Lake Tahoe to Napa Valley
Jun 16th, 2009 | 01:11 PM
#1
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Lake Tahoe to Napa Valley
we are going to be driving from North LAke Tahoe to San Francisco. How far out of our way would we be going if we wanted to stop in Napa Valley? i was thinking for a late lunch - wine tasting. especially interesting would be at a vineyard that explains how wine is made. thanks much
Jun 16th, 2009 | 03:54 PM
#4
Joined: Jun 2009
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wow...a bit harsh don't ya think. Sorry about your friend but you shouldn't take it out on somebody asking for advice on a travel forum. Again my deepest sympathies.
SF is about 3.5 hours from Lake Tahoe (without traffic). The Napa Valley is roughly 15 - 45 minutes from I-80 (depending on where exactly you want to go). Almost any vineyard will talk to you about how wine is made. If you want to go on a tour then that is different.
SF is about 3.5 hours from Lake Tahoe (without traffic). The Napa Valley is roughly 15 - 45 minutes from I-80 (depending on where exactly you want to go). Almost any vineyard will talk to you about how wine is made. If you want to go on a tour then that is different.
Jun 16th, 2009 | 07:30 PM
#7
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i am sorry about your loss sf7307. i am not sure what kind of wine tasting you thought i had in mind but a taste to me is a couple of sips. we were certainly not thinking of spending the day drinking and getting into a car to drive. thanks for the advice everyone. mondavi sounds like a great idea. i do want to do a tour. do you think that's the best? we are making a quick detour so about one vineyard is all i was thinking of. i would love to have a couple of days because there are quite a few i would like to visit.
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Jun 16th, 2009 | 07:35 PM
#8
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mwoodrowe, I think the only way to see the "innards" of a winery (as opposed to just tasting the wine, which you pay for) is to do the tour. Mondavi is in a very good/easy location. After touring Mondavi, you might cross the Oakville Crossroad (which meets Rte. 29 perpendicularly right at the entrance to Mondavi), and make your way to San Francisco via the Silverado Trail (always less traffic than Rte. 29).
Sorry for being on my "high horse". Please just be careful.
Sorry for being on my "high horse". Please just be careful.
Jun 17th, 2009 | 02:14 AM
#9
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I prefer Sonoma Valley over Napa Valley. It is much more scenic and less crowded. Furthermore, the wine tastings and guided tours are much smaller and more intimate. At Mondavi (or other large Napa wineries), expect to share the tasting with half a dozen tour buses.
I know some wineries in Kenwood, Sonoma Valley:
Kunde has a good tour and a sit-down premium tasting with cheese and chocolates: www.kunde.com
Kaz is family-owned, small, intimate, down-to-earth: www.kazwinery.com
Chateau St. Jean is a gorgeous building with regular and premium tasting: www.chateaustjean.com
Mayo offers a seven-course menu with wine pairings: www.mayofamilywinery.com
There are many more. Here is a list:
http://www.bestinsonoma.com/wineries_list.html
I know some wineries in Kenwood, Sonoma Valley:
Kunde has a good tour and a sit-down premium tasting with cheese and chocolates: www.kunde.com
Kaz is family-owned, small, intimate, down-to-earth: www.kazwinery.com
Chateau St. Jean is a gorgeous building with regular and premium tasting: www.chateaustjean.com
Mayo offers a seven-course menu with wine pairings: www.mayofamilywinery.com
There are many more. Here is a list:
http://www.bestinsonoma.com/wineries_list.html
Jun 17th, 2009 | 05:26 AM
#11
Joined: Mar 2009
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Yes, Napa is much closer than Sonoma on your route, and the Mondavi winery is one of the first you reach as you enter the valley from I-80. Way back when we lived in the Bay Area, we used to take visitors on two tours...Mondavi for a more contemporary approach to winemaking, then up Hwy 29 just a little bit to Beaulieu for a look at a longtime, more historic winery.
