winehelp23

Hello! I want to take my husband on a (surprise) 30th Birthday trip to California Wine Country and I have no idea where to start planning. He is very into wines (reads wine magazines, collects wine, etc) and I want him to have an amazing trip. I don't know if we should got to Napa or Sonoma? Where should we stay? Can anyone recommend wine tours (where someone else drives - I heard platypus tours is good)? We like to go to down-to-earth, less touristy places. And we like good food. I would welcome any suggestions. Thank you!

LLindaC

A pretty good place to start is with a tour book. We've been 4 times in 5 years and love it. I don't think you really need to tour. Remember- you sip and taste. You can share tastings, spit or pour as you go. Take food and water with you in the car. How many days are you planning? If you have 5 days, I suggest 3 in Sonoma and 2 in Napa to get a feel for each. Since he is into wine (a good thing!) he may have some favorites he wants to visit. Some require appointments- especially Napa. Expect to pay tasting fees and steeper ones in Napa. We prefer Sonoma and even enjoy Lodi very much. There are many areas to visit, not just the 2 biggies. You can easily avoid all the touristy, big wineries and have a marvelous time. Often, we stop at tiny wineries, get our map out, then ask where to visit. We've made our very best discoveries this way. I'm going to top my last trip report for you; even go to tripadvisor and look for suggestions on the Sonoma board. For food and wine lovers, it's a great place!!

winehelp23

Thank you!

kleroux

I would stay in Healdsburg (Sonoma County). Its a cute town with great restaurants, shopping and wine tasting rooms around the square. Then you can tour the area and discover all the little wineries that are too small to send their wine outside of California. I love Preston in the Dry Creek area. You can make a day trip to the Napa area easily and visit some wineries there without moving your stuff. There are great hotels and B&B's in Healdsburg. The Madrona Mannor might be a great place to stay in..or Hotel Healdsburg... Anyway..you'll have fun where ever you stay but book early since its a popular place to visit.

Perigrinator

Hi, all Wine Country is nice! Sonoma (Sonoma Town) and Healdsburg are just great as starting points. The Lodge at Sonoma (www.thelodgeatsonoma.com) is nice as is The Sonoma Mission Inn (www.fairmont.com/sonoma); Hotel Healdsburg is OK - nice hotel but service needs to be worked out; Madronna Manor, I second, though have not stayed there in two years. As for wine tours, a great one is called "Vintage Chrome Tours" at www.vintagechrometours.com. Eric runs this tour company and you can tour in antique cars and he will do a special tour for you if you tell him what kind of wine your husband likes, what kind of places you like, etc! Not that I'm ruling out Napa - but you said you wanted more down to earth and that is Sonoma town. Napa is just great too! The Napa River Inn is nice as is The Carneros Inn. Once you decide where you want to go, post it and I'm sure we can all give you restaurant recommendations! Good luck in the planning!

sweet_polly

I love Sonoma...and more specifically, The Inn At Sonoma. Lovely, clean, wonderful free breakfast and happy hour every day, and walking distance to many nice restaurants and shops. I would hire a limo to take me around rather than take a tour bus to the wineries (they're really not that bad...and you won't look/feel so much like lemmings/tourists)...plus, you will be able to dictate your own itinerary (or let your driver assist ou).

dovima

Dear winehelp23,

If you are starting your trip in San Francisco, it might be useful and amusing to visit a couple of wine bars in the city before striking out for the wine country. The wine bars and most good restaurants here tend to have wine lists balanced equally between Californian and other areas. You could identify and sample some favorites and earmark them for visiting later in your trip. If you are interested, let us know - I would be glad to suggest some wine bars and restaurants with excellent wine lists, and I'm sure others would contribute their thoughts. Lots of fans of the grape on this site.

wailuafalls

The Honor Mansion! Please consider staying at the Honor Mansion in Healdsburg. It is a gorgeous "resort inn" -- each cottage/suite has its own private deck and hot tub, as well as unique antique furnishings and beautiful bathrooms and fireplaces. My husband and I stayed there in September 2005 (in the Pool Suite) and we are going back in several weeks to stay in the Tower Suite. The Honor Mansion also serves tremendous, home-made breakfasts every morning with ingredients straight from the garden -- and every afternoon there is a wonderful wine and cheese hour that is not to be missed! I swear I don't work for them, haha -- I just love the place. Did I mention the heated pool, tennis courts and outdoor massage pavilion? Well worth the splurge. For food, I'd recommend Willi's Seafood (delicious, low-key) and Cyrus -- which is upscale, fabulous and easier to get into than French Laundry. Have a great trip!

elnap29

Both Sonoma and Napa areas are beautiful. Lodging can be expensive, but there are good alternatives. Call one of the reservation services in Napa or the visitor's bureau and they can suggest places in your price range. (For example, Washington Street Lodging in Calistoga has basic, clean, comfortable cottages 1 block from downtown - lots of rustic charm. There are also some unknown hotels on St Helena's main street that can be recommended). Check www.napavalley.com for lots of info and phone numbers. (We have used Platypus Tours and have really enjoyed it).

LLindaC

We stayed at the Grape Leaf Inn in Healdsburg and just loved it. It's a very short walk to Healdsburg square from there. We also stayed once at the Camillia Inn, which was nice, not as upscale. One time, we saved some money and stayed at the Best Western. It was fine, but I like a bit of luxury out there! Life is short! We have been to Willi's three times and just love, love it. You can make a reservation at www.opentable.com

trippinkpj

I like Sonoma and Glen Ellen. I haven't stayed at any inn there as we have friends and relatives in the area.

trippinkpj

FYI, this place looks great:
http://www.glenelleninn.com/

winehelp23

Thank you so much - I will run with these suggestions. Any thoughts on the Sheraton in Petaluma? Is it too far away from the action?

kleroux

Yes the Sheriton is a little far from all the action..which seems to take place North of Santa Rosa. I always suggest to visitors to check out www.sonomacountyvacations.com for private rentals that are often more interesting than hotels or B&B's. And can be a lot less money. I think they list their properties by cost, with cheaper ones being towards the end of the list. Be sure and spend plenty of time in Healdsburg. Its charming with lots of good restaurants, wine tasting bars and shopping !

razzledazzle

hi winehelp-
I have to disagree with kleroux about Petaluma-there is no way it's away from the action and it's absurd to say all the action is north of Santa Rosa.

