Napa Valley, CAlifornia
Primarily known for its world-class wine production, Napa offers something for everyone, such as culinary excellence with Michelin-starred restaurants, stunning scenery characterized by rolling hills and vineyards, and luxury accommodations ranging from unique boutique inns to full-service resorts and spas. This California icon can be considered a bucket list destination. Going with no expectations other than wanting to relax and taste some good wine, I fell in love with the history of the area, the beauty everywhere, and especially the cabernet sauvignon. Let me share with you some of the things to do while in the Napa Valley, along with some suggestions for a perfect weekend of wine tasting.
How to get to the napa valley
First of all, let’s talk about how to get to the Napa Valley. There are several options for airports to fly into. There are private airports such as the Napa County Airport and Buchanan Field Airport, but if you aren’t flying your private jet, your best bet is a larger commercial airport. You can choose from a variety of them such as San Francisco, Sacramento, Oakland, San Jose, or Sonoma County. But your best bet is going to be to fly into San Francisco, Sacramento, or Oakland. These airports will have the most direct flights and cheapest airfare. They are anywhere from a little over an hour with no traffic to two hours from the Napa area.
We flew into San Francisco and spent one night there, exploring. You can check out what to do on my San Francisco page, if you do the same. From there, you can rent a car or hire a car service, of which there are many, that can take you to the Napa Valley. We rented a car, and it was perfect for us, allowing us to explore.
If you are driving from San Francisco, and you enjoy beer, then you need to stop at Russian River Brewing. This brewery had been on my husband’s bucket list for years. Russian River Brewing Company is famous for its world-renowned, award-winning IPAs, particularly Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger. We went to the newer location in Windsor, where you can take a self-guided tour of the brewery. The food was great, the beer was good, and the vibe was relaxed and fun. And if you have a dog, they have a whole outdoor area that seemed to be designed just for dog owners, so they can enjoy a beer and their dog can also have a great time.
If you are driving from San Francisco, and you enjoy beer, then you need to stop at Russian River Brewing. This brewery had been on my husband’s bucket list for years. Russian River Brewing Company is famous for its world-renowned, award-winning IPAs, particularly Pliny the Elder and Pliny the Younger. We went to the newer location in Windsor, where you can take a self-guided tour of the brewery. The food was great, the beer was good, and the vibe was relaxed and fun. And if you have a dog, they have a whole outdoor area that seemed to be designed just for dog owners, so they can enjoy a beer and their dog can also have a great time.
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From there, we drove to Napa, which was a beautiful drive in and of itself. We stayed in St. Helena at the Alila Napa Valley. The one thing to know about the Napa Valley is that it’s a combination of 5 distinct towns. It’s not just Napa. Each one, with its own unique charm and personality. We stayed mostly in the St. Helena and Yountville area, which are both known to be upscale and refined. Whereas Calistoga is more classic and easygoing, and Napa is more trendy and vibrant.
Alila Napa Valley
Alila Napa Valley Pool
Wine tasting
Once in the Napa Valley, there is so much to do and see. But the most obvious thing to do is taste the wine. I come from the Willamette Valley, which is definitely an up and coming wine region, with exceptional wine. But wine tasting in the Willamette Valley is way different. It doesn’t take as much planning ahead as wine tasting in Napa does. For some of the more popular wineries, you need to make sure you are booking about a month in advance, especially during the more busy season of summer and fall.
Most wineries also require reservations. You can’t just show up. The other thing to be prepared for is the cost. Tastings can cost anywhere from $25 to well over $100, sometimes even more, depending on the experience. For most regular tastings, I found them to be around $50 per person. But, with that cost, usually comes extras that I never see in the Willamette Valley, such as food accompaniments, history lessons, wine-making tours, and more.
Most wineries also require reservations. You can’t just show up. The other thing to be prepared for is the cost. Tastings can cost anywhere from $25 to well over $100, sometimes even more, depending on the experience. For most regular tastings, I found them to be around $50 per person. But, with that cost, usually comes extras that I never see in the Willamette Valley, such as food accompaniments, history lessons, wine-making tours, and more.
The hardest part about planning a trip to Napa is narrowing it down to which wineries to go to. I spent hours researching and narrowing it down. We only had three days in Napa, so I had to narrow it down to four wineries. We did one the first day after we arrived, two the next day, and one on the last day when we were departing. This was the perfect plan. Any more would have felt like too much, and would have required us to figure out alternative transportation. But with that said, I felt that the four I chose provided us with four very distinct and unique experiences that gave us the best of all the Napa Valley has to offer. So, here are the four wineries we went to in the order we went to them, that made it the perfect long weekend in the Napa Valley.
- Day 1 - Faust Haus
- Day 2 - Frog's Leap and Caymus Vineyards
- Day 3 - Cakebread Cellars
Faust Haus
The first winery we visited was Faust Haus. This was located a few minutes from our hotel, and our hotel provided transportation to and from. Normally, a basic tasting would cost $75. But through our hotel, we were given complimentary tastings. After this experience, I would have paid the $75.
