Hans Fahden Vineyards 4855 Petrified Forest Road • Calistoga • California 94515

High in the mountains between Santa Rosa and Calistoga, the Hans Fahden family has created an incredible place with outdoor sites elegant enough for satin gowns and tuxedos, and a marvelous indoor facility with some of the most extraordinary features we've ever seen.

Even at first glance, the winery's gardens and event facilities are quite lovely, but like a Fabergé egg, their outward beauty is only a prelude to a wealth of creativity, craftsmanship and aesthetic richness within.

Your special event may start in the Teahouse, a quaint wooden structure covered with wisteria, grapevines and red climbing roses. Small gatherings can use the Teahouse for ceremonies or receptions, but larger groups mingle there before descending into the gardens below. The gardens are an exquisite combination of French country style and wildlife habitat, and if they remind you of an Impressionist painting, it's no coincidence. Winery owners and landscapers Antone and Lyall Fahden relied heavily on Monet's paintings of the gardens at Giverny when they designed their own. As you travel the path down to the pond, your senses are tantalized by the sights and smells of roses, irises, petunias, pansies, cornflowers, poppies, ornamental grasses and native shrubs. The garden has been cleverly planted so that something different blooms each month, creating one wave of color after another. In late spring, roses take center stage; other floral "coming attractions" include matilija poppies, oleander, zinnias, sunflowers and blue pitcher sage. Midway between the Teahouse and pond, a terraced lawn bordered by a volcanic-ash rock wall and beds of pink evening primroses, lavender, roses and California poppies serves as a ceremony site for large weddings. The covered bridge spanning the lily pond can also be used for weddings, and brings you close to a variety of wildlife—thanks to the ducks, egrets, quail and mourning doves that call the gardens home.

After exchanging vows, join your guests in the winery building, a long graceful structure whose mellow wood exterior and peaked, sage-green roof blend with the rugged mountainside behind it. Inside, a gray slate floor, high beamed ceiling of grooved pine and redwood, and cream walls give the room a simple beauty that complements the glory of the gardens viewed through French doors. In one corner, a grand piano provides background music as your guests nibble appetizers and sip champagne. Just when everyone thinks that their eyes simply couldn't take in any more beauty, the 400-pound Douglas fir doors at one end of the room are thrown open to reveal a wine cave containing candlelit tables set for dinner.

This amazing cave is like the jewel within a Fabergé egg: gorgeous, surprising and utterly unique. Formed of volcanic ash rock, the T-shaped cave's walls are lined with wine barrels; metal fixtures with grape-leaf cutouts and twinkle-light-wrapped poles provide subtle lighting. At the T's apex, two wine barrels support a massive arrangement of fresh flowers; above, gold candle sconces in floral designs await lighting. When these sconces are lit, along with the candelabras on the tables and the twinkle lights, Ali Baba's cave itself could not be more enchanting. Magical doesn't even begin to describe an event here—as you sit down to dinner, surrounded by flowers, flickering shadows and the piquant smell of aging wine, you'll feel as if you're part of a breathtaking fairy tale. And, unlike limestone caves, this cave's volcanic-ash rock adjusts to body temperature when occupied, so you can wear the most daring décolleté gown and never have to throw a jacket over your shoulders.

If you're thinking that Hans Fahden sounds like a wonderful place, but you're not planning to get married anytime soon, keep in mind that the winery can accommodate all types of events, from a gala celebration to a business seminar. But we can't help feeling that the site's stunning visual appeal may be most appreciated at a wedding. So, brides, if your fantasy includes a vision of you in a magnificent Vera Wang gown against a backdrop of pristine natural beauty, you owe yourself a visit to Hans Fahden Winery. They can make your dream wedding a beautiful reality!