Sales are well underway at the Westin Verasa in Napa. This project is the fifth project between Starwood hotel group and Intrawest. The Westin Verasa Napa Residences are 160 whole ownership units ranging from studios to two-bedroom suites and owners are each entitled to stay at the hotel up to 29 days a year. The hotel amenities include a pool and spa that overlook the Napa river, a Reebok gym, bocce ball courts, a bar, and a signature restaurant. The suites range in price from approximately $500,000 to over $1.3 million per room. Vacationers can book nightly accommodations when the resort opens next year, no word on the rates yet. The resort is ideally located for wine country exploration, it is adjacent to Copia, the center for food and wine and the Oxbow Public Market, a large market featuring local vendors and organic farm stands will be right next door.

This four-bedroom home in St. Helena, California is really named the Rock. In fact it will be a hard name to shake considering that it is displayed as part of the fireplace surround in the living room. The Rock is a truly dramatic home that gets a lot of its kick from a black, white and red decor scheme in many rooms. The home has a wine cellar, a theater, a bar area, dining room and great views of the surrounding countryside including a vineyard planted in Cabernet grapes. The decor stretches to the wacky at times, the flower-covered bathroom with the granite bathtub and the Murano glass chandelier defies description. And the red piano against a zebra print rug, against a black and white floor? My my. It is listed at $7.995 million.

Most winemakers are interested in the latest technology and newest techniques. Dave Del Dotto of Del Dotto Vineyards in California is seeking to take a step backward, fermenting some of his wines in giant clay amphorae, the vessels used by the ancient winemakers to make wine. Del Dotto, who is also completing a new property with wine caves and a marble-columned room south of St. Helena, bought four amphorae in Tuscany. The clay vessels are said to be 300 years old and cost him $15,000 each. He has so far made Sangiovese, Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon and his first official release will be a 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon that will be available in the fall. The wine will be bottled in clay magnums and will sell for around $100. In this article in Wines & Vines, Del Dotto says he is happy with the result and will be buying custom-made clay fermentation vessels because it adds an earthy quality to the wine. The clay fermentation also softens the tannins in red wine. Del Dotto plans to experiments with whine wine and to bury some of the jars the way ancient winemakers did.

Last year, I mentioned the plans for the Solage Calistoga. Now the Napa Valley resort has opened its doors. The resort is an 89-room property which also has a bistro, full-service spa that includes Kate Somerville facials and a 130-foot swimming pool surrounded by cabanas. The guest rooms are called studios and have open floor plans and stone showers with pebble flooring. The restaurant, Solbar, is headed by Brandon Sharp, an alumnus of the hot Gary Danko restaurant in San Francisco. Dishes include Gently Cooked Pacific Halibut with Baby Spinach, White Corn, Sweet 100 Tomatoes and Basil and Beef Shortribs Stroganov with Egg Noodles, Horseradish and Maitake Mushroom. Solbar also boasts Napa Valley's largest champagne list.

The spa includes a mud bar where guests are painted with local volcanic mud. The hotel also offers a couple of bicycles for guests to cruise the local landscape. Like many hotels which have opened recently Solage is touting their green features. The interiors are made from earth-friendly materials such as bamboo and reclaimed cedar and non-toxic, low-VOC paints. Other eco-friendly touches include the use of environmentally-safe cleaning products, solar panels, recycling, water reclamation and even a plan to minimize chlorine use in the pools by using an ozone-based system to keep water clean. Solage Calistoga is also-pet-friendly. Rates start at $325 for a deluxe studio to $875 for a one-bedroom suite.

If you've ever visited the wine country of Northern California I don't have to sell you on the lure of Napa. Christina Vineyards is located in the newly created Oak Knoll appellation and has 23 acres planted with Cabernet Sauvignon vines. The land is over 27 acres total and includes a 4,000 square foot main house and a barn. The three-bedroom farmhouse is located in the center of the vineyard for gorgeous views of your domain. It is listed at $8.8 million. After the jump, a lovely corkscrew of a staircase.