It was the efforts of a Russian-born vintner working at Rutherford’s Beaulieu Winery (http://www.bvwines.com/age_gateway?destination=node%2F100), 1960 St. Helena Highway (tel. +1 707 967 5233), which helped make Cabernet Sauvignon the grape most closely associated with California. Founded in 1900, Beaulieu stayed in business during Prohibition by manu­facturing sacramental wine and is now among the valley’s oldest continuously producing wineries. Beaulieu’s tours are rightly popular for lifting the lid on the winemaking process – and for their free tastings.

In 1887, Gustav Niebaum, a Finnish-born sea captain who had made a fortune through the Alaskan fur trade, purchased 1,000 Napa Valley acres and commissioned the building of the stone château, which makes an imposing headquarters for the Inglenook Vineyards (https://www.inglenook.com), 1991 St. Helena Highway (tel. +1 800 782 4266). Within the winery’s cellars, a small exhibition traces the early days of valley wine production with a curious assortment of wineglasses and goblets, before visitors are led into the tasting room.