Rock The Rails

Talk about the ULTIMATE music and wine experience! The Napa Valley Wine Train announced it's Rock the Rails series combining all of my favorite things... a train, good food, wine and music! Yes please!! We were lucky enough to hop aboard the inaugural experience and were definitely pleased. The first in the three set series kicked off with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy at V. Sattui Winery, I had never seen Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and hadn't been to the lovely V. Sattui Winery yet either so I was stoked to be able to attend.

There was the VVIP train which left the depot at 5:30 and then there was the second train which departed the depot at 6pm.  When purchasing tickets you have four different options to choose from: 

• Tier 1: VVIP, includes transportation via our new trains, (Cars 1052, 1013) multi-course gourmet dinner
• Tier 2: VIP, includes transportation via our Vista Dome, multi-course gourmet dinner
• Tier 3: Gourmet Admission, includes transportation in our Main Train Dining Car, multi-course dinner
• Tier 4: Lounge Admission, includes transportation in our Main Train, Lounge Car, with heavy appetizers/dessert

You're on the train for about an hour which gives you ample time to enjoy some delectable wine along with the wonderfully curated 3 course meal. Note: While on the train if you choose the dinner option you're served the first two courses before you depart the train for the concert and then are served the dessert when you hop back on the train for the ride back to the depot. We noticed quite a few people decided to leave early so they missed dessert. No big deal I guess, but I was excited for the whole experience, no leaving early for me! 

Once we sat down at our designated seat on the renovated 1915 Pullman Train Car, we were offered some sparkling before deciding on what to enjoy for dinner and dessert. It was so hard to decide what to eat, but when I heard the special of a pan-seared salmon with potatoes and veggies I was sold. The meal started with some warm a warm sliced french baguette brought to the table with some european style butter. Shortly after the first course of either a salad or soup. I chose the Sonoma Greens salad with skyhill farms goat cheese, shaved fennel, radish, toasted almonds and a champagne-dijon vinaigrette. 

After enjoying another beverage while enjoying the beautiful views of Napa Valley rolling by we arrived at V. Sattui Winery. When we arrived the first band, Lost Dog Found had already performed and the second band Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88's was about to take to the stage. We were greeted by the lovely staff at V. Sattui and decided to explore before heading in to check out the show. On site you could enjoy some gelato, bbq and of course wine (purchased only by the bottle). After exploring we headed into the show. There were different levels of seating based on your wristband. Luckily we had the VVIP wristbands which got us into the first five rows of the show. For some reason, no one was sitting in the front row, stage right so we plopped down into the great seats! 

Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88's were lively, fun and quite entertaining! If you see them live, keep an eye on the drummer, he's a great drummer but his facial expressions are the best! The crowd didn't have enough wine in them yet to fully let loose.  Mitch did a great job of giving the relatively subdued Napa crowd a good show but they just needed a little more help to get them on their feet dancing. 

Next up was swing revival band Big Bad Voodoo Daddy! I've never seen them live before and they did not disappoint! The stage was in full swing with trumpet, trombone, piano, drums, double bass, sax and more. The crowd was having a good time and you could tell the band was too. Luckily this event fell on a night of perfect weather in wine country. Late into the set the crowd had enough liquid courage to get up and start dancing. At first only a few were dancing in the front of the stage with the majority of the crowd dancing in the isles. Eventually the front of the stage was packed and almost everyone in the crowd was up and dancing. Right before 10pm the band played their last song and guests headed back for the train. 

Once back on the train they served dessert and coffee and the crowd was more interactive this time around. We met some awesome people on the platform while we were waiting for the train and they just so happened to be sitting right next to us which led for some fun conversation for the 45 minute ride back to the station. 

Overall the event was an awesome experience of wine country living with some great live music sprinkled in. I would highly recommend checking out the Napa Valley Wine Train's Rock the Rails. There are two more events coming up: 

- Sheila E, September 21st at Grgich Hills Winery
- David Pack's Legends Live, October 5th at Charles Krug Winery

Get your tickets and more info here: http://winetrain.com/package/rock-the-rails/