Make the Most of Your Bay Area Summer with Art, Wine, and Picnics

Photo: Grace Sager

There are almost two months separating you from the Bay Area’s hopefully rainy season, and it’s the perfect time to plan a trip into wine country. (“Not too hot, not too cold; all you need is a light jacket.”) As any seasoned San Franciscan knows, the beauty of escaping the city for the day isn’t just to drink wine—it’s to relax in a gorgeous setting. So consider this critical information: Provenance Vineyards just got a lot prettier thanks to a massive new mural from local artist Heather Day.

Officially unveiled in August, the 30 x 50-foot earth-toned mural covers the exterior of the winery tasting room entrance wall. Visitors and guests can lounge on the newly-renovated outdoor patio terrace, taste wines, and play lawn games while enjoying Day’s work. David Galzignato, General Manager and Senior Winemaker at Provenance Vineyards said, “For me, winemaking and artistry go hand in hand, so partnering with Heather was the perfect match.” He added that the winery was drawn to Heather’s natural, sensory style because it “delivers the luxury promise of Napa without feeling ostentatious or snobbish.”

Heather Day. Photo: Grace Sager

For her part, Day wanted to craft a design that would blend with the natural elements of earth, sky, water and flora. “On my first visit to Provenance Vineyards, I was immediately taken in by the beauty of the Napa Valley landscape and I wanted to honor those elements in the mural design,” she said.

To celebrate the mural and San Francisco summer, Provenance is offering a “Rent-a-Picnic” outdoor tasting experience through November 25. The package includes curated picnic essentials, plus wine. The picnic is part of the vineyards’s partnership with Creativity Explored, a San Francisco visual arts nonprofit for artists with developmental disabilities. Provenance will donate 25 percent of the proceeds from each “Rent-A-Picnic” to support the Creativity Explored program.

If you enjoy shopping for Napa nibbles and schlepping them from your car to a winery, by all means carry on. But if you prefer to let someone else do the work for you, Provenance Vineyards will dazzle you with the prettiest picnic plan you ever did see.