Napa Valley Wine Train Announces 7th Annual PRIDE Ride

The Napa Valley Wine Train's PRIDE Ride, an LGBT wine expert event, is returning on Saturday, March 18 for the seventh year in support of Bay Area LGBT communities. A portion of the proceeds will benefit The Richmond/Ermet Aid Foundation, a San Francisco-based non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for AIDS services, hunger programs and programs for underserved youth in the Bay Area.

One of the few active historic passenger railroads in the United States, the Napa Valley Wine Train offers an engaging and memorable experience that echoes the glory days of train travel, with fine dining service, multi-course meals cooked to order, Napa Valley scenery and ultimate relaxation aboard exquisitely restored antique rail cars. The Napa Valley Wine Train features vintage Pullman rail cars faithfully restored with Honduran mahogany paneling, brass accents, etched glass partitions and luxurious armchairs that evoke the spirit of luxury rail travel at the beginning of the 20th century. Conveniently located in downtown Napa and easily accessible, the Napa Valley Wine Train offers a car-free transportation option that bring guests from San Francisco to Napa Valley via the San Francisco Bay Ferry.

This special event will feature some of the Bay Area's most prominent LGBT winemakers and experts, each on-hand to lend their expertise and assist guests in selecting wines to pair with their multi-course gourmet meal prepared by Napa Valley Wine Train Executive Chef Donald Young. Along with sampling three glasses of wine donated by LGBT vintners, winemakers and allies, PRIDE Ride passengers will have the opportunity to meet Pennsylvania State Representative Brian Sims, a well-known LGBT civil rights activist and the first openly gay elected state legislator in Pennsylvanian history.

The PRIDE Ride will begin with a sparkling wine reception at the Napa Valley Wine Train station at 5 p.m. After departing from the station at 6:30 p.m., guests will experience an unforgettable three-hour, 36-mile round-trip journey from the historic town of Napa, through one of the world's most well-known wine valleys, to the quaint village of St. Helena and back. The PRIDE Ride is a traditional rail seating event that creates the perfect environment for meeting new people and mingling with familiar faces. To continue the celebration, an after-party will take place once guests return to the Napa Valley Wine Train station that will feature a DJ, go-go dancers and entertainment from Mistress of Ceremonies Daft-n�e Gesundheit until midnight.