My husband and I are planning to spend about a week in wine country for our 15th wedding anniversary. We've been to Monterey and really enjoyed touring the vineyards there.

We love dry red wines (Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz), really dry whites and champagnes. Given this, which wineries should we visit? We want this to be fun but relaxing...so, should we pick an inn and just go to different wineries or plot a route and stay at a number of different inns?

Should we focus on just Sonoma or Napa or try to do both?

And here's the final question, what are some top notch inns and resorts to consider? We're putting off a trip to Tahiti for this so we want to really do this right (Tahiti will be for our 20th!)

Thanks for all your help!!!!

My husband is the Wine connoissuer so I can't help you too much there, but I know of a couple of great places to stay. Auberge D'Solei off of Silverado Trail... 5 star restaraunt with a million dollar view of the valley and beautiful accommodations. Meadowwood Resort, beautiful setting and an interesting croqet lawn. Also check out Yountville it has several newer places to stay and if you can get in....you should book a meal at the French Laundry...reservations are two months in advance..So my vote is stay at different places and explore near where you stay and you'll find some not so touristy winerey's

I'd recommend trying both counties and make sure to include the Russian River Valley wineries. If you want to I'd suggest breaking up your trip with three or four days in Napa and the remaining in Sonoma. It's a bit of a trek to travel back and forth between Napa and points in Sonoma and more so after wine tasting. I might also add the Anderson Valley is great for reds and champagnes. It will take you about 2 hours from Sonoma but worth the trip. Perhaps you can spend 3 days in Napa, 3 days in SOnoma and one night in the Anderson Valley. We were just in the Anderson Valley(Mendocino County) with our wine group and found the wineries there much slower pacedand more easily approached than say the wineries on the Napa side. I prefer Healdsburg when travelling to wineries in Sonoma although there are many to be seen and experienced in the valley. (Arrowood for one but countless others). You can check out DuChamp as a place to stay while in Healdsburg of the Healdsburg Hotel and Spa in downtown. (I'd go with Du Champ for an anniversary sort of place. If you do want to try and eat at the French Laundry you must call two months to the day you are wanting to make reservations. This is food heaven,mecca, top drawer. Once you've decided where you want to position yourselves check back in..I am sure folks will have recommendations for restuarants and wineries more specific to the area you will be staying in.

Try Domaine Carneros, a Taittinger winery, for sparkling wine, and because Taittinger is part of it, they do NOT have champagne which can only come from one region in France. Nearby is another winery that used to be Cordoniu which also has sparkling wine and interesting architecture.

You really need to check out Gaige House Inn in Glen Ellen CA. Sonoma. I have stayed at Auberge de Soleil, Whale Watch Inn (tops for romance imho but far afield from the wineries) and both are wonderful.

If you can afford it, hire a driver for the day so you can enjoy all the wineries have to offer, not get lost and enjoy some that are not really open to the public. Auberge can arrange this for yoy and I imagine any of the inns or hotels can do the same.

You won't find champagne in California but you will find some respectable sparkling wines: Iron Horse and Scharffenberger come to mind and the Domaine Chandon vineyard and restaurant are excellent. Some nice bubblies there that are not available elsewhere. Do make arrangement to buy and ship wine home.

LilMsFoodie

Please look for prior posts on this topic. There are many on here. I'll vote for Sonoma. See my prior posts. SA