xxx

Going to San Francisco next week. We have a day or so to drive up to Napa or Sonoma. Any recommendations on which winery may be the best to visit in order to get a feel for that part of the country?

sharon

My favorite winery is perfect for a day trip from San Francisco, because it is at the southern end of Sonoma county... only about 35 miles from the city. Buena Vista Winery is the oldest premium winery in California, so it has wonderful history. As a bonus, the location just outside the small town of Sonoma, is beautiful and quintessential Sonoma.

http://www.buenavistawinery.com/

Liz

Pick 2 or 3 to visit, not all will be to your taste. We loved wine and tour at Ravenswood and Gundlach-Bundschu, didn't like anything about Buena Vista.
All are near Sonoma, which we really enjoyed.

kam

Ravenswood, Sebastiani and Cuvaison. Or do a tour with [email protected] to see exactly what you want to see.

Bob

If you want to see a beautiful property try the Ferrante-Carano (sp) property. Magnificent grounds.

Another very scenic one is Niebaum-Coppola, owned by director Francis Ford Coppola. The winery is on the historic grounds of the old Inglenook winery. The tasting room has a display of Coppola's Academy Awards for the Godfather movies plus other artifacts such as time Clark Cable and Carole Lombard visted the site in the 30s.Good place for a picnic outside and some wine.

Beringer Winery is in the old German home that is pictured on the bottle and is in a park like setting.

Mondavi does a quality tour and you can ride the cable car up to Sterling vineyards to take their tour.

Melissa Betron

Depends on what you're looking for too. Vi Sattui has a great place to picninc for lunch. Great tours are Benziger (not Beringer) in Sonoma has a great tour of the vineyard. Beringer and Mondavi in Napa have very good tours too if you really want to learn about the winemaking process. Lastly, Clos Pegase has the most unbelievable tour of the architecture, sculptures, grounds, etc. It's well worth a visit and not usually known around town. Call the vineyard for times fo the tour, it's limited. Enjoy!

Lizzie

The New York Times ran a piece on tasting rooms at vineyards this Wednesday - it should be under the restaurants section on www.nytoday.com. That might help you a bit. Also, has etiquette for wine tasting which was amusing and informative.

apseals

I liked Chateau St. Jean for the grounds and the wine and Kenwood for the red wine tasting in Sonoma.

Sal

We really enjoyed the tour of the Schramsburg winery, makers of sparkling wines and fine champagnes. They limit their tours to about 12 people so reservations are necessary. Included on the tour are thieir caves where the wine is aged, dug by Chinese immigrants. I believe this is the oldest winery in the valley. The tasting at the end of the tour is wonderful. St. Supery, IMO offers the most informative tour by well-educated guides. That's where I would start for a comprehensive overview of the process. Sattui has an incredible gourmet deli and La Famigilia di Robert Mondavi has a beautiful picnic area overlooking their valley, complete with linens and a bottle of wine. Reservations are necessary. All of these are in Napa.

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Monica

What Sal said. I feel exactly the same way. V. Sattui, great for lunch. Schramsburg, excellent champagne and a nice tour, definitely pay for the tasting afterwards (be sure to make reservations at least 24 hours in advance). St. Supery does have the most comprehensive tour and wine appreciation exhibit thing.

jason

Thanks for the ideas. We just got back and I took several of your suggestions including Ravenswood and Buena Vista. Unfortunately, we ony had time to go to Sonoma one afternoon. It was beautiful. Hopefully, we can return and experience more of the area. Thanks for help!