Hi ! We are planning a trip to Napa-Sonoma. We like wines. How does one find a recomendation for which wineries to visit ? We aren't interest in a programed tour, nor a tour of the winery. We just want to taste - not get drunk, and purchase some wine. Are not adverse to paying some money, but not $75, like I saw a one place ! We are more interested in the smaller places. I have googled everything and am overwelmed with the # of places. Any reccomendations ? Thank you

Since you say that you like wine, I would begin by concentrating on those wineries whose wine you like. Get a book - Frommers (sorry Fodors) has a California Wine Country Book, or Access Is a good series. Write to the tourism boards for maps, etc. Or just go, and stop where you please.

Well, I am sitting in a hotel in the Napa Valley at this very moment. We arrived yesterday afternoon on our first trip and just went scouting.

I would not recommend just stopping where you please since the number of attractive places mean that you could not drive more than about 5 miles a day.

On the other hand, don't succumb to analysis paralysis. We have a list of four musts (one per morning, one per afternoon) for two days, day three then becomes a free day for going to places we spot.

Great theory.I'll let you know if it works!

Marcilee,Ackislander has it right--four a day with a long lunch/rest stop is about max. You might try some of the "appt only" wineries: Stony Hill if you like whites--they are small, but on a hillside above the Valley; Shafer for a lovely sit-down tasting. Both well worth the price.

Many wineries will charge a tasting fee but will refund it (or not charge it at all) if you purchase at least a bottle of wine.

Everyone has their favorite wineries or wines. Which type wines do you like best? The Rutherford Bench area is known for their fine cabernet grapes. (I like Peju Winery in this area). Check at the Visitor Center in the city of Napa and you will get appropriate suggestions.

It's easy to be overwhelmed.

First decide what varietals or styles (eg. Bordeaux or Rhone) you are interested in and focus on smaller producers of those, since that seems to be your focus. The Napa and Sonoma growing regions are broken down into many smaller growing areas known as "American Viticultural Areas" (AVA's) and many of these have their own web sites where you can search for member wineries by varietal type. You many want to limit yourself to some of these "focus" areas and save others for a future trip. Order maps from some of the web sites or even AAA (they do have specific wine region maps) and plan your route in advance.

Included in Napa you have the AVA's of Carneros (Los Carneros), Atlas Peak, Yountville, Rutherford, and Diamond Mountain among others. When in the Napa region get off Hwy 29 some of the time and travel on the Silverado Trail.
Suggested links:
http://www.calwineries.com/explore/regions/napa-valley
http://www.silveradotrail.com/
http://www.napavintners.com/wineries
yountville.com/

Included in Sonoma you have the AVA's of Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valley among others.
Suggested links:
sonomawine.com
sonomavalleywine.com
wineroad.com
rrvw.org
wdcv.com
alexandervalley.org

Also check sites such as: http://www.winecountrygetaways.com/aboutus.html
This site lists suggested routes or "trails" with stops along the way and also has other good info.

Also check sites such as:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/taste/intro.phtml
http://www.winepros.org/wine101/grap.../varietals.htm
http://www.zinfandel.org/
http://www.rhonerangers.org/
http://www.harvestfair.org/pro_wines.php
http://www.sfgate.com/bestofclass/
http://www.vinography.com/

Bottom line... it all comes down to what you enjoy! Go out and taste and try some different varietals as well. You might find something different appeals to you. Your palate and that of a wine judge may be very different.

All of the wineries are wonderful in Napa Valley, just come and try them!

Thank you all, for so much help !

We just returned form 3 days in the wine country, we really enjoyed our time at Nicholson Ranch, we did the Reserve tasting in the private room for $20/tasting, we lingered here out on the back patio in the comfy wicker chairs with beautiful, sweeping views of the vineyards. Amazing Pinot Noir here, we sampled 3 Pinots, a Rose and a Merlot, it was very relaxing and nice rest from the bustling tasting room, my husband set this up and it was one of our favorite tasting experiences of our trip! ***kim***

marcielee,

Our favorite one in Napa is Del Dotto... check it out. Their wine is spectacular!!

Have fun

For smaller & off the beaten path, try Regusci.

We just returned from a week long SF trip and spent one day in Napa area. We anly did 3 small wineries and enjoyed them all.

Artessa - very modern settings into the side of a hill, the best views around and they offer several tasting options staring at about $12 perperson for a four wine taste.

Mumm - Nice small "sparkling wines" (not my favorite taste), but my wife enjoys sparkling. Nice grounds and a wonderful helpful staff and great outdoor sunny seating / tasting area.

Neibaum / Coppola - Francis Ford Coppola's winery - Took the grounds tour and a 5 wine taste here and loved it all. Nice history to the estate and very good red wines. Go to upstairs small museum to see his "Tucker" What a great car.

We did a nice lunch at the Rutherford Grill which is across the road from Coppola winery. Make sure to get the Cornbread skillet for an appetizer.

Hi Marcielee,

It sounds like you're looking to get off the beaten path, so northern Sonoma County might be a good bet for you.

The vineyards in the Russian River Valley and Dry Creek Valley have some great, low-key, no-pressure tasting rooms. Preston Vineyards, for instance, is a neat family-run spot, where you might pick up something at the farm stand before sipping some reds. David Coffaro is no-frills and known for interesting blends using less-familiar grape varietals.

If you're curious about the biodynamic movement, head over to De Loach Vineyards---granted, you'd go on a tour but it's not your standard intro-to-wine spiel.

If you want to go even farther afield, look up to the Anderson Valley. This is a couple of hours away from SF and the area feels undiscovered. Places like Husch Vineyards are definitely a far cry from the polished, corporate-feeling tours of some of the Napa strongholds.

By the way, the Coppola property mentioned above, now called Rubicon Estate, is pretty splashy, focused on organized tours. May not be to your liking.

Happy sipping!