Day 1: arrive from SFO late. The weather was clear, but hubby wouldn?t stop for photos at the golden gate. Sometimes he?s a real pisser. We arrived in Napa at 9:30, dinner at Rings (Embassy Suites). The food was good, though the service was a little slow at this time.
Lobster ravioli and grilled chili chicken, both enjoyed after a long journey.

We took advantage of our hotels complimentary made to order breakfast during our stay. It saved us some cash! It was a nice hotel with a decent location, not many kids running around. The rooms were clean and the beds very comfy! A big plus in my book. Plus a fridge!

Day 2: winery tour with Napa Winery Shuttle. Andy was very accommodating for all 10 of us. We had a great time, the group was fun!
Andretti-pretty site, wines so-so.
BV-very informative, pourers were friendly and generous, great wines. But do the reserve tasting. This is where you get a feel for the quality, rather than run of the mill.
St. Helena Olive Oil-we dallied at BV and missed this one, but the others said it was fun.
V. Sattui- I like the sweet wines, great deli and picnic area!
Milat-estate wines, nice tour by the owner, good wines.
Neibaum-Coppola-beautiful grounds, tour was OK, the pourers were snooty. Do the reserve tasting here too.
Mumm-awesome samplers, and the art exhibit was worthwhile too.
Esquisse-don?t bother

Most of the tasting were about $5 each. But we did have some coupons I found on the web.

Dinner at Foothills Café- we almost didn?t get there. After all the tasting, we were ready to crash! But we did go, though it was a little hard to find. This place is a gem and worth visiting. I had some shrimp/pasta which was awesome. Hubby had some halibut, his portion was a little small (he?s a big eater). But the food and atmosphere were great. Good stop!

Day 3: drive to the coast through Petaluma and Sebastopol. Ended up at River?s End for a late lunch. What a pretty little restaurant! I had a grilled tarragon chicken sandwich on a croissant. Hubby had some ale fish and fries. Both awesome. The only bummer was the weather. It was foggy! We did stop at the Goats Head beach, but it ruined our photo opportunity. We could see the seals from the restaurant, but the fog was too thick for picture taking. We drove back along the Russian River, continued North on Westside Dr. Stopped at Kiln Hop for a taste and photo of the unique structure. Continued up to Clos Du Bois, our favorite. The pourer was a little snooty, but the wine is good. Nice gift shop too.

Got back in time to enjoy the Manager?s reception at our hotel. Enough Cosmos and hors douvres, and we didn?t need to go out for dinner. We opened a bottle of wine and enjoyed our crackers and cream cheese garlic dip from V. Sattui.

Day 4: Started the day with a drive up 29 to Beringer. Got there early enough for the first tour. We consume a lot of Beringer wine, so it was only fitting that we make this a stop in Napa. We enjoyed the informational tour, and the two tastings. Yes, it was only two, but it was early Saturday, and we really didn?t want to get started with too much alcohol. Headed back south with a stop at Mondavi. Wow, too expensive, and are their wines that good??? Continued south towards SF. Stopped at Domaine Carneros for a wine and cheese sampler. Talk about snooty! But, It was an interesting experience.

Again we were foiled by the weather. We arrived back in SF around 3pm only to find the Golden Gate partially shrouded by a dense fog that continued to roll in off the ocean. What's the story with this anyway???? We took a lot of photos anyway.

Checked into our airport hotel for the last night, and decided to dinner close to our location. Try Pisces (650-401-7500)if you like trendy. It was quaint building, decorated precisely but all these adjectives mean ?expensive?. My husband hates trendy, but managed to enjoy himself. Talk about presentation! My scallops were prepared perfectly, served on a half shell, over a bed of sea kelp. Too bad it wasn?t some pasta or risotto. Better fill up on the bread and appetizers. The sampler appetizer was delish too, but left us wanting for more. Yes, the four stars in the Mobil travel guide are probably warranted, but be careful or you will leave hungry. The desserts were awesome! Gotta have the warm waffles with spicy pears and whipped cream for topping. Also the Chocolate crème pot was delish.

It was a great little place, but not exactly what we were looking for.

Day 5: early exit from the west coast. Too early!

All in all, the trip went well. The weather was awesome, and we hated to return to humid Atlanta. The nightmarish cancelled flights with Delta are another story!

We will be back to N. California. It was beautiful, and we didn?t see nearly as much as we wanted to.

Thanks for all the advice. Maybe next time we?ll make it to Berkeley. I?d rather stay in St. Helena too, it is a quaint little town, with streetside shops, and I wouldn?t be afraid to walk around after dark.

And, after talking with several other folks, I was told not to miss Cakebread, Sterling, and Duckhorn. So, if you go to Napa, put these on your agenda, and don't regret missing some of the finer small wineries. Ciao!