Hola Belleza,
I am Wendy Barba, aka your #NapaVale girl. I will be bringing a bit of Napa into your life. Y por su puesto con un poquito de esa chispa Venezolana. I was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela. In 1990, I moved to sunny South Florida. Woops… did I give my age away?!
I’ve wanted to share with you what I’ve learned in this gorgeous valley about wine country living. I moved to Napa in 2014. My hubby and I decided to take a leap of faith. If you’d have asked me where I saw myself in 10 years; in my wildest of dreams I didn’t imagine it would be Napa. You see, I am 100% beach girl and I absolutely love humidity. I always dreamt about living in a small town. I just never pictured Napa and especially all the way across the country.
While living in Napa, so close to so many amazing wineries and restaurants, I decided to learn more of what this gorgeous place has to offer. I wanted to dive into the Napa Valley culture and its extraordinary people. If there is one thing we all share it’s our passion for life, food, wine and a chill California lifestyle. My dream was coming true. Like Walt Disney says, “if you can dream it, you can do it!”. Así que sueña belleza porque esos sueños se convertirán en tu realidad. I joined wine classes at Napa Valley College and became a student of wine for 6 months.
“If You can dream it, you can do it”
-Walt Disney
Fun Facts About Your Napa Vale Girl
Born: Caracas, Venezuela. I am a Christmas baby.
Raised in: En mi bella Caracas and South Florida (“Westonzuela” to be exact).
Passions: Traveling and learning about different cultures, photography and public speaking.
Celebrity crush:Ryan Gosling (as luck will have it, I ended up marrying another Ryan).
Favorite city: My fairy tale city Cartagena, Colombia (it’s where I tied the knot).
Favorite color: Anything bright to show off mi piel canela.
Favorite cocktail: It used to be Cosmo, Zacapa on the rocks but on my last trip to Tulum I got hooked on Mezcal and of course wine, wine, wine… wine not?
Favorite music to dance to: Tuns tuns, una salsita, un reggaetonsito, una bachatita, un merenguito, un pitbullsito… lol
Favorite season: Summer (Hot and humid is the only weather that should exist in Wendy’s World) but when in Napa every season it’s so gorgeous. I’ve grown to love our winter even when I am covered in tons of layers and wearing a huge down jacket. LOL What can I say… I have 100% Caribbean blood.
Favorite quote:
“Life is short. Break the rules. Forgive quickly. Kiss slowly. Love truly. Laugh uncontrollably, and Never regret anything that made you Smile.”
– Robert Doisneau
Favorite cuisine: I used to be a picky eater. I would take hours eating my meals when I was a kid. I developed my palate when I lived in Paris, France. My palate expanded after a study abroad trip and I became more interested in international cuisine. I wanted to try foods from every country and learn about its culture. This brought me to be a huge fan of the late Anthony Bourdain. While living in France I also develop a palate for wine. So, moving to Napa Valley has expanded my palate even more and blended my love for food and wine.
What makes you happy? My hubby. My partner in crime. My everything. I am blessed to have mi Greenie (that’s my nickname to my love because I just love his green eyes). I don’t believe in coincidence we were meant to meet. He goes along with my craziness. He’s super patient (if you’ve seen my Instagram stories you will understand) and he just makes me a better person. How we met… ummm quires saber? Get the juiciness on Meet Napa Vale girl.
Why Napa Vale?I love to share the love I have for wine, food, travel and inspire others with successful stories from remarkable people that I have met in Napa. I go into “why Napa Vale” more on the FAQs and About Napa Vale.
What is Napa Vale? Is this a wine blog? Nope. It’s a bit more than a wine blog. I am not a wine professional; but I love to share wine country stories, tips of where to go and what not to miss when you visit Napa. And of course, get you tipsy! Life is too short. Apart from a wine blog I also have been building my own podcast, The Napa Vale Show. Which will be coming very soon. Stay tuned! I’ve interviewed a number of really cool peeps… here’s a sneak peak of what’s coming to you straight from Napa Valley.
Upcoming Podcast Episodes…
- Irma Robinson, founder and owner of SMOKE Open Fire Cooking & Southside a community- centered café and coffee bar in Napa Valley.
- Chelsea André, a wellness guide, Kundalini Yoga instructor, Essential Oil Educator and a Professional Dancer in Napa Valley at Arthur Murray Dance Studio Napa.
- Geraldine Thomazini Simoes, Assistant Winemaker at Boeschen Vineyards, a small family-owned vineyard and winery located in St. Helena.
Mi Girly Bella, my purpose is to help you grow. I am thrilled to find out more about you. What makes you smile? Any struggles you are having? Topics you want to learn about?
This is my passion; to bring inspirational wine country stories to you so you can live a more fulfilled life. And of course, share a bit about how this Venezuelan girl brings more Spanglish and chispa into wine country.
I really hope you love Napa Vale. It’s built with tons of love. If you know of another Belleza that can benefit from the information here please don’t be shy, pass it along to your bestie. ¡Vale!
Un beso enorme desde Napa,😘
P.S. I had to kickoff Napa Vale by proudly waiving my flag. In my heart I truly believe Venezuela will be FREE again and paradise will return to my beloved country.
Hello Bella,
Nice learning little bit more about you. Thank you for sharing and looking forward to see your adventures in Napa.
Besos,
Isabel Freeman (Napavalleytip)
Wow Wendy me encantó tu historia y me encanta mucho más aún la idea de conocer más de Napa por medio de tu blog!
Me encantó leer todo esto sobre ti! Y si, he visto tus IG stories so I know exactly what you are talking about. Todo el éxito con Ñapa Vale!
Qué bonito conocer más sobre tí. Muchas felicidades por tu blog.
Me encanta la frescura que transmites!!!gracias por acercarme un poco a Napa!!
Me encantó conocerte un poco más, leyendo tu historia 😊.
Hola Wendy! me encantó conocer un poco más de tí. Siempre es un gusto leer todo lo que compartes de Napa y los vinos.
bueno por lo que he visto, NAPA es una preciosidad! Entiendo que el cambio es muy grande de playa a zona de viñedos pero no está nada, nada mal! un besazoooo
Que lindo post contándonos tanto de ti. Quedó a la espera de esos podcasts. Abrazo.