The Sheraton is only 10-15 mins from the town of Sonoma, the wineries of the Carneros, Sonoma Valley, Kenwood and surrounding Sonoma itself. Petaluma is no slouch either. It has a wonderful downtown center-with some terrific restaurants.

The hotel is well sited on a marina
adjacent to the Petaluma river and a protected wetland sanctuary with 5 miles of walking paths.

You would be fine at the Sheraton !

R5

1JAR

The Four Sisters Inns have variety of options in Napa Sonoma. I personally like privacy of the quiet and spacious converted horse carriage rooms at Lavender Inn Sonoma with BIG private, romantic lounge chairs outside patio, for sipping your wine and you can use the nearby (2 blks away & nice walk 4 sisters Inn Maison Fleurie spa and pool. I like the location..easy enough to go almost anywhere on a day trip.

West Coast CIA(Culinary Institute of America) has wonderful lunches, menu and wine demos and I once went to the Copia in NApa and had a wonderful wine pairing course lunch.

Great deli menus can be purchased from OAkville Grocery: I especialy like Santa Rosa OG deli.

There is a Dean & Deluca on teh Road between NApa and Sonoma. Cheautea St Jean has a lovely garden area for picnics.

PAck a picnic and go for a hike in Armstrong Redwoods one day and don't forget to walk on the beach out at Bodega BAy.

winecountry.com has maps and resoures.

I saw MAcys Culinary Council member Andrea Robinson last Saturday (one of on;y 13 women sommliers in the world) and she recommended (inside tip) Iron Horse Winery

SallyJ

I lived in San Francisco for 18 years (moved 4 years ago ), and spent a lot of time in Napa because it is so quick to get to. I actually prefer the Napa side (maybe because I know it better).

My suggestion would be to rent a car for the weekend so you can easily stop at places that interest you. There is so much to see and do, and you really need a car to get between Sonoma and Napa and it is a gorgeous drive.

From San Francisco – drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and stop for a photo. Take the very first exit (Alexander?) after the scenic stop parking lot and drive through Sausalito to see the quant little city on the bay. Continue on highway 101 and go to Napa (from highway 101 turn onto highway 37) and make your first stop at Viansa.

Viansa Winery and gift shop is a fabulous Italian gift shop where you can taste all these local food products (which make great little gifts), as well as taste wine.

Visit Hess Winery and museum- if you like modern art, Hess has a wonderful collection and great wine tasting.

Lunch at Auberge de Soleil- It has one of the best views in the valley and great food for lunch or dinner. You can also just go for a drink and sit on their fabulous deck with the best view in town. They also have a sculpture park you can walk around.

Mondavi if you would like to see how wine is made. Very thorough tour.

Visit Rubicon Estate Winery (formerly Neibaum Coppola) - Francis Ford Coppola has a fabulous winery, gift shop and grounds. It is a beautiful historic building with some of the movie memorabilia from his films on display.

Beringer Winery is one of the original wineries and was built in 1876. They have a great tour of the caves where they age the wine, and then you end up in the historic house for a wine tasting and gift shop.

Domaine Chandon or Gloria Ferrer is a good tour if you want to see how they make champagne.

There are so many great places to pick up wonderful picnic items - Oakville Grocery, Dean and Deluca etc. and have a wonderful picnic. The Mondovi’s have a winery on top of a little hill called La Famiglia, and it’s a great place for a picnic. You have to buy a bottle of their wine, but they have picnic tables, bocce ball court, and a fabulous view.

For a special birthday dinner I would recommend The French Laundry or Auberge du Soleil.

You can't help but have a good time!

winehelp23

This is a ton of great info - thank you so much!

elnap29

Rereading your original post, I have a feeling your husband would definitely enjoy Napa Valley as there are many notable wines made there. If he is a collector and follows Wine Spectator closely, he is sure to have some curiousity about a number of wineries. I would definitely try a day with Platypus, as Don takes you to beautiful, less-touristy places and can plan the tour around wineries your husband wants to visit. It is also very easy for you to drive over to Sonoma area for the day. Or you can start with staying in Napa Valley and then move lodging to Sonoma County.
I do think that a true oenophile would like Napa Valley for his first trip.

caryanne

My husband and I have been to California Wine Country twice in the last 2 years - in August 2005 for just 3 days and then in November / December 2006 for 7 weeks. When we were planning our first trip, I found all the post about all the different wineries completely overwhelming and really didn't know how to plan a day or more of tasting, etc. Plus my husband was really worried about driving (yes, you can spit...but we'd much rather drink all that lovely wine!)

I STRONGLY recommend Burdick Vineyard Tours. (http://www.burdicktours.com/) We've used him twice and would go again in an instant. The first time we went just the 2 of us and it was great. The second time he had another couple booked as well and it was even better.

I would suggest booking the tour on your own and then once your husband is in on the surprise he can talk to John (the owner and one of the tour guides) about what he'd like your tour to include. For example, we love big reds and felt we were really wine amateurs. So he took us to some boutique wineries with some great red wines where we also got to have a great tour and learn a ton about the wine making / tasting process. It was amazing.

His tours include lunch (usually a picnic that he provides) and he is just so informative and great.

Good luck!