A vintage Pullman car rolled through Napa Valley last Tuesday carrying an unusual mix of passengers: fashion designers, an Olympic gold medalist, a celebrity chef, and the sister of California's governor, all gathered for an invitation-only event called “All Aboard, Darling.” Guests boarded the Napa Valley Wine Train for an afternoon that blended denim customization, wine pairings, and networking among tastemakers from fashion, technology, design, philanthropy, sports, and business.
The event marked a partnership between the Napa Valley Wine Train, fashion label Veronica Beard, and digital communications app HiNOTE, according to The Napa Valley Register. The gathering was co-hosted by Veronica Swanson Beard, co-founder of the denim and ready-to-wear brand, and Alexis Swanson Traina, founder of HiNOTE. Hilary Newsom Callan, president of PlumpJack Group and sister of Governor Gavin Newsom, also attended.
Guests took part in a hands-on embroidery masterclass led by Lauren Sharp, founder of Artifact, crafting personalized Veronica Beard denim shirts with custom monograms. The same report notes that attendees also visited a premium denim pop-up onboard, where they completed their looks with Veronica Beard jeans — a fitting tie-in given the brand's existing storefront in downtown St. Helena.
Olympic Star and Celebrity Chef Among the Guests
Olympic gold medalist Kristi Yamaguchi was among the attendees, joining a guest list that also included award-winning chef Kathy Fang and publicist Alexis Pence. The Wine Train's culinary team served an elevated afternoon tea-inspired menu, paired with wines from the PlumpJack Collection of wineries — the hospitality portfolio Hilary Newsom Callan has led as president since 2009, per earlier Hoodline reporting. Callan also serves as chair and founder of the PlumpJack Foundation, according to the same Napa Valley Register account of the event.
Nathan Davis, general manager of the Napa Valley Wine Train, said the collaboration brought together hospitality, culinary experiences, celebrated brands, and Napa Valley's scenery. The event celebrated fashion, craftsmanship, and the spirit of wine country, blending the region's culinary reputation with its growing appeal to fashion and lifestyle branding.
A Rail Line With History — and a Complicated Recent Past
The track beneath the Wine Train's cars dates back to 1864, when San Francisco pioneer Samuel Brannan built the line to ferry tourists to his resort in Calistoga, according to the Napa Valley Wine Train. The 36-mile track later passed to Southern Pacific before being preserved for the wine-tourism experience it hosts today. Luxury boutique operator Noble House Hotels & Resorts, alongside real estate investment firm Brooks Street, purchased the Wine Train in September 2015, per Noble House Hotels & Resorts.
That acquisition came the same year the Wine Train faced widespread scrutiny after staff removed an 11-member, predominantly Black women's book club from a ride — an incident that led to a legal settlement and prompted ongoing efforts to reshape the train's guest experience. Since then, the company has pursued environmental modernization as well, announcing an $11 million initiative in November 2024 to replace older diesel engines with low-emission Tier-4 locomotives, according to The Drinks Business.
Tourism Dollars and a Changing Visitor Base
Napa County's tourism economy provides the backdrop for events like this one. A July report from Visit Napa Valley found that 3.8 million visitors generated $2.8 billion in total economic impact for the county in 2025, supporting roughly 15,300 local jobs. Separate Visit Napa Valley data released in August 2024 showed the average visitor age dropping from 46 in 2018 to 40 in 2023, alongside notable increases in Black, Latino, and LGBTQ+ visitors — a demographic shift that aligns with the kind of fashion-and-influencer marketing on display aboard the Wine Train.
The wine poured during the afternoon tea service came from the PlumpJack Collection, the winery network co-founded in 1992 by Gavin Newsom and Gordon Getty. PlumpJack became the first Napa Valley winery to use screwcap closures on a luxury bottle, its 1997 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, according to Wikipedia. The brand's name nods to Shakespeare's Sir John Falstaff and has since grown into a broader Northern California hospitality group under Callan's leadership.
Veronica Beard itself has expanded considerably since its 2010 founding by sisters-in-law Veronica Swanson Beard and Veronica Miele Beard, who built the label around its signature interchangeable Dickey Jacket before growing to more than 40 stores, per CBS News. Traina's HiNOTE, meanwhile, was created to modernize social correspondence through customizable digital notes, invitations, and announcements, according to a YouTube profile of the founder, who previously served as creative director at her family's Swanson Vineyards.
