"Owner, winemaker, and garbage man," is how Joe likes to describe himself to visitors to August Briggs Winery, only half-jokingly. And Joe does do it all at his brand new winery, though he prefers to focus on making wine.

For this purpose, architect Hal Taylor has created a thoroughly modern winemaking facility that, from the Silverado Trail, resembles nothing so much as a well-worn barn. Upon entering, visitors find themselves in a brightly lit tasting room, complete with huge, front windows and a skylight roof. A wide tasting bar serves as the room's centerpiece. It's where visitors discover that August Briggs is a family affair, with Joe's parents, Betty and Bob, regularly on hand to pour wine for customers.

Occasionally, you might find Joe himself behind the bar, holding forth on a variety of subjects, from baseball to Napa Valley weekend traffic to his taste in German Hefeweizen. But he reserves his greatest enthusiasm for the subject of wine, in particular August Briggs wines and the vineyards from which they're made. Conversation with Joe can range from the quality of the zinfandel fruit grown by the Frediani family next door to the winery (and Mrs. Frediani's handwritten invoices!), to the time and patience it's taken to figure out which pinot noir clones work best for him.

And along with expertise, Joe offers great hospitality. He's one of the last winery owners in the valley who doesn't charge his guests a tasting fee, which contributes to the casual atmosphere. A Saturday afternoon at the winery is so entertaining that most people would be willing to hand over a few bucks to sample Joe's pinot noir, syrah, and zinfandel. What they get, in addition to these, and other, delicious wines, is the understanding that they're at a Napa Valley winery that has truly arrived.

"It's really great to have our own winery now," Joe tells people. "It's been a very long haul."

The Winery is open Thursday - Sunday.