wildcat

We have 3 days to spend in the California wine country the 1st part of Ocotober. I've been reading lots of advice from other posters but am unsure which area I should concentrate on. We have never visited this area before so this will be a first. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

sls15

I'm sure the CA people will have more detailed answers for you, but for what it's worth, I enjoyed Sonoma much more than Napa on my trip a few years ago. I found the people friendlier, more relaxed, and generally more pleasant. The wine was just as good, and not as expensive, and the crowds were not as bad in Sonoma.
If you have 3 days, I might suggest to start in Sonoma, check out Napa, and then spend the last day wherever you had a better time...
Have a wonderful time, wine country is beautiful!

kikahead

Sonoma, Napa, St Helena, Rutherford, etc are all so close you could go to wineries in any and all of them. I would go not by area, but select what wineries/sights you are interested and then build your itinerary based on location.

Grasshopper

Wildcat, I'd stay in Healdsburg and visit the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek and Russian River wineries. You can also drive through Guernville to Armstrong Redwoods and visit the old grove, go on out to the coast and see Bodega Bay and have a nice seafood lunch. It all makes for a pretty drive. If you want to venture over to Napa from there, it's another nice drive.

www.wineroad.com

Kate_W

Grasshopper:

Any suggestions for my upcoming visit to the region? My sister and I are travelling on a budget, using some hotel points etc, in late September, and our travel dates for wine country would be Friday-Sunday. I understand the traffic can be horrific on the weekends, and I think our visit might coincide with a festival in Santa Rosa. I'm leaning toward chain hotels rather than cozy B&Bs (this isn't a romantic trip) because I can either use or acquire points, and was considering the Hampton Inn-Fairfield and the Santa Rosa-Hilton (available on points, other Hiltons unavailable or too expensive). (We might stay at both). Should we start in Sonoma/Santa Rosa, then head over to Napa on the Saturday, and then perhaps head north and west toward the coast on Sunday? Or vice-versa?

Grasshopper

Kate, There are several budget motels (ie Motel 6) in Santa Rosa. Sometimes I've stayed at the Embassy Suites in San Rafael. Keep in mind, it's only about half an hour to Healdsburg from there. Then if you use the interactive map on the website I indicated, you can plan lots of winery visits. Frankly any of the wineries in the Dry Creek/Russian River/Alexander Valley area are less crowded and they are all beautiful. (And after a few, they start to seem rather the same) What I like to do is intermingle them with other activities; like Armstrong Redwoods, lunch at Chateau Souveraign, a hike around Sonoma Lake, bicycling. Favorite wineries for me are Alexander Valley Vintners, Ferrari Carano, Raffanelli, Seghesio, Hop Kiln, Davis Bynum, Korbel (for the tour and gardens).... do you need more?

Have a great weekend.

kvick

Wildcat and Kate W--

My wife and I stay at the Doubletree in Rohnert Park when we visit northern California's wine country. It's large, and geared more for business travelers, but Hilton Honors points should work there.

Rohnert Park doesn't offer the charm of old Sonoma or Healdsburg if that's what you're looking for. As far as I can tell, it's a newer, bedroom community sort of place, but the hotel is quiet and well located for travels. East is the Sonoma Valley; northwest is Dry Creek, Russian River, the coast or even the Alexander Valley.

Where to go is a matter of personal preference. We think Napa is too often more about prestige than the love of wine. There are notable exceptions, but many Napa wineries seem to have some sort of contest who can over-oak whites the most, who can produce the most alcoholic reds, and who is the "toniest" place in the valley.
Sonoma and points west would be our choice.

Whatever you decide, you've picked a wonderful time of year to visit this area. There will be lots of activity at the wineries and you will certainly meet many other wine lovers -- on a weekend maybe too many.
Drink good wines and eat fine meals.

wildcat

Grasshopper:

Thanks for the reply and for sharing some of your favorite things.

vivi

We were recently up in the Alexander Valley area, just lovely and not frantic like Napa. The Geyserville Inn was a good location. Not very fancy, more Holiday Inn-like than a boutique hotel, but the rates were reasonable.

I would not like to stay in San Rafael and get stuck in Hwy 101 traffic snarls. It took us 2 hours to go from Marin to Geyserville in early August.

keithp

wildcat, hopefully your time there will be on a weekend. It is a much better experience when the tasting rooms are not jam packed wiht tour buses and rt. 29 is not bumper to bumper. We really like Yountville and Calistoga on the Napa side but try to avoid that side on a weekend. Sonoma as the other posters have noted is more gentile. In Calistoga, stay at a fun downtown spot like Mount View or Doc Wilkersons and enjoy the spas. In Yountville, try the Maison Fleurie and Bistro Jeanty for dinner. Also, try to hit the wineries on Spring Mt outside of St helena. They are not well known but should be. Google Spring Mountain wines and you hit the jackpot. ON the Sonoma side, we love Santa Rosa. For dinner, go to Willie's Wine Bar. It was the best meal we had out there last month and the cheapest. Enjoy.

Kate_W

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I've printed this thread, and will do so more research this weekend.

wildcat

I love reading all the good information provided from this site. Thanks to all who have taken the time to reply to my post!