Napa Valley - Travel Guide
Adventures in wine country
If you love wine and good food, you must make a trip to California’s Wine Country. It’s a short drive from San Francisco, making it super accessible. Along with amazing wine, the area is celebrated for its beautiful views and lavish vineyards. California is known for Chardonnay and Cabernets, but you’ll also find sparkling wine, Syrah and Pinot Noir.
In the past year, I’ve been to Napa/Sonoma 3 times and each time experienced different wineries and restaurants. If you’re planning a trip here, expect to spend a decent amount of money on wine and food since it’s not a place that’s easy to experience inexpensively.
Here is where I would recommend going if you’re planning a trip!
Where to stay
Airbnb/VRBO: There are a ton of Airbnb and VRBO options, which is great if you’re with a bigger group and want to have a communal space to hang out in and eat some meals in.
Meritage Resort & Spa: This hotel was in Napa proper and had a beautiful pool and spa. The rooms were nice and there is a vineyard on the property. There was even a shuttle bus that would pick up and drop off in downtown Napa, which was convenient.
Splurge Options: Although I have not stayed at any of these, if I were going to splurge, I would look into Auberge Du Soleil, Meadowood Napa Valley and Carneros Resort and Spa.
Getting Around
Rental Car: Getting to Napa/Sonoma from San Francisco or San Jose is a 1-2-hour commute, depending on traffic, so it makes sense to rent a car. It can also give you flexibility to explore on your own. A lot of the hotels/AirBnB’s aren’t walking distance to town.
Uber/Lyft: If you’re a small group, this is a great option if you don’t want to worry about having a DD. Ubers can take a while to get to you since the area is spread out, so make sure to account for that when ordering between wineries.
Wine Tasting Driver: There are a few different companies where you can pay someone to drive your rental car or rent a vehicle with a driver for the day. I’ve done both - if you can fit into one rental car and hire a driver, it’s definitely more cost efficient. For example, during my latest trip, it cost $50 per hour for 8 people with a 6-hour minimum (before tip) for someone to drive our rental car.
Wineries
I recommend calling in advance to book winery tours and tastings, especially if you’re with a bigger group. There are wineries you can drive up to for a tasting on the spot but it depends on their availability. Some of the more prestigious wineries don’t take walk ins, so make sure you plan out where you want to go beforehand and reserve a spot. I recommend booking 1-3 months in advance. Planning for 2-3 wineries in a day is a good amount if you’re booking reservations.
Closer to Sonoma
Rams Gate Winery: I love the ambiance and decor here. It’s right out of Restoration Hardware. We did the tasting menu and it was amazing. One of the best meals I’ve ever had. Unfortunately, the tasting menu is only available for members.
Scribe: One of the newer generation wineries, opened in 2007. With the wine tasting came delicious farm to table food made fresh right from the garden on the property. They team up with restaurants across the country to do events featuring their wine.
BR Cohn: This was a winery where we didn’t make reservations in advance, had no issues getting in and enjoyed a couple glasses of wine.
MacRostie: Similar vibe to Ram’s Gate with the RH furniture feels. We took a ton of pictures in the vineyards and loved the views here.
Jordan Winery: We did a food/wine pairing tasting and tour here. It was on a beautiful property. This is Katie’s favorite winery!
Matanzas Creek Winery: Known for being surrounded by beautiful lavender fields, we did a tasting and then brought sandwiches for a picnic with a bottle of wine we purchased. They also have bags.
Closer to Napa
Domaine Carneros: Another winery we didn’t make advanced reservations for but were able to call and get a table. They had a few different tasting menus to choose from. I ended up buying a bottle of Pinot here and still have it saved for a special occasion :)
Schramsberg: If you love Champagne, coming here is a must! Schramsberg is known for being the preferred sparkling wine of the White House and they partnered with French Laundry to make their very own wine for a specific dish on their menu.
Frank Family Vineyard: Some of the best wine I’ve ever had. Our party was seated outside on the lovely porch that had hanging chairs. Can’t wait to come back here! Members can bring their dogs to come hang out.
Stags’ Leap Winery: One of the oldest wineries in the region. I bought a bottle of wine here as well! Be careful not to mix this up with Stag’s Leap Winery which shares the same name and very similar logo (notice the apostrophe placement)
Restaurants
Lunch Spots
Gotts Roadside: There are a few locations of thisgreat casual outdoor lunch spot where you walk up to a counter to order. The food was really good.
Glen Ellen Village Market: We grabbed sandwiches at this grocery store on our way to Matanzas Creek Winery.
SHED Healdsburg: This serves as a shop, restaurant and place to buy prepared foods.
Dinner
Bistro Jeanty: Lovely French bistro in Yountville with an old school vibe. Must get their creamy tomato soup!
Girl and the Fig: French restaurant in Sonoma town. They also serve lunch/brunch.
Tasca Tasca: Spanish Tapas in downtown Sonoma, great place to share plates with a group.
Restaurant Allegria: Italian in downtown Napa, I ordered the pappardelle allo zafferano which was a creamy red sauce with shrimp and mushrooms — so delicious.
Archer Hotel Rooftop: In downtown Napa with a great rooftop bar, we didn’t eat here but they have a food menu.
Splurge
Auberge Du Soleil: In the Rutherford region, we did the set prix-fixe Easter Brunch here ($105 pp), it was lovely and delicious. It included 3 courses plus dessert along with a beverage of your choice. The food was so good, fresh and with hefty portions! I can’t wait to come back here.
Others I didn’t go to but would love to someday: French Laundry & Bouchon
Coffee Shops/Bakeries
Cafe Scooteria - Sonoma
Model Bakery - Napa
Southside Cafe - Napa/Yountville
Bouchon Bakery- Yountville
Things To Do When You’re Wined Out
Spa Day: we got massages at Le Meritage and it was amazing! They had a hot tub and Sanna to relax in before your spa service.
Hike Jack London State Historic Park
Explore Different Towns: Walk around Sonoma, St Helena, Healdsburg and Yountville
Hot Air Balloon Ride: I did not do this but is on the bucket list for someday!
If you’ve been to Napa Valley, what are your favorite wineries and places to eat?
Xoxo Syd
