Napa? Anyone been there lately?

[bdurstta]

Going to Napa Oct 1...alot has changed there lately since our last visit (couple years ago). Any tips of the best wineries or things to see?

 

[zentraveler]

FWIW, I don't go there to visit now, but drive though there frequently on my way north of Calostoga of there where we spend some of our time.

Gorgeous as ever and getting close to harvest. Almost everything has looked open to me for a while, so expect traffic on the weekends and "rush hours", and get reservations for the restaurants you like or want to visit. Keep in mind that "Napa" is a long valley along Rt 29 and the Silverado Trail with a lot of towns and areas, so more specifics on where you are staying and how far you want to travel will help. As will not going anywhere at the most desirable times of day.

It will be beautiful. But popular!

 

[Hart99]

I was in Napa back in July for a few days and it was great. Plan early and make reservations for the wineries you want to visit. I noticed quite a few required a reservation since they seat groups outside and only have a certain amount of seats. It's a bit different from pre-COVID times when there were just people packed in a tasting room and they take as many as can wait. Most of those tasting rooms haven't gone back to this model and you are served your tasting at an outside table.

 

[VacationForever]

Are the fires affecting air quality in Napa?

 

[SFTechGeek]

Are the fires affecting air quality in Napa?

I live 2 miles from Napa County line. Napa itself is about 15 miles away. Air quality has been quite good. But that can change weekly. As Yogi Berra use to say, "Nobody goes there anymore. it's too crowded." Highway 29 can be a mess on the weekends. Either travel on Silverado Trail or head over to Highway 12 in Sonoma. Many of the wineries require reservations. I would select a few based on the types of wines you drink, Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, sparkling wine, sweet/dry, etc. Grab a map and plan it out.

We like to drop in at Walmart in Napa or Genova Delicatessen, 1550 Trancas St., Napa and grab some baguettes, salami, cheese, raviolis, and artichoke frittatas and drive to Yountville. If it's not too crowded, which is rare, grab some pastries and baguettes from Bouchon Bakery, one of our favorites and have a picnic down the street. If you don't want to hassle with that, drop into V. Sattui, which has a full deli and you can picnic on their grounds under some shaded trees. They do not allow outside food though.

If you want fewer people, you can go over the hill to the parallel valley, Sonoma Valley and specifically, Valley of the Moon where there are just as many high quality wineries and a less frenetic pace. Stopping into Glen Ellen and checking out Jack London State Park is always nice. But whatever you do, plan it out and make reservations.

Have a great trip.

 

[VacationForever]

I live 2 miles from Napa County line. Napa itself is about 15 miles away. Air quality has been quite good. But that can change weekly. As Yogi Berra use to say, "Nobody goes there anymore. it's too crowded." Highway 29 can be a mess on the weekends. Either travel on Silverado Trail or head over to Highway 12 in Sonoma. Many of the wineries require reservations. I would select a few based on the types of wines you drink, Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, sparkling wine, sweet/dry, etc. Grab a map and plan it out.

We like to drop in at Walmart in Napa or Genova Delicatessen, 1550 Trancas St., Napa and grab some baguettes, salami, cheese, raviolis, and artichoke frittatas and drive to Yountville. If it's not too crowded, which is rare, grab some pastries and baguettes from Bouchon Bakery, one of our favorites and have a picnic down the street. If you don't want to hassle with that, drop into V. Sattui, which has a full deli and you can picnic on their grounds under some shaded trees. They do not allow outside food though.

If you want fewer people, you can go over the hill to the parallel valley, Sonoma Valley and specifically, Valley of the Moon where there are just as many high quality wineries and a less frenetic pace. Stopping into Glen Ellen and checking out Jack London State Park is always nice. But whatever you do, plan it out and make reservations.

Have a great trip.

Thank you! We used to go to Napa at least twice a year as it was a short drive from where we lived in Sacramento. We tried to make it a point to pickup staff from V. Sattui and ate outdoors. One of our favorite trips was to Kendall Jackson wine tasting lunch/small plates and we had to book it in advance. They served food with wine and the wine could only be obtained from the winery as they were not sold in stores. We moved 5 years ago and have gone back once and enjoyed it. We are thinking of making a trip there again.

