New Outdoor Concert Series is 1st in Decades for Charles Krug Winery

RockNapa, which debuted Thursday night at the Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, is the first outdoor summer concert series at the historic winery in decades.

"We're having a renaissance," said Paul Englert, vice president of marketing for Charles Krug, the oldest winery in the Napa Valley, established in 1861.

Englert said the new concert series coincides with the winery hiring a new winemaker and workers restoring an original 1872 building on the property for use as a hospitality center.

"It's fun to have an event that brings in local people," he said. "We're breathing in new ideas, new life."

Owner Peter Mondavi Jr. said the new hospitality center should be done by the end of the year.

Mondavi said RockNapa, which continues Friday night and again on Aug. 15 and 16, is a new version of the old "August Moon" concerts the winery ran starting in 1964.

"We did those for many years, but then the organizing group sort of went by the wayside," he said. "Now, we're reincarnating the whole idea of local concerts at the winery -- and this is our inaugural one."

At Thursday's event, a low-key, relaxed vibe prevailed, with bands switching between two stages in the grassy lawn area behind the carriage house. Many of the acts were local, such as Austin Pitzer, a singer and guitarist who lives in Yountville.

Mondavi said RockNapa is not trying to compete with events like BottleRock Napa Valley, the massive five-day music festival in May that touted name bands and brought in crowds from all over the Bay Area and the state.

"I think we're drawing a different crowd," Mondavi said. "It's not as far a reach."

Early VIP guests on Thursday enjoyed wine from 11 different wineries and food prepared by Napa Valley chef Cindy Pawlcyn. The food and wine were served upstairs in the the winery's expansive carriage house, which features redwood on walls and ceiling that was part of the original redwood tanks previously used to make wine, Englert said.

The firm Xceptional Music of Southern California handled the concert arrangements.

For more info on RockNapa, click here.