When you are first seated either in this stunning house or outside on the patio, you are served a wooden box of snacks. You are then poured each of the wines for your tasting all at once. As you taste, your sommelier will share with you some of the most fascinating historical aspects, along with stories of how this winery came to be. I loved this place, because of our sommelier. His storytelling made this experience like none we had ever had wine tasting. He told the history of the 19th century Victorian home in which we were sitting in the dining room, for our tasting. He went on to tell how the winery was named after the Faust Opera, and how the names of the wines were named after parts in the opera. We were enraptured by story after story and left with such a great appreciation for the historical aspect of wine making and attention to detail that goes into the lore behind wineries.
When you are first seated either in this stunning house or outside on the patio, you are served a wooden box of snacks. You are then poured each of the wines for your tasting all at once. As you taste, your sommelier will share with you some of the most fascinating historical aspects, along with stories of how this winery came to be. I loved this place, because of our sommelier. His storytelling made this experience like none we had ever had wine tasting. He told the history of the 19th century Victorian home in which we were sitting in the dining room, for our tasting. He went on to tell how the winery was named after the Faust Opera, and how the names of the wines were named after parts in the opera. We were enraptured by story after story and left with such a great appreciation for the historical aspect of wine making and attention to detail that goes into the lore behind wineries.
Faust Haus
Faust Haus Front Patio
Encouraged by our sommelier to tour the house, after our tasting, we wondered about this 19th century Victorian, that has been transformed to also tell the story of the wine. Our favorite wine we tasted was the syrah, which surprised us, because we aren’t usually syrah people. Visiting the Faust Haus was the perfect way to start our wine tasting adventure, and got me very excited for the wineries that were to come.
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Frog's leap
Our second day we started our day at Frog’s Leap, which is located in Rutherford. This was a winery, that through my research, was heavily recommended by so many. It was $55 per person for this tasting. Our Sommelier sat us, and we were soon served some light snacks to accompany the wines. To me, the highlight of this winery is the grounds of the winery. The tasting room is a beautiful home that looks like it’s from the past, but is actually newer.
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We were seated out on the wrap around deck with views of the garden and surrounding vineyards. As someone who loves gardening, I was in heaven. The wines were decent, and the focus of the information provided by the sommelier was more about the growing process of the grapes. I was fascinated by how they use something called, “dry farming.” This is where they rarely water their grapes, other than rainwater, and don’t use drip irrigation like most surrounding wineries. This forces the roots to grow deep, creating a unique taste from the soil those roots are deeply embedded in.
After being served our last tasting, we were encouraged to take our glasses and wander around the property. The garden was in full bloom, and the views of the growing grapes, and surrounding vineyards was breathtaking. This was my favorite part. Everywhere I turned, I found something new and beautiful. And if you’re lucky, you might have a special guest come visit you while you are tasting. To me, this winery was the most simple, but also the most breathtaking of the wineries we visited.
After being served our last tasting, we were encouraged to take our glasses and wander around the property. The garden was in full bloom, and the views of the growing grapes, and surrounding vineyards was breathtaking. This was my favorite part. Everywhere I turned, I found something new and beautiful. And if you’re lucky, you might have a special guest come visit you while you are tasting. To me, this winery was the most simple, but also the most breathtaking of the wineries we visited.
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Caymus
Our second winery of our second day was Caymus, located in Rutherford. I chose this one because it had great reviews, but also because of all the pictures I saw of the giant palm trees. I wasn’t expecting something exceptional at this winery, but exceptional it was. We loved Caymus! These wines blew us away. The tasting here cost $50 per person. But, at this winery, they believe in keeping things more down to earth for their customers. So, they will comp your tasting fee if you buy wine that is $50 or more. And buy wine, we did! This is the place that required us to get a special box to bring back our wine on the airplane because we bought so many bottles.
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This experience was the most laid back of all of them. We were seated in their lovely garden area. It was such a hot day, but they gave us a hand fan, bottled water, and began our tasting. Each wine was better than the last. We instantly fell in love with the Malbec, and I dream of that wine, now that our bottles are gone. The tasting ended with one of their special wines. Just when I didn’t think it could get any better, it did. There was definitely a reason it was $225 per bottle.
This is the winery where we discovered we are huge fans of cabernet sauvignon. And this is the one winery that we will come back to on our return trips to Napa. This tasting was not ostentatious. It was relaxed, customer focused, and all about the simple tasting of the wine itself. Our sommelier did provide some information around the wines, but really just let us enjoy them.
After our tasting, as our sommelier was boxing up all our wine, we walked around. We went inside and looked at all of their wine barrels displayed impressively in a dark room, along with all of their special bottles they have saved. Amongst this giant room, other groups were having specialty tastings. It was such a spectacular sight, as we stood in awe of barrel after barrel of wine. We were also given our tasting glasses as a souvenir to take home. This winery felt so personable and was our favorite.
And if you didn't know, if you fly Alaska Airlines like we did, your wine flies free! So, Caymus packed it up for us, and we were able to bring it home free of charge.
