My wife and I are considering going to Napa this fall, but have heard from more than a couple of people that it's not really worth it anymore. We love wine and think we would enjoy it but have been told that some better places to go are in France. We live on the East coast so it's a long way for us either way. What do you guys think?

France? I guess you don't watch Bill O'Reilly on Fox.

The Napa Valley is a lot more expensive and crowded than it used to be but it's still a beautiful area. You need to know where you want to visit and you have to do some planning. But then you have to do that for France, too.

Why not just go out to the North Fork of Long Island in September? The vineyards are beautiful and they make some fantastic wines and it's a whole lot closer to you guys.

Another option is going to Oregon. There's tons of fine wineries and a real old-time hospitality feel to the area. And the wines are world class. Portland is a beautiful city and is very beer friendly if you're into that too.

So, avoid the Napa Valley and save your money. Oh, and it will be one less car on the road for us locals.

Napa would be a great part of a trip that includes San Francisco, Big Sur, and other California treasures. If you love wine and food, it is very much worthwhile, but it isn not France.

I prefer Sonoma County wineries over Napa unless you take in some of the wines on the Silverado Trail and definately go during the week and not weekends. Weekends are a mess in the wine country. I do agree about Oregon wineries. They are not as crowded and the wines are wonderful. Price wise - consider the value of the dollar in Euorpe right now.

Go to Napa!! and Sonoma too while you're out that way. It is a fantastic trip.

Given it would take you the same amount of time to go to France, I'd opt for France. That being said, if you do come to California, I'd suggest you consider Sonoma,Healdsburg and the Dry Creek area, and Mendocino. The Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast Pinots are some of the best. This area is considered the closest to Burgandy in its soil and weather conditions. Hotel prices are likely to be higher than in France as will food.

Who's Bill O'Reilly? And why is his opinion on France so important? Is he a noted travel writer or wine expert?

I live in California and I can't advise you one way or the other! Either way, it'll be a great trip!

If you do come to California, take PamSF and Shar's advice and do the "Sonoma" wineries as well as the Mendocino wineries, whether you include/skip Napa.

If you do go to France - well, at the moment, I have a thing for Alsacian wines, especially the local varieties.

Enjoy your trip! whichever way you go, you'll have good wine! Remember: In vino veritas!

GolfBall, pardon me for jumping on your thread but I have a similar question for Fodorites. My husband and I just planned a trip to San Francisco. We are going to stay at the Grandview Inn in Pacific Grove for 2 nights and then stay at the Prescott in SF for 4 nights. We have been told we will regret not staying overnight in Napa. If we did change our plans to stay over, we would need to go straight to Napa from Pacific Grove since we would have the car. We thought it might be too much driving and better to get to our hotel in SF and then get up the next morning and head to Napa for the day. What do you think?

If you can fit an overnight trip Napa or Somona easily into your plans Cerlaurie, it would be very nice. As to regreting it if you don't, I don't think so. I really hate it when I have made plans to go some place and someone tells me I will regret not doing something I hadn't planned on doing. Or worse even when I have been some place and someone tells me it is a shame I didn't go to such and such place or do such and such. As for GolfBall's original question, I would pick France over Napa in a heartbeat.

We just visited Napa and Sonoma Valleys for the first time a few days ago while in San Francisco for the long holiday weekend. My husband and I absolutely loved both Napa and Sonoma Valleys. The terrain is gorgeous, the people very friendly (I was worried that we would run into snobby "wine onnoisseurs" but that wasn't the case at all), and the vineyards and wineries gorgeous. The towns were cute and with lots of great restaurants. My only complaint is that we couldn't spend more time there. I definitely recommend a visit!

One word of advice though: we talked to a couple from the area and they said "harvest season" is the worst time to go and that the traffic is horrendous. I believe that would be in September or October, but I know its sometime in the fall. From what they said, I would find out when this time would be and then avoid it!

Tracy

Are there any restaurants you would recommend in Napa? Thanks.

If you have a chance to go exploring wines in France, pack your bags. We live near the Napa Valley and have made many trips there--and we always look at each other and say, "Wouldn't it be nice if this were Burgundy"? The Napa Valley isn't all that big; in France you have an entire country's wines to check out, not to mention all those terrific cheeses.

I've been to several wine regions in Europe (France and Italy) and found that Napa still has great appeal. Sure, its not Italy, but the area is still really pretty and has an appeal of its own.

We had reservations and ate at the restaurant at Domaine Chandon winery . The food was very good. We saw a lot of other restaurants around as well that looked pretty good and were crowded so I'm guessing that they were good! From one of the free Napa Valley magazines I picked up, there are several restaurants in the area owned by some celebrity chefs and are supposed to be super, but very expensive.

Thanks!
Tracy

What is the dress like at Domaine Chandon and in Napa in general? If we go just for the day, we want to make sure we are dressed properly for the wine tours but also dinner. Was Domaine Chandon very expensive?

Up-beat casual, nothing fancy needed except perhaps at someplace like the Auberge du Soleil, in which case what one tour guide once called " elegant California casual" might be appropriate.

Honestly, I have never been to Europe, but I was truly overwhelmed by how quaint and beautiful Napa was when I went there last spring. Even though it is far for you to go to France or California, I think you should check it out. The whole area is beautiful - Napa, Sonoma, plus you are so close to San Francisco. We loved the wineries, some of them truly are beautiful and the tours and tastings are great.

Hi Golf ball, my hubby is big golfer. We have been to many wine regions. I love France, but find it easier and more relaxing in Sonoma valley. We have been to Napa twice and we vow to never return. It is the Disneyland of wineries....some great vintages, but it's all tourists, traffic, tasting fees and lots of attitude. Sonoma is still charming; maybe not for long, eh? If you want a great adventure, do SouthAfrica's wine region around Cape Town. Long trip, but a bigger return on the dollar. Bottom lime....schedule a trip to Sonoma , then head up the coast to Mendocino (lovely) or maybe trek over to the Sierra Foothills, Amador County or Sutter creek, etc. Skip Napa. yes, they have great wine, great restaurants, but overall is NOT worth it. Let me begin with our 135.00 lunch at Auberge du Soleil with the roaring traffic as background......

Thanks to everybody for all the replies and good advice. Otis, sorry to disappoint you buddy, but we've decided on Napa and Sonoma. And yep, I'm an O'Reilly fan but would go to France anyway.

I would like at least a day to myself either golfing or exploring a redwood forest. Anything like that close by? And any hotel recommendations would be appreciated. My wife likes luxury.

A typical day for us in the Napa Valley would go like this:

Drive up from SF.
Stop at Taylor's Refresher in St. Helena for burgers.
Hit the following wineries, all right in a row: Turnbull, Cakebread, Sequoia Grove.
Try and wrangle a glass of Rubicon from the café at Niebaum-Coppola.
Dinner at Boucheron (Thomas Keller's cheaper and easier-to-get-into restaurant in Yountville).
Spend the night in a beauifully appointed cottage at the Cottage Grove Inn in Calistoga.

The next day takes us over the Matanzas Hwy to Sonoma Valley and all that fun stuff.

The Silverado Resort is in Napa Valley, too, by the way.

The tour at Schramsberg is super great, too. You need a reservation. The property is just south of Calistoga.

You might also consider the tour at Silver Oak. It's a trend winery and can get pretty crowded. But the tour is fun and they pour pour pour. And their wine certainly lives up to their rep.