Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/5037
T HE TASTING PANEL had the opportunity to spend a weekend at Ceja Vineyards, tucked away in the Carneros region of Napa. Ameilia Ceja and her family were gracious hosts. Ceja Vineyards was founded in 1999, but the family had been grow- ing wine grapes in the area since 1986. Ceja joins the growing roster of Mexican-American families who have become successful vintners in California. Amelia knows that wine and food bring people together to create lasting memories, and she proved to be right as she and her family welcomed us with open arms while she prepared an amazing meal (made with herbs from Ceja garden) of lamb chops with her own chimichurri sauce, Mexican shrimp cocktail and grilled eggplant, paired with Ceja Pinot Noir and Ceja Sauvignon Blanc. By the end of the evening, we truly felt like part of their family. But it's not just the scenery, the wines and the food that make Ceja Vineyards so special; this is only the tip of what Ceja Vineyards is about. The winery has tapped a way to reach out not only to the Napa community but cross over into the consumer world with the launch of Salud!Napa (www.saludnapa.com). Shepherded by Amelia's son Ariel, Salud!Napa was created in January 2008 with the idea of creating an online cooking show and an interactive social networking web portal covering e-commerce, cuisine, culture, art, politics and music in both English and in Spanish. Salud!Napa will include a bi-weekly cooking show featuring a lesson and recipes by Amelia Ceja, wine-related blogs and a variety of interac- tive components designed to market wines, to showcase cuisine and wine pairings and to highlight Napa Valley culture and art. The com- pany believes that infusing the e-commerce web portal with a cuisine/ wine pairing cooking class and an opportunity for interactive experi- ences will create an engaging experience for the consumer that will attract people of all ages to the site. Meanwhile, the Ceja wines, sourced from vineyards in both Napa and Sonoma, are part of the proud traditions of hospitality and home cook- ing that make family wineries so unique. www.cejavineyards.com Family Winemakers Series A Family Affair 60 / the tasting panel / december 2009 Food and wine go together naturally— in life and online—at Ceja Vineyards story and photos by Cathy Twigg-Blumel Dalia Ceja.