deniseR05e

I've just joined the forum and I've read several posts about California's Wine Country. I've learned some very interesting pointers! My husband and I are planning a trip to Wine Country for a few days in March from Thursday to Sunday. We'd like to be frugal, but splurge on dinner a couple of times during our stay. We'd prefer to stay at a B&B.

Here are my questions...
What airport should we fly into? (We live in Tampa.)
What kind of weather can we expect in March?
Where in Wine Country should we stay? Napa? Sonoma? Guerneville? Healdsburg? Santa Rosa?
Can you recommend a B&B?
Which winery is a must?
Which restaurants should we plan to have dinner at?

I also read how some people stay in SF and travel to Wine Country for a day trip. Should we plan to stay in SF or book our trip just in Wine Country?

Thanks so much!

ddreher

my wife and i spent 3 days in wine country last summer. the best winery experience that we had was at Sterling Winery. there is a tram that carries you up to the winery (you can download a coupon for 1/2 price). the wine was fine (not our favorite but the experience was great: view, tour, outside tasting on the balconey. i'll try to find the name of more of the wineries we visitied. without a doubt, the best meal that we had was lunch at the Wappo Bistro in Calistoga. here is the review that i posted on the virtual tourist website, an excellent place to find info on any locale.http://www.virtualtourist.com/

Restaurant Name: Wappo Bistro

When you visit Napa Valley wineries go directly to Calistoga which is at the top of the region. There are many excellent wineries in the area but the real treat is in downtown Calistoga just off the main drag.

We had one of our best lunches in years at Wappo Bistro. The outdoor seating was beautiful and the menu was outstanding. Right from the ice water (with lemon, lime, cucumber, orange, mint) the meal was special. The servings were more that generous and the presentation and preparation was superb.

Wish we didn't live so far away, it would be on our monthly list.

Favorite Dish: It was so difficult making a choice from the diverse menu. I settled on Brazilian Seafood Chowder (cod, shrimp, scallops in a tomato broth with coconut, peanuts, ginger, chile and cilantro). It was a huge bowl that could have easily served 2-3. I embarassed myself making organismic sounds with nearly every bite. Connie ordered Roasted Pasilla Chili Rellano stuffed with rice, currents, 3 cheeses, pinenuts served with a walnut and pomergranuate sauce.

Budman

We've always stayed in the Healdsburg area. If you want frugal, I would recommend using Priceline.com for your lodging. We got the Santa Rosa Hilton for about $55 one year, and the 4* Hyatt a previous year for around $75. Here are a couple of links to the area.

http://www.wineroad.com/
http://www.visitwineroad.com/

Barrel Tasting in the wineroad area is usually the first weekend in March, Fri thru Sun, and is a lot of fun, although it could get a bit crowded. This year I see they are expanding it to the 1st and 2nd weekends in March. http://www.wineroad.com/events/barreltasting.asp

A. Rafanelli is a must in my opinion. It is a small winery with a great reputation, and they make great wine. It gets crowded during barrel tasting. If you want to go at another time, you need to make a reservation. I just opened my last bottle of their wine this past weekend -- a 2002 Zin. It was incredible.

Weather in March will be in the 60's, could be rainy, could be warmer. Check weather.com right before you go.

Lots of great restaurants in Healdsburg. I'll let others chime in on that topic.

Fly into SFO for Sonoma/Guerneville/Healdsburg & Santa Rosa. Oakland might be better if you decide on Napa, or maybe even Sacramento if you could get a good fare.

kelliebellie

Healdsburg was great! We felt Napa was too big/crowded/industrial.

LLindaC

We've been 5 times in 5 years and always mix it up a little. With only four days, I'd base in Healdsburg area and drive across to Calsistoga for a day. Or base in Calistoga and drive to sonoma. I recommend the FootHill House in Calistoga for an incredible B7B experience. She will have offseason rates then, too. Read the reviews in Tripadvisor.com! We stayed at 2 B&Bs in Healdsburg, the Grape Leaf Inn and Camellia Cellars, the latter being a good bargain and location. There should be some trip reports on here...you might want to peruse various websirtes, too, such as Dry Creek Valley, Anderson Valley, Russian River, etc. We've been in early April- last year it rained every day. Not much foliage in the vineyards, but crowds are low. Personally, I'd rather drive from SAC than the other choices. There's never any traffic and the airport is easy. We fly Southwest and get great deals.