16th Annual Napa Valley Mustard Festival Celebrates Food, Wine, and Art

Napa Valley these days is carpeted with mustard in bloom. Humble yellow flowers, delicate yet persistent, spring up on their rigid stems, as if trying to see who is driving by… It’s that time of year again, when the gourmet annual event celebrates a versatile condiment, and everything that goes with it.
The Marketplace, a signature event for connoisseurs is opening for the weekend of March 14 and 15, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville.
Visitors will taste mustards from around the world and listen to KGO Newstalk AM810 live remote broadcast of Dining Around with Gene Burns, a Sunset Magazine pavilion, and taping of Martha Stewart Living radio shows. Adding to the celebration there will be fine arts and crafts presented by juried artists and artisans, and live performances of jazz, world, and classical music.
Admission is $35 in advance, $40 at the door, and includes eight food and five wine tasting tickets, and a souvenir wine glass. Students’ ages 13 to 20 $10 admission includes five food tasting tickets. Children ages 6 to 12 enter at $5, and under the age of 6 free. A weekend package can be purchased in advance at www.mustardfestival.org.
The Mumm Napa Photo Finish is the grand finale event on Saturday, March 28 at 7 p.m. at Mumm Napa in Rutherford.
View the season’s beauty captured by photographers from far and wide at the Napa Valley Mustard Festival Photography Contest Exhibit; taste an array of Napa Valley wines accompanied with local sweets and savories, and party until the last dance. Tickets are $95 in advance, $125 at the door. Tickets for both The Marketplace and the Photo Finish are priced at $125 at www.mustardfestival.org.