With world-class restaurants, spas and of course winemaking, California’s marquee wine destination is the complete package, offering travelers gracious hospitality, vast natural beauty and unsurpassable wine tasting experiences.
As a travel and wine writer considered in the know about things Napa Valley, people often ask me, “Where should I go?” There’s a perfect Napa visit for everyone from novices to connoisseurs, I always respond, but with hundreds of tasting venues the key to a fulfilling time is narrowing the options given your interests and budget.
And guess what? You don’t have to spend extravagantly to have a good time here. You can splurge, but you don’t have to. Case in point: While researching the upcoming edition of Fodor’s Napa and Sonoma, I began a splendid day at a posh big-name winery sampling meticulously crafted Cabernets paired with sophisticated bites. The day ended with a far less expensive tasting on a family winery’s gravel patio, discarded barrels stacked haphazardly nearby. The contrast with the morning session couldn’t have been starker, but my third-generation hosts charmed me with their unassuming vibe and rustic whites and reds.
Both venues are part of the Napa Valley I cherish. Below are suggestions to help you find your Napa (all prices are per person).
1. BASK IN THE VIEWS
On a sunny day, a Signature Tasting ($35) at Bennett Lane feels more like a garden party as guests bask in Calistoga Palisades views. The aptly named Vineyard View Tasting ($50) at ZD Wines unfolds on a second-story open-air terrace with vistas of Rutherford to the Mayacamas Mountains.
2. GEEK OUT
A must-do for wine geeks and the otherwise curious, Vine to Vessel ($120) at Bouchaine Vineyards in Los Carneros explores the effects of different aging vessels—concrete eggs, clay amphorae, an acacia barrel, large oak casks, a stainless-steel drum—on a wine’s flavor, texture, mouthfeel and aromas.
3. DRINK IN THE HISTORY
Beaulieu Vineyard in Rutherford bills its Georges de Latour Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which debuted in 1936, as “the first cult Napa Valley wine.” Some tastings (from $55) conclude with a de Latour pour.
4. EXPLORE A CAVE
All tastings (from $30) at Pride Mountain Vineyards, atop St. Helena’s Spring Mountain, include a cave tour unlike others because the winery straddles Napa and Sonoma. The views are extraordinary, too.
5. ENJOY SPARKLERS ALFRESCO
A palate-cleansing sparkling-wine toast is a great way to commence a Napa Valley visit. Mumm Napa patrons enjoy flights alfresco (from $40) on a terrace overlooking Rutherford vines. As part of extensive renovations, Domaine Chandon, perched on a Yountville hillside, has added new outdoor tastings (from $50) amid its formidable Oak Grove.
6. HEAR A MULTIGENERATIONAL TALE
East of the Silverado Trail, Sage Canyon Road skirts Lake Hennessey on the way to Nichelini Family Winery, established by Swiss Italian immigrants in 1890. Aimée Sunseri of the fifth generation makes the wines showcased at present-day tastings ($30), whose hosts recount the family’s travails and triumphs over 130-plus years.
7. MAKE YOUR OWN WINE
Participants in Conn Creek Winery’s Barrel Blending Experience ($150) sample mountain and valley-floor Bordeaux wines aging in oak before fashioning their wines. Also in St. Helena, attendees at Joseph Phelps Vineyards’ Insignia Blending ($150) seminar compare their creations to the current release of the winery’s legendary Insignia wine.
8. BRING THE WHOLE FAM
Up to eight people of any age can participate in a Family Tasting ($45) at Cakebread Cellars. The “communal walking experience” lasts 45 minutes or so. Book directly with the Rutherford winery.
9. TASTE ZINS AND PETITES
You won’t find Cabernet at Napa’s Robert Biale Vineyards, specializing in Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. Patrons of Valley Vista Tastings ($50), held on a vineyard’s edge covered back porch, hear well-spun tales about farming challenges and a bootleg wine code-named Black Chicken.
10. PICNIC WITH THE PESTONIS
Follow a Heritage Tasting ($50) at Pestoni Family Estate Winery—the Swiss Italian ancestors of the current owners settled in the Napa Valley in 1892—picnicking (BYOF) on the grounds. Order a Merlot or Sangiovese to accompany your repast, and you’ll be savoring it steps from where its Rutherford AVA grapes were grown.
11. SIP BY THE GLASS OR BOTTLE
Staffers serve the iconic Rombauer Vineyards Carneros Chardonnay and other wines by the glass (from $14) for sipping on the St. Helena winery’s terrace or in the landscaped garden. On weekdays, Clos du Val in Napa invites parties of up to four to book a table ($10 per person) in the Silverado Trail winery’s olive grove and share a purchased bottle.
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Daniel Mangin is the author of Fodor’s Napa and Sonoma and is based in San Francisco, CA.