Tucked away in a bucolic vineyard setting in the Napa Valley, the di Rosa Preserve is a visual surprise where art and nature co-mingle to create a new kind of landscape. The creation of visionary art aficionados Rene di Rosa and his late wife Veronica, the 210-acre Preserve features one of the most eclectic and entertaining exhibitions of contemporary Bay Area art you are ever likely to see. Some 1,800 works in all mediums from more than 700 artists have been collected over four decades, with the goal of "leading viewers into new realms," di Rosa comments.

Indoor galleries are housed in the historic stone winery, the old tractor barn and two other architecturally striking buildings. The outdoors, including a 35-acre lake, serves as a free-form setting for additional works of art, such as a colorful cow "grazing" on the lake surface or a marvelous arch of "fluttering" steel that gives the impression of fabric blowing in the wind. Few things "behave" as they should. That is the fun and delight of the di Rosa.

Across the street from the di Rosa is Domaine Carneros, looking like the French sparkling wine house that it is, transported intact to this knoll in the Carneros District. One of a growing number of wineries that are at the gateway to the more traditional wine routes through the Napa Valley, they, like R.M.S. Distillery nearby, are French gatekeepers to Napa. At R.M.S., however, the emphasis is not bubbly but brandy, which it produces in an equally stunning location, complete with handmade copper stills and a pastoral setting a mile or two south of Route 121 on Cuttings Wharf Road.

Continuing to mix cultures, Hakusan Sake is only a few miles away, and in terms of contrast to the traditional Northern California winery, you can't go much further. It makes for a great and interesting diversion, and you will leave with a far greater appreciation of the art of sake making than you might ever have imagined.

Drive a few more minutes and you enter yet another world. Think Old West meets Chateau Mouton. At Kirkland Ranch Winery a traditional log building, sort of a grander version of the Ponderosa, conceals one of the most modern (and visible to the visitor) winemaking facilities anywhere. Here vines and cattle vie for space on property that was once part of a historic land grant. It is, like a visit anywhere along this informal tour, a surprise and a delight.

Note: If you're using your GPS, the coordinates to look for are 37.1 degrees north latitude, 122.03 degrees west longitude.