A Family Affair

Attend a party at Brown Estate Vineyards in Napa Valley, California, and succumb instantly to the slow-paced pleasure of summer. On this particular afternoon, guests arrive to find benches, farm tables, and mismatched chairs scattered across the lawn. The informal setting, along with glasses of the Browns' Betelgeuse rosé, sets the mood for the meal to follow: a five-course feast that relies on locally grown summer produce.

"Within the first 15 minutes of our gatherings, everyone is relaxed," says Coral Brown, who teamed up with siblings Deneen and David to operate the family-run business. "There are people sitting on the steps, on the rock walls, in the gazebo. For me as a host, it's beautiful to see."