kduncan65

My wife and 2 girls (8 and 4) will be in the San Fran area for a week in mid-July and thought we would take in the wine region for a day. Any suggestions on routes for beautiful scenery maybe a winery to tour. We would be there on a Friday, coming up from Modesto. Not so much interested in wine tasting as we are just learning about wine making and seeing the area. We're from Alabama so this is all interesting to us. We've got to return to SF later that evening.

Ronda

Check out the just opened castle:

http://www.goldenhaven.com/wineries/...i_Amorosa.html

You can do a tasting there as well.

Reservations required and there is a fee. It is at the north end of the valley almost across from Sterling Winery.

The Sterling winery has a tram to the tasting room with great views of the valley. You do have to pay to ride the tram, but if you join their wine club before you go, the tram is free. There are also some coupons on their website:

http://www.sterlingvineyards.com/en-row/VisitSterling/

Two activities your girls might like and as a bonus, you get to wine taste.

hills27

Mondavi always has good tours for novices. I really learned a lot. I suggest making reservations.

Your girls might enjoy going to Old Faithful.

hills27

Oh, and the caves at Del Dotto are pretty cool. Tasting from the barrel really teaches you a lot.

JayZee

It will take you almost 3 hrs to drive from Modesto to Napa. For a scenic drive starting in Napa make your way to the Silverado Trail and head north towards Calistoga. Turn left on Oakville Cross Rd and left again on Hwy 29 then immediately right on Oakville Grade Rd that leads you west up the Trinity Grade. You’ll hit Hwy 12, just north of the town of Glen Ellen. From Glen Ellen take Arnold Drive or Hwy 12 to the Historic town of Sonoma.

Have an early dinner in one of the many restaurants around Sonoma Square prior to driving to SF. From Sonoma head south on Hwy 121 and turn west on Hwy 37. Follow Hwy 37 to Hwy 101 and south to SF.

Just a warning, this will be a long day driving from Modesto to Napa/Sonoma and ending up in SF.

Supercilious

Everyone assumes that Napa and Sonoma are "The Wine Country". If you are driving from Modesto to San Fran, you can stop for a few hours in Livermore. There are beautiful vineyards there and several world class wineries. It's right on your route off of I-580.

If you are from Alabama, why are you coming from Modesto? I seem to remember posts from you about Yosemite. By the way, there is more wine made in the Modesto area than Napa and Sonoma combined.

elnap29

We have family in Modesto and regularly drive there from Napa. It takes 2 hours. From the town of Napa, take Highway 29 up the Valley. It will take 20 to 30 minutes to get "Upvalley" from the town of Napa to Sterling Vineyards or the Castle mentioned. With kids, I would definitely go up Hwy 29 because there are many stopping places the girls might enjoy. There are other pretty wineries, too, like Peju - which has fountains and a moat and lovely gardens. Oakville Grocery and Rutherford Grill or Model Bakery in Saint Helena or Taylor's Refresher in Saint Helena are all good family-friendly places for food.

elnap29

PS. From the town of Napa to San Francisco, allow 1 hour drive time.

kduncan65

Thanks all. Anything near Livermore or Modesto would make our day much easier. We will be coming from Yosemite the previous day, thus the stay in Modesto. Are the winery and scenery similar in the areas mentioned above or would the drive on up to Napa be worth it?

Supercilious

I'm still unclear about the Modesto part. If you are coming out of Yosemite, the most direct route to the Bay Area is on Hwy 120.

Instead of going down to Modesto, you could spend the night in the Sierra Foothills along Hwy 49.

Around the town of Murphys and also up in Plymouth are lots of vineyards and interesting little wineries to visit.