The CIA at Copia

I had the opportunity to check out the new CIA (Culinary Institute of America, not Central Intelligence Agency) at Copia, located in downtown Napa. The drive up to Napa was quite gruesome due to roads being closed from flooding but the day only got better from there.

I was thrilled that the sun finally came out and greeted us in the afternoon and took full advantage of it (and the wine). The day consisted of a cheese making demonstration where we learned how to make mozzarella, ricotta, and burrata. We sampled some fresh mozzarella with golden beets and fresh ricotta on crostini with dried prunes. Whether I’ll ever make my own cheese is still TBD but the process is a lot simpler than I expected. We also witnessed the sabrage of 21 bottles of wine and tried out a series of cheese and wine pairings before heading the road to get home.

Thankfully the drive home was a lot quicker than the drive up. Until next time, CIA!