California Wine Country Trips

All Wine Roads lead to Napa

Well, not quite. It's difficult to deny that Napa Valley is the eponym for California wine country. Mention California wine or even United States wine and the majority of people in this country and around the world will think of Napa. The Valley itself lies about 50 miles northeast of San Francisco and is easily reached by car or Napa Valley wine tours.

The wine region incorporates the 30 mile sliver of a valley plus the multitude of sub-AVAs dotting the mountains and small valleys that line the Napa Valley. A one-day wine tasting trip is feasible and can be enjoyed mixing in three to four winery visits and either a quick picnic lunch or visit to one of the region's world-class restaurants. However, to truly appreciate the wine country's charm and understand its mystique, a two to three day trip is best.

Naturally the primary motivation to visit is wine-tasting at some of the best wineries in the world but it's a veritable dining, shopping and activity wonderland. The following are a handful of suggestions.

Wineries

Note that many wineries require appointments for tours and tasting, so it's a good idea to check before dropping in.

• Del Dotto Vineyards
• Duckhorn Vineyards
• Beaulieu
• Beringer
• Cakebread
• Hess Collection
• Groth Wines
• Viader

Staying the Night

You can choose from luxury-class resorts, small country inns, quaint B&B's or simple motels.

• Meadowood (Dining Recommended)
• Auberge du Soleil (Dining Recommended)
• Yountville Inn
• Napa Valley Lodge
• Villagio Inn & Spa
• Silverado Resort

Dining

• Wine Specator's Greystone Restaurant
• Martini House
• Bouchon Bistro
• The French Laundry
• Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen
• Chandon
• Taylor's Refresher

Alternatives—Do a Picnic. Oakville Grocery Dean and Deluca

Activities

• Mudbaths at Dr. Wilkinson's or Golden Haven
• Stroll down Main Street in St. Helena or Calistoga to visit galleries and boutiques.
• Golf is tough to beat at many of Napa Valley's golf courses. Think about it, golf in the morning, wine tasting in the afternoon and a massage to serve as a coda to the day. Check out Silverado, Chardonnay and Kennedy Park.
• Ballooning will give you an eagle's eye view of the Valley. Balloon Operators.
• Bicycling gets you out on the open road with many routes to take. It's best to avoid Highway 29 as much as possible unless you like to breathe exhaust.

You can also visit CSAA or NapaValley.com for information and links for dining and lodging in Napa Valley.

Finally, before moving on, check out Napa Valley Wine Tasting Weekend at LTK for a taste of what to expect.

Go West to Sonoma County

Let's move over a few miles to the west of Napa Valley and for the next round of California Wine Country Trips. Personally, I favor the more provincial, less ego-driven Sonoma Valley and County wine country over the super-hyped and staid air of its eastern neighbor. For a good idea on wineries and activities, visit LTK's [[Sonoma County Wine] and [Russian River Valley Wines]]. A good website to help organize your trip is Russian River Wine Road.

Staying the Night

Like Napa Valley, there are plenty of options in Sonoma Valley, Santa Rosa, Healdsburg, Guerneville and other towns. Here are just a few.

• Sonoma Mission Inn
• Hotel Healdsburg
• The Sonoma Hotel
• Vintners Inn
• Macarthur Place
• Kenwood Inn & Spa

Dining Out

Good restaurants and bistros in all categories are scattered all over.

• Cyrus
• Farmhouse Inn
• John Ash & Co.
• Syrah Bistro
• the Girl and the Fig
• Willi's Winebar (Not the one in Paris)

Activities

Sonoma County is a diverse region with beaches, parks, golf, bicycling, hiking, shopping, and antiquing. One of the best venues for performing art is in Santa Rosa at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts.

Mendocino and Lake County

These two wine regions are California's most northern. They are also vastly different in character than Napa or Sonoma. Granted, both Mendocino and Lake County are not as easy to get to and you feel that you are traveling alot of backroads sometimes, but the road makes for a worthy journey. There are more organic wineries in Mendocino than the rest of California as well. Look for Syrah, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris and excellent sparkling wines.

