How it all began.  Paddle boarding?  The Napa River?  {SPLASH}

The flotilla launched in the South Napa wetlands, gliding across six miles with the wind at our backs and the tide propelling us forward. As the river narrowed, the current accelerated, guiding us to our final destination: Trancas Crossing Park. There, beneath the shade of an old walnut tree, our river guide—a winemaker—grilled oysters and poured Napa Gamay Beaujolais. The riverside feast was a resounding success. Guests not only discovered the Napa River for the first time but also learned to paddleboard, a new experience for many.

Beaujolais and oysters proved to be the perfect pairing, a marriage of flavors as harmonious as the setting.

Napa Valley Paddle (NVP) began as a curated wine club experience for our family winery, Andrew Lane. Club members joined us on the river, riding the tide on paddleboards from Kennedy Park through Downtown Napa, into the freshwater forest above the oxbow, and finishing in the Oak Knoll AVA. Paddleboarding was a nascent sport at the time, and for many—including Napa locals—it was their first encounter with the restored Napa River.

Napa Gamay Beaujolais symbolizes the early years of Napa Valley, a time when it was a working man’s Pinot. It was the wine of picnics, springtime bridal showers, and leisurely afternoons by a creek. In the early 1980s, it conjured images of hot tubs and peacock feathers, a casual elegance that paired effortlessly with the vibrancy of BBQ oysters. The oyster, in turn, represents a community’s contribution to the health of the greater San Francisco Bay and Pacific Ocean, embodying a sense of stewardship and connection to the environment.

Using a paddleboard and a couple of sawhorses for a makeshift table, we began with simplicity. Riverside gatherings around wine and oysters were a celebration of both nature’s resilience and the human spirit’s desire to connect with it. Time flies, but the memories endure.

Cheers to the Napa River, to the oysters, to Gamay Beaujolais, and to the resilience of nature that continues to inspire us all.