Donna Cala

Hi, I will be spending three days in Napa in October. I would like to visit 4 or 5 wineries. Can you give me your favorites? Also what other activites are there to do?
Thanks

Meg

My favorite winery tour was at Silver Oak. Tours must be reserved and the number of people on each tour is limited - so it was almost a private tour. Their number is 707/944-8808. We will be there again next month and hope to see the Opus One winery. My restaurant suggestion is Tra Vigne in St. Helena - make a reservation. Have a great trip.

Kat

Favorite Wineries for Touring in Napa:

Clos Pegase
Merryvale
Domaine Chandon
Mondavi

jen

I loved V. Sattui in Napa. Great grounds, wine and food. The people there were also extremely friendly and helpful. Have a great time!

msm

Try Peju Province - a wonderful small winery (great 97 Chardonnay). I liked Mustards restaurant. I would second the vote for V. Sattui.

francesca

You may be surprised by the prices in California if you are used to wine tasting in France--we were. Here, you pay below retail because you are buying from the owner. In California, you pay at least retail price, sometimes a few dollars more, for the pleasure of buying and tasting in a slick "winery", often with a shop, "art" exhibits, etc. If you really like a particular wine, it may be worth buying a few cases at the market instead of the winery. In short, we found the wine absolutely wonderful, but the tasting/touring experience a bit of a rip-off.

Monica Richards

For the most unique wines, V. Sattui can't be beat. They are even reasonably priced. St. Supery has a good tour of a modern winery, and lots of info on how to taste wine--what you are tasting, how to define flavors, etc. A tour not to miss, however, is the Schramsburg champagne cellars. You will have to call ahead and make a reservation for the tour--usually just the day before is adequate so you can do it when you get there. They take you on a tour of the cellars, etc, but it's the tasting that's the best. For $7.00 per person you get to sit in a very nice majogany/ antique furnished room and taste three full glasses of champagne. This champagne is great, too. It's won countless awards, and is served at the White House during presidential dinners. It's even affordable, at $25.00 per bottle if you decide to take some home. I liked this tour the best because it's unique and classy.

Monica

Sharon

So many wineries so little time. I like Sterling, which is reached by gondola so you have a view of Napa Valley and the winery is monastic with stained glass windows lighting the barrel rooms. Beringer is very old with a history and you can buy some spectacular cabernets that are sold at the Rhine House only. I would try to tour and eat at Domaine Chandon which has exquisite gardens and a fabulous restaurant. A different champagne with every course! If you can go to Sonoma as well, I would go to Ferrari Carano, about the most beautiful of all the wineries. You can read about vineyards by doing a extensive search on the net. Napa is close to silicon valley and most vineyards have some sort of internet presence. Try Robin Garr's wine site as well. Balloon rides over the valley are appealing but very weather dependent. While you're so close, go to Muir Woods...awesome.

Michael Timmermann

While Napa has the greater name recognition, I would recommend neighboring Sonoma Valley instead. Napa Valley gets as many visitors a year as Disneyland, while nearby Sonoma has few crowds. As a result, the tasting rooms don't resemble a popular bar at happy hour. You get more time with the people pouring the wine and the experience is more pleasant and less rushed. (It's also cheaper--few wineries in Sonoma charge for tasting, as opposed to their Napa.) Favorite winery in Sonoma is Kenwood.

If you do go to Napa, try to avoid the weekend and Hwy 29. Instead, drive down Silverado road, which runs parallel to Hwy 29 about a mile to the east.

E North

I would second the recommendation to Sterling Winery - the wines were not spectacular, but the view from the winery porch is excellent - you can sit outside, order wine and cheese and see the whole valley spread out below you.

Deborah

I agree with a bunch of the above posts--but when you ask about "best" wineries, do you mean ones that have a good tour, or ones that are the most picturesque or what? The variety of responses seem to identify those different explanations of "best". I agree-don't miss V. Sattui for lunch and decent wine. Clos Pegase is a marvelous setting (art) although we haven't loved the wine from there as much as we keep hoping. For wonderful tasting experiences, we recommend the small wineries Ehlers Grove, Stonegate and Folie a Deux--they don't distribute alot, so those wines can't be found all over...

It is true that the expense seemed to be more than the usual we spend in the stores, but we see it as part of the whole experience of being in Napa and being on vacation...

Have a wonderful time! And if you have a chance, don't miss a "spa experience" in Calistoga... great mineral and mudbaths complement the wine oh-so-well!