After our tasting, as our sommelier was boxing up all our wine, we walked around. We went inside and looked at all of their wine barrels displayed impressively in a dark room, along with all of their special bottles they have saved. Amongst this giant room, other groups were having specialty tastings. It was such a spectacular sight, as we stood in awe of barrel after barrel of wine. We were also given our tasting glasses as a souvenir to take home. This winery felt so personable and was our favorite.
And if you didn't know, if you fly Alaska Airlines like we did, your wine flies free! So, Caymus packed it up for us, and we were able to bring it home free of charge.
Cakebread Cellars
Our last day in Napa, we tasted at Cakebread Cellars, which is also in Rutherford. This last winery provided us with, again, a different experience than we had at the prior three. We did the Classic Cakebread tasting, which was $50 per person. This wine tasting is one in which you get served your first tasting in the tasting room, then begin a walking tour of the winery. With each stop, you are served a new tasting. As you tour, you really learn about the wine making process. One of the most unique aspects was going into their “egg room” where they showed how they make chardonnay and sauvignon blanc in giant concrete eggs. This takes away the oaky taste in chardonnays, that actually is what makes me not like them. So I found their chardonnay to be very enjoyable, and one of the best I have ever had.
This winery felt much more simple, but educational, teaching about the different wine regions, and process of making wine from start to finish. Out of the four we tried, I will be honest and say this was our least favorite. I loved learning about the winemaking process, but the wines themselves weren’t our favorite, and the one winery we didn’t buy any wine.
I know this winery is highly recommended and people love their wine, so that it just our personal opinion. In the Willamette Valley, we are known for our Pinot Noirs. This winery had pinot noirs, and we felt it didn’t compare to the ones we have at home. With that said, it was still a very enjoyable experience and rounded out the perfect combination of experiences on our trip.
I know this winery is highly recommended and people love their wine, so that it just our personal opinion. In the Willamette Valley, we are known for our Pinot Noirs. This winery had pinot noirs, and we felt it didn’t compare to the ones we have at home. With that said, it was still a very enjoyable experience and rounded out the perfect combination of experiences on our trip.
Other Things to do
If you are looking for a more guided wine tour, a very popular activity is to go on the Napa Valley Wine Train. There are a variety of experiences providing both wine tasting and food experiences. This is a very popular activity, so make sure you book it early. We didn’t do this, as we didn’t have enough time. But people we talked to said it was great.
Another thing to do is to check out the town of Napa. It’s such a cute town, with more restaurants, shopping, and tasting rooms. We enjoyed walking around here shopping for souvenirs and grabbing a coffee in between our tastings.
Where to eat
Lastly, you need to try out the amazing food. A place we tried simply because of the interior design was RH Restaurant at RH Yountville. The inside of this restaurant is so dreamy and romantic. The food was also very good. I highly suggest everything we got, which was the Di Stefano Burrata, Gem Salad, and the Shaved Ribeye Dip. We were able to share these items between the two of us, and it was plenty of food.
RH Yountville
Di Stefano Burrata
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Gem Salad
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Shaved Ribeye Dip
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Outdoor Seating at RH Yountville
What I loved about the places we tried was that not only is the food exceptional, but the atmosphere is unmatched. Every place we ate at, paid attention to details not only with their food, but the location itself. Everything felt elevated and unique. One of the most unique places is Oakville Grocery, where you can find all sorts of food options, such as sandwiches, coffee, cheese, and even more wine tasting.
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A very popular restaurant, located in St. Helena, is Long Meadow Ranch. We loved this restaurant, with such a rustic, yet upscale vibe. They feature food from the farm, making the food fresh and unique. The food was delicious, and this place is popular. So make sure you make reservations if you want to dine here.
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A perfect stop for lunch while out wine tasting is the famous Gott's Roadside. They have a few locations in the Napa Valley. One located in St. Helena, and another located in Napa. We went to the one in Napa, and the old diner vibe makes the experience even more great. They specialize in burgers, and their burgers were really good. You will also find other diner food there, such as milkshakes, fries, and hot dogs, to name a few.
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If you are looking for some great breakfast items, you have to try The Model Bakery. They are famous for their English muffins. Their Model Wrap, which is a breakfast burrito, is also a very popular item. We got both, and I can attest, both are very good. We ended up stopping by a second time on our way out of town to purchase a package of the English muffins to take home to our kids, because they truly were the best English muffins we have ever had. They also had good coffee, which made for the perfect first stop before our full day of wine tasting.
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Another bakery that is an absolute must, is Bouchon Bakery, located in Yountville. This bakery is part of the Thomas Keller Restaurant Group. His most famous restaurant in the Napa Valley is probably The French Laundry. It can feel near impossible to get a reservation here, and the cost is steep! But the Bouchon Bakery is much more reasonable. This bakery had the best coffee of our trip, and also some of the most delicious pastries we have ever had. We got the cream cheese danish, which is filled with so much cream cheese filling, it's almost too much. But it's what took it over the top as the best cream cheese pastry ever. And then we got some cheese roll. Both were seriously amazing.
There is so much more to do and see, and this is just a sampling, but this itinerary proved to be absolutely perfect for our long weekend in the Napa Valley. So, if you’re looking for somewhere to start planning your own trip, or just want to know where to go, I hope you can find this helpful.