How to decide which winery to go to? Which is the best one? That's the dilemma. Do you also have these questions? Not a big thing. Napa has over 200 wineries, and most of them welcome guests with tours and tasting rooms. Everyone is just overwhelmed by the winery options that Napa provides and they just want to visit as many wineries as they can on their trip to Napa.
We were in Napa for just a day and visited as many as 5 wineries that day. We started our day with Mumm Napa which provides the 1st tour of the day free, so plan your day accordingly. Usually, their tour starts at 10am. Mumm Napa specializes in sparkling wine and the tour guide took us to wine cellars and explained how sparking wine is made. Then we went to Domain Chandon for sparking wine tasting and it was quite an experience. What is sparking wine? What is the difference between sparking wine and Champagne? I got them clarified from my tour guide. Sparking wine and champagne are same. Wine after carbonation gets bubbles and thus called sparking wine/champagne.
After enjoying my glass of sparking wine in Domain Chandon, we headed to Robert Mondavi, which is relatively bigger and a better known winery among masses. We took a wine tour there and learnt how red/white wine is made, the fermentation process, how it is stored in cellars for years? how its corked? etc. We went down into the cellars where wine is stored in a dark room. I am typically a white wine lover so I enjoyed my whites and desert wines there.
At each of these wineries you will find affable staff who are passionate about wine and they know their stuff. But given the depth of information conveyed, the quality and variety of wines poured, visits to these properties are among wine country's great bargains.
V Sattui is another good winery we went to. It had great food options also. This winery was named as the No,1 winery in 2012. It has a lush green picnic area where you can enjoy your meal. Then we went to Castello Di Amorosa winery which as the name suggests is designed in the shape of a castle and it was truly majestic.
You might have to shell out on wine tasting and wine tours, so look out for some coupons online. Some coupons have buy one get one for wine tasting. Most wineries are open all 7 days 9.00am-5.00pm, so plan your day accordingly.
As a general rule, larger wineries, such as Robert Mondavi, Niebaum-Coppola, Beringer, Sterling have longer hours, with regularly scheduled tours and more tasting and educational facilities. Smaller wineries often receive guests by appointment only, because there's a good chance the tour guide is also an owner with work to do around the cellar. Certainly, both small and large estates can present a memorable experience. Always be sure to call ahead and visit winery websites to determine what's available and when, because hours and options change seasonally and even from day to day. There are many lodges and hotels in Napa where you could stay. Try to spend some time in Napa downtown for some food and music.
Soon it was time to drive back to SFO which is a 2 hr drive from Napa. Napa is the World's largest wine growing region and is truly a wine lovers paradise. So, go enjoy some whites, reds, sparking, rose or just whatever you like, but do visit Napa sometime.
Some Recommendations
- Plan your wineries before landing in Napa. Wine tasting and tours are expensive in this area, so you would want to do your favorite one. Search for online coupons, it will help you save some money. Here is a link for coupons: http://www.napatouristguide.com/napa-on-a-budget.html
- You could take a Napa wine tasting train for sight seeing and enjoying wine.
- If you are in Napa in Sep-Oct, don't miss out on the Grape crushing festival. Harvesting happens in Sept-Oct only.
- You could also get the hot air balloon ride if you are there in summer. That should be a great experience.
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