Complete Loafing Guide to the Napa Valley : Where to Take Out Breads, Meats and Other Goodies to Make a Picnic as You Like It

Shakespeare said it well:

And this our life , exempt from public haunt ,

Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,

Sermons in stones, and good in everything.

There is a sense of contentment that comes with escaping the daily pace and enjoying the world from the ground up. What better way than to arrange a day’s getaway in the Napa Valley and to explore one (or more) of the valley’s numerous markets, delis and groceries, and then settle into a wonderful picnic spot for the rest of the afternoon? A bottle of wine at hand seems appropriate, given a loaf of locally baked bread and, perhaps, your favorite “thou.”

For the past few weeks, from Napa to Calistoga and throughout Northern California wine country, the roads have been clogged with trucks stuffed with fat, purple grapes . . . a sure sign that the harvest is here. The scent of the sweet fruit hangs in the air as you drive north-south along California 29, a scent that permeates wooded glens and picnic spots that even Shakespeare would have chosen.

While others are paying for pricey--although admittedly excellent--restaurants in the Napa Valley, I will let you in on a few of my favorite trattorias and small grocery shops for gathering picnic fare: breads in delicious variety, take-away salads, cheeses from around the globe, precooked poultry and meats, cold entrees, condiments and desserts. And all sell a variety of beverages, including our area’s world-famous wines. I’ll even advise you on prime spots to have your picnics.

But first, the food and drink.

Andrews Meat Co. and Delicatessen in Napa is an example of a picnic source with a history. The stone building in which it is housed was originally a chicken hatchery, then a brewery, followed by a Chinese laundry and now it’s a deli/butcher shop. When you enter you will see that one side of the high-ceilinged, wooden-floored main room is busy with sides of beef, while the other is laden with smoked meats, cheeses, pickles, salads and a variety of sandwich breads. Food is hoisted by dumbwaiter for those who wish to picnic at tables on the shaded roof porch, while the sweet town-center chimes sound on the quarter-hour in the background. Forgot a basket to hold your picnic? There is a large selection available.

Just down the street from Calistoga’s 1887 I.O.O.F. brick building, now housing the Calistoga Bookstore, is Fellion’s Deli--a classic American delicatessen featuring salads that vary by the day, fresh pies ($2.25 per slice) and its own biscotti and oatmeal-raisin cookies ($1.25). The secret element that keeps return customers is the selection of more than 100 brands of beer, including Australian lagers, ales from Ireland, Scotland and England, and brews from Australia, Czechoslovakia, Norway, the Philippines, China, New Zealand and Canada. For locally brewed beer, just walk across the street to the Napa Valley Brewing Co. in the garden of the Calistoga Inn for golden lager, wheat ale and red ale.

Step back about 60 years when you enter the Giugni Grocery Co. in St. Helena to pick up sandwiches. Interior walls are stapled with posters, political and otherwise, including a faded red, white and blue number proposing “Mondale & Carter--Leaders for a Change.” Sandwiches are made to order ($3.35 for one item, $3.65 for two; extra ingredients weighed and added) and, since this is one of the most popular sandwich places in St. Helena, meats and cheeses are fresh. The pickles are crisp, there’s a selection of fresh fruit, and the potato salad has a vinegary tang. For dessert, send one of your party up the street to the Model Bakery for peanut butter or oatmeal cookies or outrageous fudge brownie cookies called “Chocolate Rads” ($1.50).

Since Ernie’s Meats in St. Helena--a meat market and sandwich shop--is housed within Keller’s Market, you can make all picnic purchases in one place. Have you had it with chichi eats? Just walk into Ernie’s and you’ll find a substantial sandwich that you can wrap your hands around. And the place is air-conditioned, a bonus on the valley’s 80-degree-plus days. In addition to the sandwiches, my favorite element here is the prep sheet, handed out to customers, that lists everything for sandwiches: the works, mayonnaise, mustard, lettuce, tomato, pickle, onion, seed roll, plain roll, sourdough sliced, wheat, rye, salt and pepper and NVM (translation: Napa Valley mustard) for $3.75; a cold dill pickle costs 75 cents.

Pull up to the big white barn of the Napa Valley Olive Oil Mfg. Co., also in St. Helena, and enter through a screen door on the side. The atmosphere is reminiscent of an Italian hill town grocery. In the ‘30s, previous owners pressed Napa Valley olives for oil here. The oil now comes from California’s Central Valley, but is of a good, solid quality. For picnics, try their dry, hot or Toscano salami ($4.50 per pound); spicy bread sticks ($3.75 for a large bag); dried cherries and blueberries ($5.50 per pound); Kalamata or Sicilian olives ($1.75 per pound); focaccia from the Cuneo Bakery in San Francisco, and assorted Italian and skim milk cheeses. There is also a garden with umbrella-shaded picnic tables in front of the barn.

