Napa: Innovation

Napa Valley has always led with innovation, whether it was Robert Mondavi aggressively marketing Napa wines by varietal in the ’60s (the standard today for New World wines) or Amigo Bob Cantisano leading the charge in the organic movement in the mid-’80s, to John Shafer creating one of the country’s first 100 percent solar-powered wineries. But where Napa’s wattage really glows is with its Girl Power. The valley claims perhaps the highest percentage of women winemakers in the state, with an all-star cast that includes Heidi Barrett, Cathy Corison, Mia Klein, Helen Turley, and Celia Welch.

Score: 8