Forget Giants' box seats behind home plate or along the first base line. The really hard tickets to get this summer are in Napa Valley. For the Robert Mondavi Winery Summer Music Festival.

Now in its 35th season, the winery's summer festival has become one of the hottest musical programs in the Bay-area. Top-name entertainers appear on a succession of warm summer Saturday nights before a small (1,300), intimate crowd at the winery; as the sun sets beyond the To-Kalon Vineyard behind the winery, assembled guests on the winery's courtyard lawn finish picnic fare and wine they've brought to the venue; at dusk, the stage lights go up and the music begins. The nights are magical.

Mondavi's outdoor summer music events are some of the most memorable nights I have ever spent in Napa Valley. And this year, the music headliners keep the tradition going.

At a luncheon for the press last week, Margrit Biever Mondavi, Bob's wife and the winery's VP of Art and Culture, announced the performer lineup for the coming season.

(Note: In most years, there are only five summer concerts. This year, due to the popularity of the festival, the season has been stretched to seven.)

All dates are Saturdays.

July 3. Preservation Jazz Hall Band (tickets are $48); the Big Band from the Big Easy makes its umpteenth appearance for Independence Day. The evening climaxes with a memorable fireworks display.

July 10. Jose Feliciano . The six-time Grammy award-winning artist makes his second appearance at Mondavi. (Tickets are $55.)

July 17. Cassandra Wilson . The postmodern jazz singer has been heralded as “the most accomplished jazz vocalist of her generation.” Margrit Biever Mondavi, who confides she has a passionate soft spot for jazz, thinks this will be a sensational event ($52).

July 24. Grover Washington Jr . and a group of spirited jazz musicians appear (including Richard Elliot, Gerald Alright, Jeff Lorber and Paul Taylor ). We're talkin' soul-jazz, R&B and spirited blues-y type sounds ($60).

July 31. Dave Brubeck . Take Five with the American jazz legend and living music icon ($60).

August 7. Robert Cray , acclaimed singer, songwriter and guitarist. You like rock, R&B, blue and soul music? Be there or be square! ($65)

August 14. Chaka Khan . You like ass-wigglin' music? Stuff that gets you up and off your chair (or lawn seat, as the case may be)? There won't be anyone sitting when Chaka gets her groove on ($62).

As in previous years, a limited number of reserve lawn seats are available for an additional fee of $30 per ticket. Add $3 handling charge to all orders.

Unlike previous years, this will be the first time in 35 seasons that patrons may NOT bring their own alcoholic beverages to the concerts. A selection of Robert Mondavi wines will be made available and sold at special concert prices.

The summer musical festival was the brainchild of Margrit Biever Mondavi, who recognized that music is as much a part of the good life as is wine. She introduced the concert series in 1969 and pledged that all net proceeds would be donated to the Napa Valley Symphony. Over the course of 34 years, the winery has contributed more than $800,000 to the local symphony. Over this period, more than 100 top-name performers have appeared at the Mondavi summer festival.

“If it hadn't been for Margrit, we would never have been as successful,” gushed Bob Mondavi at the press luncheon.

“Aw, come on, Bob, that's baloney!” Margrit replied, without losing a beat. “You don't need me…. you could sell ice to Eskimos!”

Despite the winery's high profile, its good-deed intentions to raise funds for the community and its long list of public supporters, this year, efforts to have the Buena Vista Social Club make a return visit ran into a diplomatic buzz saw; the Bush administration has clamped down on issuing visas to Cuban artists – musicians, painters, etc. – and Mondavi's efforts to re-invite the group of talented old geezers who make up the Cuban band were flatly denied.

This year, in an effort to augment community good will, proceeds raised on the two added-on, August evenings will be donated to the Napa Valley Unified Schools District, “for the benefit of the student's music programs,” says Margrit.

Interested in getting tickets for some, or all, of this summer's musical events? Tickets go on sale Monday, May 3 at 9 am and can be acquired by calling the Mondavi phone hotline – 1-888-RMW-JAZZ – or by going on line to www.tickets.com . All performances start at 7 pm, but the winery's courtyard doors open at 5 pm.

In a world of uncertainty, there is one thing you can count on about this series… the music will be good… the wine will be flowing… and I'll see you there!