Chances are, when you ask locals for their pick of the picnic fare stores, Oakville Grocery in Oakville will top the list. Watch for the old-fashioned Coke sign painted on the southern side of this unassuming, ‘30s-style store. While items are on the pricey side, you can expect a vast array of picnic and exotic food specialties. For your basket, consider some of the following: turkey pesto sandwiches ($4.45); chunks of aged Gouda or Parmesan cheese ($11.95 per pound); olives from Provence ($8.95 per pound); baked-daily sweets such as chocolate chip “mudslide” cookies ($1.50 each) and apricot cheesecake ($2.50 per slice); or pick up fresh figs, cherry tomatoes and, of course, grapes to complete the meal. They also sell a good selection of wines, beers and waters.

Palisades Market in Calistoga is the up-valley answer to the Oakville Grocery. Here you’ll find a large selection of picture-perfect produce, much from nearby organic farms. Also, if you wish to make your own lunch, there are crusty breads from Artisan Bakers in Healdsburg (try the sourdough baguette, $1.75) and from Acme Bread in Berkeley (pain au levain, $2.95). The salad section, served by a cheerful Aussie, is an unusual array that on a recent day included roasted corn and sweet onion salad ($7 per pound) and potato salad with garden herbs ($4.19 per pound). The liverwurst with pistachios ($6.16 per pound) can double for pate. And, though you’re in the heart of wine country, give the Rasmussen’s Castle Creamery milk a try--sold in old time glass quart bottles ($1.25 per quart). The last romantic touch: a four-inch square of raw comb honey ($5.25) could be an idyllic dessert.

In Oakville, Pometta’s Deli and Catering serves terrific hot roasted chicken ($3.21 per pound), muffuletta sandwiches ($4.50), barbecued chicken sandwich ($6.50) and a dozen fresh salads daily to go. Don’t expect anything fancy; it’s just well-cooked, properly spiced food.

Just west of the Napa Valley Olive Oil Mfg. Co, at the intersection of Charter Oak and California 29 in St. Helena, the Cantinetta--a shop in the courtyard of famed restaurant Tra Vigne--offers a large selection of Italian specialties, many of which are locally made, including house-cured prosciutto ($20 per pound), hand-rolled bread sticks and smoked salmon to add to your picnic basket. Cantinetta is also stocked with a good variety of international wines.

Some might call Yountville Market in Yountville a complete picnic store. Not only can you find picnic baskets, inexpensive blankets, wine chillers and bottle openers, you’ll discover all the elements to accompany the trappings. For example, there is a full selection of cheeses, pates and dried sausages, cut to picnic size. Also sold are marinated eggplant ($5.65), fresh olives and European candies. You’ll find only in-season produce, such as wild plums, blackberries and yellow tomatoes, most from organic farms. Considering a picnic breakfast? Try the homemade English muffins ($1.50 each) and coffee cake ($1.75 per slice). And some of the beverages are unusual, including big bottles of Blackthorn Cider and, for teetotalers, Stewart’s Original Root Beer.

GUIDEBOOK

Napa Shopping List

The following are sources for picnic fare in the Napa Valley. All telephone numbers require a 707 area code.

Andrews Meat Co. and Delicatessen: 1245 Main St., Napa; telephone 253-8311.

Ernie’s Meats: 1320 Main St., St. Helena; 963-9608.

Fellion’s Deli: 1359 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga; tel. 942-6144.

Giugni Grocery Co.: 1227 Main St., St. Helena; 963-3421.

Model Bakery: 1357 Main St., St. Helena; tel. 963-8192.

Napa Valley Brewing Co.: 1250 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga (in the garden of the Calistoga Inn); 942-4101.

Napa Valley Olive Oil Mfg. Co.: 835 McCorkle (corner of Charter Oak and Allison streets), St. Helena; tel. 963-4173.

Oakville Grocery Co.: 7856 California 29, just north of the Oakville Grade turnoff, Oakville; tel. 944-8802.

Palisades Market: 1506 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga; tel. 942-9549.

Pometta’s Deli and Catering: 7787 California 29 at Oakville Grade, Oakville; tel. 944-2365.

Tra Vigne Cantinetta: 1050 Charter Oak Ave., St. Helena; tel. 963-8888.

Yountville Market: 6770 Washington St., Yountville; tel. 944-1393.