to get away to the Sonoma Coast with limited crowds and great deals, and the Timber Cove Inn has some wonderful packages to offer you or your guests. To help you take advantage of this beautiful time of year out on the coast, the Timber Cove Inn is offering the "Cold Out, Cozy Inn", "Fort Ross Vineyard Wine Escape", and many other packages to perfectly suit any request. Please call 707.847.3231 or email for more information.
'Love Me, Love My Dog' package from Harvest Inn

Available now through January 2, 2013, this two night package features lots of creature comforts including an elegant doggie bed, pooch-perfect food and water bowls, bow-wow tasty treats, a delicious, bountiful Wine Country breakfast delivered to your guest room, a list of pet-friendly wineries and restaurants, $50 gift certificate to dog friendly V. Sattui Winery, 10% off coupon at Fideaux, St. Helena's boutique pet store and a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon!
This is truly a gift that keeps on giving - $10 from each package benefits Napa Humane in their important work.
Even better, during December, we're soothing holiday stress with luscious massages at just $100 for 60 minutes of relaxation.Love Me, Love My Dogstarts at $369/night, not including taxes. Think this makes a great present? We have lovely gift certificates!
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  • Industry Announcements
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  • Recurring Events
  • EntertainmentSchedule

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Napa Recurring Events
Tuesdays: 3-6pm
Taco Tuesday at Compadres
$1 Tacos, $3 for 24oz. Modelo Especial or Tecate. Ongoing event.
Wednesdays & Thurdays:
Cindy's Supper Club at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen
3 course dinner for $33. The month ofNovemberfeatures Mushrooms and Maple Syrup.
Wednesdays: 5pm
NapaStyle Culinary Classes
Different classes every week, $25 each. More infohere.
Thursdays: 5:30-7:30pm
Evenings in the Great Room at Harvest Inn
Live music and specially priced wines and small bites open to the public.
Thursdays:
Pour-Off Pair-Off Dinner at Mustards
Weekly theme dinners with changing menu. November featuring Mustard pairings!Info here.
Fridays: 9am-1pm
Farmers Market at Long Meadow Ranch
Fresh produce, grass-fed beef, eggs & more at Farmstead site beginning Nov. 2.
Fri, Sat & Sun: 2-4:30pm
Barrel Tastings in the Redwood Cellar at Charles Krug Winery
Tasting fee is $15.00 per person and reservations are not required.
Saturdays: 11am-1pm
Blend Your Own Merlot at Rutherford Hill Winery
$95 Per person, Dec. 2012-April 2013
2nd Saturday of the Month: 11am
Learning Through Art at the Napa Valley Museum
Free with Museum Admission
Discover the art of the Napa Valley with a gallery-based art engagement program for 4th, 5th and 6th graders.
Sonoma Recurring Events
Mondays: 5-8pm
Industry Night at Envolve Winery
Special prices on BTG and bottles to enjoy while you play board games!
Fri-Mon: 11-12pm
Anaba Wine Education Hour - Beyond the Label
In depth wine education with different focus each week. $10 per person. Walk-ins welcome oremailto reserve.
2nd Saturday of the month: 1-4pm
Free Concert Series at Landmark
Live music & delicious wine. Bring a picnic, play bocce or ride horse drawn wagon through vineyards.
Last Saturday of every month: 10-4pm
Windsor Oaks Tour de Cru
Mountain biking adventure through the vineyards. Complimentary, by appointment.Laura Perreault at 707-433-3810 or viaemail.
Napa Valley Opera House Shows:
Thurs 11/29:Punch Brothers
Sat 12/1:Dan Hicks & the Hot Licks: Holidaze in Hicksville
Sun 12/2:TEDx Napa Valley
Tues 12/4:Documentary: Miss Representation
Thurs 12/6:Riders In The Sky: Christmas The Cowboy Way
Fri 12/7:Cantus: All Is Calm
Sat 12/8:Garage Band 101: Music Of The New Millennium - 2000-2012
Sun 12/9:POSADA MEXICANA: A Mexican Holiday Spectacular
Tues 12/11:Cafe Theatre Comedy: James P. Connolly
Fri 12/14 to Sun 12/16:Napa Regional Dance Company presents "The Nutcracker"
All shows begin at 8pm unless otherwise noted;For more detail on any of the above shows, please visit
Uptown Theater Shows:
Thurs 11/29:The Mickey Hart Band
Fri 11/30:Glen Campbell with Victoria Ghost
Sat 12/1:Anne Lamott
Sun 12/2:The Elves & the Shoemaker: A family holiday theatre show (1 p.m.)
Fri 12/7:Sons of Champlin with Tim Hockenberry Trio
Sat 12/8:TajMahal (solo) with Chris and Lorin Rowan
Sat 12/15:Todd Snider with Dave Schools of Wide Spread Panic plus Nikki Bluhm and the Gramblers
All shows begin at 8pm. For list of all upcoming shows, visit
Wells Fargo Center for Arts Shows:
Sun 12/2:Straight No Chaser
Weds 12/5:John Prine
Thurs 12/6:The 7th Annual Chris-Mix
Fri 12/7:Posada Navideña
Fri 12/14:Dave Koz & Friends
Sat 12/15:Dwight Yoakam
Sun 12/16:POPs Eileen Ivers: An Irish
For list of all upcoming shows, visitwellsfargocenterarts.org
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