Napa Cab lightens up

Napa Valley has arguably overtaken the Médoc and St-Émilion/Pomerol as the world’s centre of wine-based financial optimism. There is no shortage of money flowing in to the valley, and the Napa Valley Vintners association has cleverly dreamt up a way of diverting the flow towards their own coffers. Each spring the Première wine auction is held, focused on small, supposedly special, lots donated by the vintners. Wine traders and their clients flood in to the valley for a week of events organised around the auction itself, just like the famous charity auction held every June.

This year’s auctioneers were Fritz...