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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
