Napa Valley

Judgement of Paris, a blind tasting of wine, organized in Paris on May 24, 1976 put Napa Valley on the map when the red and white wines from Napa rated best in each category as judged by French tasters. Today Napa Valley is home to nearly 500 wineries with vineyards rolling across the hills in the 30 mile long valley. On the other side of the Mayacamas Mountain range lies Sonoma Valley with its 425 wineries producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet and more.

Today, millions come to Napa and Sonoma valleys from across the globe to visit the wineries and indulge in the amazing cuisine. We stopped in for a ten day visit, staying in nearby Vacaville. We were both excited and apprehensive about the visit. Although we (as in mostly Shannon) do enjoy an occasional glass of vino, we are not much for the pretentiousness that we were expecting. We were a bit surprised with what we found.

Planning a trip to Napa can drive you to drinking, there’s just so many choices of wineries to visit. Fortunately we got some good guidance from friends and a former long-term resident of the area which was extremely beneficial in complementing our own research. We made some great choices with both dining and winery visits, and highly recommend all of these places. However, this is not “the” must do list, there’s just so much to offer in the valley, and there are many other great choices as well. Do your research and pick what works for you.

We purposely avoided the mega wineries because we wanted the smaller more personalized experiences. But we wanted a good variety so we picked four very unique wineries, across different geographic regions of the 17 Napa AVA microclimates, to visit. We also hired a driver through Savor Napa Valley Wine Tours for the first three on our list. Carl arranged everything, kept us on schedule and provided much insight along the way.

TIP: Some people try to cram in as many wineries in a day as possible, sometime visiting up to seven in a single day. There is no way you can properly get the full experience in this manner. Keep your visits to a maximum of three (four if they are close) in a day and you will have a much more enjoyable experience.

Our four winery tours included:

Fontanella Family Winery

This small winery is the closest we visited to the town of Napa in the Veeder AVA. Carl pulls us up to this small chalet. As we get out of the car (guest star Mom included) we are immediately greeted by our host, Alejandra, presenting us with a glass of viognier. It was 10:30 in the morning and no better way to start the day! It was a little cool outside still so we opted for the inside tasting room rather than the patio. Alejandra was a ray of sunshine and their wines were amazing. We toured their barrel room and tasted several wines concluding with a port paired with an amazing wine infused chocolate. We had not planned on purchasing any wine, but we left with three bottles.

Tres Sabores

We chose this winery a little further north in the Rutherford Bench AVA because it is a certified organic winery and farm. As you enter the property, the road is lined with mature olive trees. They don’t use lawn mowers, rather rely on sheep to keep the grass and weeds down in addition to being the mobile fertilization team. Anthony was our host and was a wealth of information on their wines and the region in general. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed our tasting along with a charcuterie board. It’s a hands on operation and we were even able to meet the co-owner, John. It was a very pleasant experience

Pride Mountain Vineyards

This larger winery is at a higher altitude in the Diamond Mountain AVA. What makes it truly unique is that it is the only winery that straddles both Napa and Sonoma valleys on the crest of the Mayacamas mountains. A narrow mountain road leads you to this epic location and impressive facility. Although there were other tours being conducted, our host Mark made us feel like we were the only ones there. Rather than a sit down tasting, this tasting was conducted through a tour of the cave where they age their wines. It is an extremely impressive facility and some more amazing wines. A perfect ending to an incredible day in the Napa Valley!

Porter Family Vineyards

After a day to (somewhat) rest our palet, we ventured out on our own to visit our forth winery. Located on a beautiful hilltop in the Coombsville AVA, this family owned and operated winery is something truly special. Tom and Bev Porter wanted to buy a quarter acre to grow some grapes – they bought 20 acres. They needed to develop the wine making operation, so they built a 17,000 square foot cave into the hillside, not only for barrel storage, but to house most of their operations. The cave is incredible, inclusive of elaborate tasting rooms. We had a great experience with our host Laura and spent some time with the son, Tim Porter. We brought home an incredible bottle of chardonnay.

Wine tasting isn’t the only pastime in Napa, this is an incredible playground for foodies. We tried to control our indulgences, but did thoroughly enjoy several local spots. Besides, it’s hard work tasting all those wines and we deserved a good meal.

The Grove

The Grove at Copia is the signature restaurant from the Culinary Institute of America, right in the heart of downtown Napa. A dinner here is a special experience with a Mediterranean spirit and a farm to table concept. Dining with my two favorite ladies made it a great first night of our visit.

Hog Island Oyster Company

This is a casual spot right in the Oxbow Market (which should be fully explored as well) specializing in fresh oysters. In fact they have a variety of oysters from several California and Oregon regions. It was fun sampling the different oysters, I never knew there was so much of a difference.

Bistro Don Giovanni

There are several good italian restaurants in the area but when you ask the locals what the best italian restaurant is, Giovanni’s comes up unanimously. It lived up to the hype but I left wanting to go back and taste more. No good Italian restaurant should be a one night stand.

The Girl and the Fig

This is somewhat of rustic bistro with a fun vibe to it, located in Sonoma. It was a great afternoon stop after touring the area. The food is outstanding and since it sits right off the square in Sonoma, there’s a great opportunity to spend some more time checking this area out.

Bouchon Bakery

Oh, my! This small bakery is an institution and a must do when traveling through Yountville. You’ll know it by the line of people out the front door, but don’t let that discourage you, they move them through pretty efficiently. This bakery is owned by Chef Thomas Keller, the same chef from the prestigious French Laundry.

CHECKING OFF THE BUCKET LIST

We checked off two big items from our bucket list while in Napa. The first was a hot air balloon ride! Yeah, this one’s been on the list for a while and we couldn’t think of a better place to take a ride in a hot air balloon then over Napa Valley. We lifted off from Yountville in the heart of the valley with Napa Valley Aloft. It was everything we both expected and more. Effortlessly floating in the air looking down at the valley with a light fog and the sun rising from the east. I could do this every day of my life and never get tired of it.

The other bucket list item was a visit to Alcatraz. We were able to get to San Francisco fairly easily by taking the ferry from Vallejo. It’s about an hour ride and takes you right to the pier and a short walk to catch the ferry to Alcatraz. There’s so much history and mystery to Alcatraz. The location where it’s at in the middle of San Francisco Bay. The fact that no one ever escaped from Alcatraz (or did they). The high profile criminals that spent time there like Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly. All these stories seem to come alive once you’re inside the walls of the prison. Yet the grounds around the prison give a very contrasting perspective, with the beautiful gardens and bird sanctuaries. And then there’s the views of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge that you get from the island. Overall, this was a pretty cool experience.

Once back at the dock, it’s a great opportunity to explore Fisherman’s Wharf or other parts of San Francisco. Many transportation options are readily available. We shared a bowl of Cioppino overlooking the bay at Fog Harbor Fish House and then went over to the Boudin Bakery to watch them make their famous sourdough bread. That’s a smell that will sit with you for a while!

Napa was different then what we expected. The majority of wineries in the region are small family operations which were very welcoming and focused on personalized experiences. We felt comfortable and and were greeted with people willing to share their stories and teach us about wines and the wine making business. There was nothing intimidating or pretentious about this. However, the Napa Valley itself is busier than we expected. The rolling hills of vineyards are shared with lots of cars traveling the roads and busy towns, rather than simply a rural farming region.

Be sure to check out all of our pictures from Napa and beyond.