Twenty years ago, having sold a business I built for 25 years so that I could make wine, I could have bought a small chateau in Bordeaux or settled in golden Tuscany. I could have gone to New Zealand's pristine frontier ... I had a dozen other alternatives. But I chose California's Napa Valley to plant vineyards.

I did not go wrong, for it was indeed wine's Promised Land. Last December, noted wine writer Robert Parker wrote, "At the conclusion of what is undoubtedly the most extraordinary decade that California wine has ever experienced, it is no exaggeration to say that California wine has come of age and can now rival or surpass the world's finest wines." And he adds, "At the top level California wines are among the most exciting in the world, with many producers possibly rewriting the definition of greatness for Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir."

Nature and science have endowed California's vintners with an enviable set of circumstances. To begin with, unlike France or other northern countries, California is guaranteed the sun every summer without fail, with rain being almost non-existent at this time, and rare during harvest. And the Napa Valley has a combination of elements that, combined with the advance of science and global exchange of ideas and procedures, gives it a marvelous edge for producing top quality wines. There are many other reasons for this.

The Wappo Indians who inhabited the Napa Valley called it "Napa" because in their language it meant "land of plenty." I call it an enchanted valley, carpeted in grape vines, diverse yet intimate in scale (one to five miles in width and thirty in length) and bounded on both sides by mountains of dramatic beauty. The waters of the San Francisco Bay arrive at its southernmost maritime gates in the cool Carneros; the northernmost town of Calistoga is cradled between the sheer walls of the Palisades at the foot of Mount St. Helena on the east and the forested Mayacamas on the west.

With the influence of these mountain ranges and the Pacific Ocean, the Valley enjoys a temperate climate perfectly suited to the growing of fine wine grapes. A long growing season marked by sunny, warm days and cool evenings gives grape clusters a longer "hang time" for ripening slowly and evenly. With thirty different soil profiles of volcanic, maritime and alluvial origin, many distinct microclimates emerge.

While Europe culls from many centuries of experience and history, we have borrowed grape varieties and winemaking skills from them and have added new rootstocks, clones and techniques. Experience has shown us the wisdom of matching grapes to locations whose microclimates and soils are best suited to particular grape varieties.

Today, while retaining the European varietal origins, Napa Valley wines exhibit all of the exuberance of the New World, clearly expressing the "terroirs" of the region and the artistry of the winemaker. It is a memorial to all of the events in the cycle of making wine with the participation of grape growers, enologists, craftsmen and cellar rats. The story of their wine is told hanging from the twisted wine stock, locked up in dim cellars, resplendent in the transparency of the glass. It is painted about, sung about, admired and then tasted with all the enthusiasm the Napa Valley inspires.

Jan Shrem is the founder and owner of Clos Pegase winery. In addition to his love of wine, the author is also a renowned collector of art, much of it on display throughout his winery. He lives with his wife, Mitsuko, on land adjoining the winery in Calistoga.