 

[cp73]

We just got back on Friday from 6 nights in Napa. It's probably been at least 10 years since I was there last time. A lot has changed. I think they have used Covid to change their business model with tourist to their advantage. First, you must have a reservation if you want a tasting. So go figure out where you want to go and see if you can make a reservation. Some are months out on availability. Tasting generally costs from $50-$150 per person for a 60 to 90 minute tasting. No walking in and buying one glass of wine. You must have a reservation which you can book online. Its also hard to find a winery that gives tours on wine making. At best you will find one that lets you go see the wine caves or taste in that room. Some wineries wont even let you on their property without a reservation. So research before you go. All required masks while indoors regardless of vax. My wife and I are not big wine drinkers so we only did a couple of tasting. We did tastings at Beringer and Hall. Our favorite winery was Chateau Montelena. They let us walk around through their museum (on a day that was only open to reservations). They have a great story about being the first winery in Napa back in 1976 to win some big wine award from France. It was the first time California wine had won first place. There is a movie on Netflix about this story. The Napa area has great restaurants. I would recommend Mustard Grill and Don Giovani. But you must get reservations now....We also ate at Cordeiros Steakhouse which was good but I think Ruth Chris or Morton's is better. But it had a nice atmosphere and was enjoyable. If you like Hamburgers, hot dogs, and shakes, be sure to go to Gotts roadside. There is one in Napa and one in St Helena. The great thing about this time of year is that you will see the grapes on the vines. Both places we tasted at had vines where you could pick and sample the grapes. We really enjoyed our stay in Napa. We also happened to stay at a timeshare in Napa called Riverpointe. I traded through II a few weeks before and decided to go. It wasn't a Marriott but it was comfortable and nice. Each unit was a small cottage (mobile home). It was on a beautiful property in Napa with a nice trail along a river to walk. Some lodging places in Napa area are very expensive. I checked prices on a couple and they were $1000-$1500 a night for a room. We also drove over to Sonoma, Rohernt Park, Heldsberg, and Santa Rosa. Our oldest daughter went to Sonoma State and we wanted to revisit the school she graduated from about 12years ago. If your only going for a few days stay over on the Napa side. We added a couple of days and drove up the coast to begin our trip. Do whatever you can to avoid traffic through LA...We left at about 10am and had no problems on our way up. Way home we left at 6am and got home about 2pm. So we missed most of the traffic although it sure didn't seem like we missed it. All in all it was a nice relaxing trip. It was more crowded on the weekends but it wasn't bad. With the cost of tasting and reservations I think it has kept the crowds down.

 

[geist1223]

We enjoy staying at Worldmark Windsor. We were there for 2 weeks in June. We prefer Healdsburg for Wine Tasting. There are numerous Tasting Rooms within a few Blocks of the Town Square.

 

[Free2Roam]

@cp73 very informative post. Thanks!

 

[Snazzylass]

We also happened to stay at a timeshare in Napa called Riverpointe.

haha these are Park Models which are actually a type of RV though not meant to be moved. They are most similar to a tiny home. I really like all the windows and fresh air and not sharing walls with my neighbors. What did you think?

 

[DRIless]

I was in Napa back in July for a few days and it was great. Plan early and make reservations for the wineries you want to visit. I noticed quite a few required a reservation since they seat groups outside and only have a certain amount of seats. It's a bit different from pre-COVID times when there were just people packed in a tasting room and they take as many as can wait. Most of those tasting rooms haven't gone back to this model and you are served your tasting at an outside table.

I was in Napa back in June for a few days and it was great. Plan early and make reservations for the wineries you want to visit. I noticed quite a few required a reservation since they seat groups outside and only have a certain amount of seats. It's a bit different from pre-COVID times when there were just people packed in a tasting room and they take as many as can wait. Most of those tasting rooms haven't gone back to this model and you are served your tasting at an outside table.

