There are countless ways to enjoy and share the beauty of Wine Country and Northern California — longtime friends and car aficionados Aaron Hagar and Rick Kaufman are doing it with classic horsepower.
In 2020, the two launched the Napa Valley 750 — a vintage car road rally and culinary crawl that spans 750 miles over five days, taking drivers on a scenic route from the heart of Wine Country to the rugged coastline and through a variety of Northern California locations.
The event’s name is a nod to both the distance covered and the classic 750 mL bottle of wine. But it’s not just about iconic cars and stellar food and wine. The event also benefits a good cause — in just six years, the spirited road rally has helped raise more than $1 million for the St. Helena Hospital Foundation.
“There’s so much to learn about this landscape,” Hagar said. “It’s a great experience and the philanthropy part is really honorable.”
(A small but very cool side note: Hagar is the son of Sammy “The Red Rocker” Hagar.)
Since the inaugural road rally in 2020, a tight-knit group of car enthusiasts from all over the country (most from outside Wine County) have made the yearly trek to Napa Valley to drive motorcars built before 1972 — some trucked to Northern California from as far as Colorado.
“We’re pretty strict. If (the car) is not older than I am, it doesn’t come,” Kaufman joked. “The common thread is: Let’s go learn something together. Let’s do it with motoring. Let’s help each other get to the end.”
The collection of participating cars is eclectic and eye-catching — peering in windows and sharing stories during fuel stops and lunch breaks is part of the fun.
This year’s rally, held April 27 through May 2, featured a colorful lineup of vehicles, including a 1958 Lancia Aurelia B20, a 1965 Shelby Cobra 427, a 1972 Ferrari 365 GTC/4 and a 1970 Mini Cooper.
Hagar and Kaufman emphasize that the Napa Valley 750 is a rally, not a race. The duo plan four days of driving before each event, typically including two inland and two coastal routes.
Each ride begins and ends at St. Helena’s Harvest Inn. (Kaufman owns the hotel property.) This year, day one was a dash to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, crossing levees and scenic bridges, in addition to logging miles in Lodi.
Sonoma County had a starring role on day two, the ride winding its way through Knights Valley and across Highway 101 to Dry Creek Valley before stopping at the coast to take in the views and perhaps a sticky bun (or two) from Twofish Baking at the historic Stewarts Point Store.
Drivers then got another taste of Sonoma County during lunch at Valette in Healdsburg. Chef Dustin Valette, co-owner of Valette and The Matheson, has been involved with the road rally for more than five years.
“This is a great group of leaders and philanthropists who are blazing an amazing trail for the rest of us to follow,” Valette said. “The Napa 750 loves to showcase the diversity of Wine Country. Our menus at The Matheson and Valette always showcase our amazing ranchers and farmers, though we love highlighting the best of Sonoma when they (Napa Valley 750 participants) are in town.”
More Sonoma County favorites, such as Graton, Occidental and Two Rock, made appearances on day three’s route, as well as notable Marin County locations like Point Reyes Station and Stinson Beach.
The final day took drivers to Yolo County, past olive groves and farm stands before ending with a drive-by of St. Helena Hospital and a stop for lunch at Gott’s Roadside. A final dinner and fundraising auction at Harvest Inn capped off the sixth annual Napa Valley 750.
Throughout the five-day event, evenings were dedicated to dining experiences at wineries such as Nickel & Nickel, Ovid and Louis M. Martini. A bus shuttled guests back and forth, allowing drivers to taste wine from the vineyards they had admired from the road and bring some bottles home — even classic cars offer a decent amount of trunk space.
“We’re raising money around the culture of Wine Country, teaching people about where their food comes from, where their wine comes from,” Kaufman said.
Find out more: The dates for next year’s Napa Valley 750 will be announced on the event website and @napavalley750 on Instagram. Hagar and Kaufman are in the process of launching a nonprofit component to the road race called the Napa Artisan Legacy Project, Inc., which will focus on preserving Northern California’s cultural, agricultural and automotive heritage. More details will be revealed on the Napa Valley 750 website and Instagram.