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Best Wineries in Napa Valley CA You Must Visit

I’ve been to Napa Valley California several times before, but this was Jacob’s first. I guess since he’s allergic to red wine and not a fan of white, there isn’t much reason for him to go. Fortunately for us that meant we had a DD for the day! Napa is a magical place for me. I just love the vineyards and the beautiful weather. I imagined my dream wedding to be in here with the vineyards being the backdrop. It wasn’t realistic at the time, but maybe we can do it for our vow renewal?! A girl can still dream… ;)

We started from the furthest winery from SF and made our way back to the city.

5 Wineries You Must Visit in Napa Valley California.

5 BEST WINERIES IN NAPA VALLEY CALIFORNIA YOU MUST VISIT

1. Castello di Amorosa

Address: 4045 N St Helena Hwy Calistoga CA 94515 | 707.967.6272
Winery Hours: Mar-Oct 9:30-6:00, Nov-Feb 9:30-5:00, Closed December 25
Cost: $20 admission including tasting

It was an actual castle and had roaming emus! We spent the most time here and even ended up taking home a yummy souvenir. You can see the full post here.

Castello di Amorosa (5 Best Wineries in Napa Valley California).PinCastello di Amorosa (Top Wineries in Napa Valley California).Pin

2. Beringer Winery and Vineyards

Address: 2000 Main Street St. Helena CA 94574 | 707.963.8989
Winery Hours: Everyday 10-6
Cost: $20 in the Old Winery Tasting Room

Because their wine is so widely distributed, we wanted to check out how the winery looked. We didn’t end up doing a tasting here, but they had a Caribbean band playing outside, so we sat on the benches and escaped for a bit.

Beringer Winery and Vineyards (Best Wineries in Napa Valley CA).Pin

3. V. Sattui Winery

Address: 1111 White Lane St. Helena CA 94574 | 707.963.7774
Winery Hours: Everyday 11-5
Cost: $10 Premium Tasting, $15 Reserve Tasting

V. Sattui Winery was the only winery with a nice, outdoor picnic area for people to relax. They even had BBQ going in one corner. It’s family friendly and there were a lot of kids compared to the other wineries. We didn’t remember to do this, but if you check in on yelp, you can get 2 free upgrades to premium tastings. They won winery of the year 7 times and many awards for the wines we tasted. It was also the most crowded out of all the wineries we visited. We had to really look for a spot to do a wine tasting. They told us January-March is much slower. They also have really amazing olive oil, so we brought some home as a souvenir from our trip.

V Sattui Winery (Best Wineries in Napa Valley CA You Must Visit).Pin

4. Silverado Winery and Vineyards

Address: 6121 Silverado Trail Napa CA 94558 | 707.257.1770
Winery Hours: Everyday 10-5
Cost: $15 for current releases, $25 for limited production

Silverado Winery has a nice outdoor patio with beautiful views of their vineyards. It was the end of the day, and we arrived shortly before it was closing. We ended up sharing a tasting between the three of us and hung out in the patio area.

Silverado Winery and Vineyards (Best Wineries in Napa Valley California).Pin
Silverado Winery and Vineyards (Best Wineries in Napa Valley CA).Pin

5. Grgich Hills Estate

Address: 1829 St. Helena Hwy Rutherford CA 94573 | 707.963.2784
Winery Hours: Everyday 9:30AM-4:30PM except holidays
Cost: Starting at $20 for a flight

This one wasn’t from our last trip, but is on our list to check out next time we’re in Napa. We’ve been hearing wonderful reviews from friends, so this one you can’t miss. :)

I think we did pretty well for a day trip to Napa. I’m sure you can pack in a lot more than four if you want, but we wanted time to relax at each one.

Tips For Your Visit to Napa Valley California:

  • If you don’t want to get trashed… drink LOTS of water in between each tasting. After each wine, I drank about the same quantity of water, and I was fine.
  • Also, we saw a lot of wine tasting bicycle tours. My friend said she tried it, and it was the worst idea ever. She got sick after the second one. I don’t think drinking and exercising mix well. Also, doesn’t drinking and bicycling next to the side of the highway sound worse than drinking and driving?
  • If you can manage reservations at the French Laundry, it’s one of my favorite dining experiences.

On separate trips, I’ve also tried tastings at Sterling, Beaulieu Vineyard, and a small winery I now can’t remember the name of… Guess we need to make another trip back to refresh my memory! :)

 

What’s your favorite wine you’ve tasted lately?
What are your go-to wines?
If you’ve visited Napa before, are there any other winery I should go visit?

xoxo esther

This Post Has 14 Comments

  1. CJ

    We were recently married in Napa Valley (St Helena). If you can only do 4 vineyards in Napa Valley, I recommend subbing Robert Mondavi for one the St Helena picks. Surprisingly, it was the best visit we had and the MN history was pretty neat too (we’re from there). We ate at Tra Vigne on our wedding night and it was amazing – plus their pizzeria is tasty too. I really loved Farmstead in St Helena as well – best fresh tasting meal I had the whole trip.

    1. CJ

      Also, having seen the traffic and vineyards – I don’t recommend the biking/tasting tours if you’re new to biking (or drinking). It’s a pretty busy highway and the pours can be heavy. Do it the right way – designate or spit. ;)

      1. esther julee

        Yeah! I can’t believe people think it’s a good idea!

    2. esther julee

      Which one?? :) I wanted to eat there but one of our friends was lactose intolerant. We’ll have to go back out there.

      1. CJ

        We went to both TraVignes and they were amazing. The TraVigne Pizzeria is more laid back in atmosphere. The other TraVigne is more ‘fancy’. If you do that one, I HIGHLY recommend the mozzarella appetizer. They hand make it at your table – fabulous, but not for the lactose intolerant. ;)

  2. Debbie

    Thanks for the info. I will be in Napa with my daughter in early April and were looking at which vineyards to visit. Glad to hear some feedback on 2 that we had put on our list.

    1. esther julee

      You’re so welcome! I’d love to hear what you think of them too. What other vineyards do you have on your list? :)

    2. Debbie

      Sterling, Robert Mondavi Frogs Leap Gloria Ferrer Matanzas Chateay St Jean. I live in NY but my daughter lives in San Diego. We are planning on 7 days in Napa and Sonoma. Cant wait. I would love to hear any of your opinions on the vineyards of recommendations.

  3. Well… that does it! All of these are officially going on my “list of things I MUST do”.

    Also – I just found your sweet blog and that header photo is just… PURE LOVE! So awesome. xx

    1. esther julee

      Thanks so much Ally! Someone also recently told me Opus is a must too! :)

  4. Esther, you make Napa look even dreamier than I imagine it already is! While I love fall in the Midwest, your post has me craving California sunshine and really, really good food :)

    1. esther julee

      Thanks, Amy! I think all the beauty is already there. Isn’t the grass always greener on the other side? haha :) Just like you’re giving Detroit all the love it deserves, I’m teaching myself to appreciate what I have now, because I never know when I won’t have it anymore.

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