Wineries

• Lolonis
• Greenwood Ridge
• Husch
• Roederer Estate
• Navarro
• McDowell
• Kendall-Jackson
• Steele
• Guenoc

Lodging

Don't expect the Ritz-Carlton, lodging choices lean more to small inns and bed & breakfasts. The following link gives you a good idea of your options—Mendocino Hotels. For Lake County there are small inns at Clearlake or better yet, stay near Calistoga in Napa Valley and make Lake County a 1-day visit, it's only about an hour drive away to the northeast. Try the Boonville Hotel for a good central Mendocino locale.

Dining

Northern California dining has interesting choices waiting for you. A good source to for restaurants can be found at Mendocino.com. I've had delightful experiences at St. Orres and Cafe Beaujolais so I'm sure there are plenty that will sate your palate.

Activities

• Beer might be a welcome respite to the wine so stop off at Anderson Valley Brewing Co. in Boonville for an ale.

Central Coast

The Central Coast is an emerging destination among California Wine Country Trips. It travels the coast side of the state from Monterey south to Santa Barbara. In that stretch it is broken up three primary regions: the North-Central, Mid-Central, and South-Central.

The North-Central covers the Santa Cruz Mountains, Santa Clara Valley, Chalone and Carmel Valley and Monterey. The Mid-Central includes Paso Robles, York Mountain, Edna Valley, and Arroyo Grande. The South-Central fills in the rest with the Santa Maria and Santa Ynez Valleys. Each area has its own unique character and stunningly beautiful and California idyllic scenery.

The North-Central section can easily be visited for a day trip from the San Francisco area while the South Central is can be done from Los Angeles, naturally with a bit of driving. The Mid-Central is smack dab in the middle and is best done over a 2-3 day trip.

Look for Chardonnay and Viognier whites and Pinot Noir, Syrah and other Rhône-style varietals. In particular, the Paso Robles area is forging ahead as apart of the Rhône Rangers movement. Although, the three regions are lumped together as part of the Central Coast, I would treat them each separately.

Wineries

• Chalone North-Central
• Robert Talbott North-Central
• Morgan North-Central
• David Bruce North-Central
• Storrs North-Central
• L'Aventure Mid-Central
• Eberle Mid-Central
• Justin Mid-Central
• Foxen South-Central
• Fess Parker South-Central
• Foley Estates South-Central
• Sanford South-Central

Lodging, Dining, and Activities

In the North-Central region I recommend staying in Monterey or Carmel. This makes for a good base camp to explore the wineries in the area as well as visiting and dining at many of the excellent restaurants in those towns. If you've always been curious, try to stay at Pebble Beach this might be the time to splurge and stay at the Lodge or the Inn at Spanish Bay. I understand that golf is pretty good there.

Definitely stay for a couple of days in and around Paso Robles or San Luis Obispo when visiting the Mid-Central region. Paso Robles has more of a cowboy town edge to it but makes a convenient leaping point into the local wine area. You might also stay out on the coast in Cambria or Morro Bay and split your time between winery visits to dropping into to see how the other 1% used to live up at Hearst Castle.

Staying in Buellton or Los Olivos is a good idea, both make great headquarters for exploring the South-Central area. There are plenty of good restaurants, but go to the Hitching Post for a steak and conjure up that image of that dysfunctional Pinot lover Miles a la Sideways at the bar. Don't forget you are less than an hour from Santa Barbara and staying and eating there is never a mistake, plus there's a beach.

The Rest of California

Not to slight the other wine country regions in California, but the ones above are the most developed and ready for visitors. The Sierra Foothills east of Sacramento and up in the Gold Country have some great wineries that will welcome you, but there are other distractions there to keep you busy. In general it's not considered a wine destination.

There's also Temecula in Southern California that has a long history of winemaking but it's off the beaten track and doesn't have the magnetic appeal like Napa does or even Monterey.

Final Word

To really appreciate wine country living, it's best to plan for a 2-3 day trip that gives you a chance to relax, explore the region and leave with a richer appreciation of California's wine country. Be careful though, many of the local people you will encounter did just that and never left.