Napa Valley · Events
The Runway Comes to Calistoga
Frank Family Vineyards and fashion house SIMKHAI close their year-long partnership with a runway luncheon on October 24, and the debut of a collaborative Cabernet.
October 3, 2026 · Words by Katherine Doyle, Culinary Editor · Photography, see credits
Photography courtesy of Frank Family Vineyards
Wine and fashion have flirted for decades, usually at arm's length. Frank Family Vineyards and the luxury fashion house SIMKHAI have decided to stop flirting. On October 24, the Calistoga winery hosts the Napa chapter of their year-long partnership: a runway show, a Bottega lunch, and the debut of a collaborative Cabernet, all to benefit Dress for Success.
The partnership began at New York Fashion Week, where Frank Family wine was poured at the SIMKHAI Spring 2027 runway show on September 11 and at the official after-party. The October 24 luncheon brings it home to Larkmead Lane: a wine reception, a multi-course lunch by Bottega Napa Valley, a panel with founder Leslie Frank, designer Jonathan Simkhai, and Dress for Success CEO Joanie Bily, a runway presentation, and personalized color-analysis sessions.
Photography courtesy of Frank Family Vineyards
The centerpiece for collectors is the wine itself: the 2024 SIMKHAI x Frank Family Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, debuting at the event in SIMKHAI-designed packaging and releasing in late October. The lunch menu pairs it with the tiramisu course, alongside the 2025 Leslie Rosé, the 2023 Lewis Vineyard Chardonnay, and the 2023 Lewis Vineyard Pinot Noir.
““SIMKHAI embodies the idea of craftsmanship as a modern luxury, which is very much in line with what we strive for at Frank Family Vineyards.”, Leslie Frank, co-founder”
Proceeds from the event and the wine benefit Dress for Success Worldwide through the winery's annual Frank for a Cause campaign; from July 2026 through June 2027, every purchase of Frank Family wine helps support the cause. Tickets are $250 via Tock, and the afternoon runs 12:00 to 3:00 at 1091 Larkmead Lane, Calistoga.
Frank Family began in 1993 with 200 cases. Thirty-three years later, it is pouring at New York Fashion Week and staging a runway show among the vines. Some partnerships are marketing. This one, with its charitable spine and its collaborative bottle, reads as something more considered. Details verified at time of publication. Photography courtesy of Frank Family Vineyards.