Jun 17th, 2009 | 06:05 AM
#12
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Napa is closer than Sonoma. I also prefer Sonoma. Mondavi barely makes any wine that is even remotely drinkable. Many places offer tastings & tours, it just depends on how much time you have, & how far you plan to venture from SF. As far as the snide remarks proffered by sf. Aside from having a DD, you can also spit. I hope you don't plan on similar diatribes on every wine tasting post from here on out.
Jun 17th, 2009 | 06:37 AM
#14
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I had to laugh . . . . "<blue>SF is about 3.5 hours from Lake Tahoe (without traffic</blue>. " . . . . - Um -- when exactly would there be no traffic??
If you are driving down in the early AM (presumably) on a weekday you'll hit massive traffic from Auburn to Sacramento and again most of the way on I-80 to your turn off to Napa. I'd count on at least 3 hours just to the hwy 12 cut off to hwy 29. And maybe more.
Plan your drive to hit Auburn/Sacramento after 9 AM - there will be traffic but not horrendous traffic.
Also - the day of the week makes a difference. Weekends are better except - Sunday can have REALLY bad traffic all the way from Tahoe to just above Auburn. But it is worst in the afternoon. So a Saturday would be the easiest, and a Sunday morning wouldn't be bad.
If you are driving down in the early AM (presumably) on a weekday you'll hit massive traffic from Auburn to Sacramento and again most of the way on I-80 to your turn off to Napa. I'd count on at least 3 hours just to the hwy 12 cut off to hwy 29. And maybe more.
Plan your drive to hit Auburn/Sacramento after 9 AM - there will be traffic but not horrendous traffic.
Also - the day of the week makes a difference. Weekends are better except - Sunday can have REALLY bad traffic all the way from Tahoe to just above Auburn. But it is worst in the afternoon. So a Saturday would be the easiest, and a Sunday morning wouldn't be bad.
Jun 17th, 2009 | 07:35 AM
#15
Joined: Jun 2009
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Not sure what is so funny...I've done that drive dozens of times. Sometimes it takes 3 hours & sometimes it takes 5 hours.
The OP said they wanted to arrive for a late lunch which I assume means 1 - 2 pm which we put him/her into Sacramento around 11:30 - 12. Well past commute times in most cases. 3.5 hours is a fair estimate of time to SF (without detour).
The OP said they wanted to arrive for a late lunch which I assume means 1 - 2 pm which we put him/her into Sacramento around 11:30 - 12. Well past commute times in most cases. 3.5 hours is a fair estimate of time to SF (without detour).
Jun 17th, 2009 | 09:38 AM
#17
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1) I didn't think my remarks were snide, I thought and continue to think they are correct. I think most tasters don't "spit". 2) With no traffic, 3.5 hours from Tahoe to SF is accurate, problem is there is at least some traffic most of the time, and tons of traffic some of the time.
Jun 17th, 2009 | 11:13 AM
#19
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i would suspect knowing my group that we would probably leave north lake tahoe around 10-11 on a sat am. i tried to check the map to see how we would drive and i thought being north we'd bypass sacramento. maybe i was wrong? the tasting is not the main reason for us to go..i'd like to see the vineyards and get some info on how the wine is made. if i had some time to spend & driving was not an issue, i'd pick out some of the wineries i heard of and do some serious tasing. and i would also go to sonoma too. i am not all that familair with california wines. the point was to get a little exposure to the area as we've never been.
Jun 17th, 2009 | 11:27 AM
#20
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i tried to check the map to see how we would drive and i thought being north we'd bypass sacramento.
Unfortunately, you won't be north, you'll be mostly east. There is really only one way to get from N. Lake Tahoe to San Francisco, and that's via Rte. 80, which goes right through Sacramento, etc. Heading west Saturday around noon will be better than rush hour, of course, and better than heading east, but there will still be traffic. For the route, in mapquest, type in from Truckee, CA to Oakville, CA.
Unfortunately, you won't be north, you'll be mostly east. There is really only one way to get from N. Lake Tahoe to San Francisco, and that's via Rte. 80, which goes right through Sacramento, etc. Heading west Saturday around noon will be better than rush hour, of course, and better than heading east, but there will still be traffic. For the route, in mapquest, type in from Truckee, CA to Oakville, CA.