 

[cp73]

haha these are Park Models which are actually a type of RV though not meant to be moved. They are most similar to a tiny home. I really like all the windows and fresh air and not sharing walls with my neighbors. What did you think?

The first day we weren't sure. But once we settled in we really liked it. Very comfortable and charming. Your right they are small single wide mobile homes that have a cute appearance that makes them look like small cottages. They give you lots of privacy and each had a shared patio with tables and chairs. The grounds were very beautiful. I spoke with one of the mangers and they told me every year during the rainy season all the mobile homes are moved to another location. They are next to a river and one time about 14 years ago the river overflowed (must be glaciers melting). So because of insurance reason now each year the homes are moved to another location nearby for three-four months.

 

[Carlsbadguy]

Unless they changed they keep one row of mobile homes there year-round away from the river. Was there during the summer once when all mobile homes were on site. Visited again in January and arrived late at night. The next morning looked out the window and noticed there were no mobile homes behind us and thought something bad had happened and they forgot we were there but were told most of the homes need to be moved due to storms during the winter and they are only allowed to keep a few on the property away from the river.

 

[cp73]

Unless they changed they keep one row of mobile homes there year-round away from the river.

Yes your right...I recall he said that a small number of them aren't moved because they are in a safe spot. Are you an owner there? I was looking at resale out of curiosity and saw them priced around $1K to $5K. I think the maintenance fees were around $1400 per year. You can rent them per night at about $200. Also said they had some studio units. Not sure where those were unless some of them are split mobile units. Nice place and definitely different that your regular timeshare. Had lots of good reviews on TripAdvisor.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Napa is over-rated - crowded, mostly owned by corporations. For less crowds, and family-owned vineyards, consider the Sonoma or Livermore Valleys. Many wineries offer picnic tables, restaurants and live music on weekends. Wine is just as good since they are in close proximity to Napa and have similar SF Bay Area conditions.

Now that the smoke has cleared the weather has been great. Not sure about Napa and Sonoma but Livermore has bike trails between wineries and you can rent e-Bikes to safely avoid traffic and congestion. https://www.pedegoelectricbikes.com/dealers/livermore

Wineries & Wine Events: Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association

Livermore Valley Wine Country is a wine enthusiasts haven where you can taste, tour, and spend the day or weekend enjoying our award-winning wineries.

www.lvwine.org

Sonoma Valley California

Sonoma Valley information including lodging, hotels, inns, bed & breakfasts, reservations, food & dining, events & event planning, wine & wineries, wine country restaurants & shopping in the beautiful valley of the moon.

www.sonomavalley.com

 

[Luanne]

Napa is over-rated - crowded, mostly owned by corporations. For less crowds, and family-owned vineyards, consider the Sonoma or Livermore Valleys. Many wineries offer picnic tables, restaurants and live music on weekends. Wine is just as good since they are in close proximity to Napa and have similar SF Bay Area conditions.

Now that the smoke has cleared the weather has been great. Not sure about Napa and Sonoma but Livermore has bike trails between wineries and you can rent e-Bikes to safely avoid traffic and congestion. https://www.pedegoelectricbikes.com/dealers/livermore

Wineries & Wine Events: Livermore Valley Winegrowers Association

Livermore Valley Wine Country is a wine enthusiasts haven where you can taste, tour, and spend the day or weekend enjoying our award-winning wineries.

www.lvwine.org

Sonoma Valley California

Sonoma Valley information including lodging, hotels, inns, bed & breakfasts, reservations, food & dining, events & event planning, wine & wineries, wine country restaurants & shopping in the beautiful valley of the moon.

www.sonomavalley.com

Years ago we visited the Livermore valley wineries quite often since it was only about a 30 minute drive. Back then it was all very informal. I remember one winery (can't remember the name) that had these amazing roasted walnuts they would put out. They even provided the recipe. I still have it and make them from time to time. Loved Wente with it's great restaurant and their outdoor concerts during the summer.