We leave day after tomorrow so I promise this is my last question! We were going to go to the Battaglini vineyard and I know they were fine with us having our children (ages 6 and 9) with us. But after looking at them online I'm not to thrilled about Chardonnay so I think we may skip that one. Hubby and I both love red wine....Pinot Noir, Syrah etc. Any suggestions of vineyards in either Napa or Sonoma that would not require reservations for tastings for next week and wouldn't mind that we had our children with us? Thanks!

Oh, you should so go to the Battaglini vineyard. I went to college with Lidia Battaglini. You could tell her Dad Isaid hi! In my experience, wineries don't mind that you bring the kids, but the kids mind very much being brought. Mine are good for two wineries tops, and that second one can be dicey!

Okay...Now I'm changing my mind again...the Battaglini's sound like nice people too. I'm thinking 2 vineyards will be our limit....our children are used to traveling and are really well behaved. My 9 year old knows all about color, taste, swirling etc....but I'm sure two will be enough for them!

Does your 9 year old know about spitting it out as well? That's the really tough bit about tasting, I find.

The Battaglini winery has a nice large outside area too. What I would do with kids your kids ages is just leave them outside to chase lizards or whatever and then taste inside in peace. Also I've only ever bought the Battaglini reds so you're not limited to the Chardonnays. A second good winery for you is Ravenswood. http://www.ravenswood-wine.com/ They are known for their Zinfandel and they have a lot of great reds.

In Sonoma, we went to the Martin Ray Winery (the oldest in Sonoma County). They are right outside Santa Rosa. We don't like Chardonnay either. They make some excellent reds. They welcome children, have free unlimited tastings, and a great tour of both new & vintage wine-making equipment if that interests you. We really enjoyed it. They have a website.

Ledson has a great venue & you can even purchase stuff there for a picnic (or bring your own)www.ledson.com, www.ledsonwinery.com

What I would do with kids your kids ages is just leave them outside to chase lizards or whatever and then taste inside in peace.

Great idea if you have a babysitter with you.

Thank you all for your advice...I'm looking forward to drinking some good wine! Hubby will be driving so he can "spit"...I'm not going to commit "alcohol abuse" and spit out good wine...I'm going to enjoy it!

Try http://www.napavintners.com/maps/map...t_displays.asp

they have a pretty good breakdown of many Napa wineries according to different categories such as "kid friendly" etc. www.sterlingvineyards.com is one of my favorites for kids, another one is www.vsattui.com for the picnic grounds.