SeeCalifornia.com

Ecuadorian Yovanni Mero Pachano, fifth generation master weaver from the village of Montecristi, Ecuador where the best Panama Hats in the world are created, makes a guest appearance June 27 – 28, 2015 at Montecristi Panama Hats shop (panamahatsco.com) in Yountville, California’s V Marketplace. Yovanni is pictured with the $4,950 “Prince of Panamas,” the Supremo Fino made of toquilla so finely woven it appears like silk (right photo). This natural colored hat featuring as many as 2,500 weaves per square inch fittingly comes with a silk band! No wonder UNESCO lists this as an Intangible Cultural Heritage, citing the fact that less than a dozen people make them. Panama Hats begin at approx. $88 and come in styles for women and men ranging from Western, golf, fedora, plantation and colonial to the Paris Collection.

V Marketplace (vmarketplace.com) where the unique hat shop is located is an historic 145-year-old Groezinger Winery complex with lush gardens and cobblestone walkways. On Father’s Day the entertainment, dining and shopping venue hosts an Invitational Auto Show  free to the public.