Open Napa Valley Photo Gallery The vines were all bare at the end of March, which was deceptively concealed by the over-saturated green that filled the gentle hillsides. If they were not green then they were an unmistakeable bright yellow. A mustard yellow made by the mustard flower, growing between the vines and used to keep them warm. We were in low season although harvest depends on each type of grape, which is anywhere from August until October or even December.
Napa gets much pricier, so you could consider looking at other wine regions. Sonoma is the next valley, has similar offerings and asks for less of your Ben Franklins.
Michelle had kept the details of our stay in Napa an absolute secret. I had been guessing but was unsuccessful at unravelling any leads. Driving through St Helena, I was pretty sure we were not staying in the El Bonita Motel. Michelle likes motels as much as snails, although it looked good! I would have liked to stay in a motel to complement the genuine road-trip experience.
We soon appreciated that Napa is a very touristy place. So touristy that I wouldn’t consider Napa to be a real wine country. The wine is used as an excuse and is an attraction rather than a sustainable industry. But don’t let that put you off. Napa is filled to the brim with vineyards; that is unless the space is occupied by spa hotels or fine dining restaurants.
It is amazing to consider that Napa is no more than a large valley and how much wine can a valley produce? I would love to find out what percentage of wine is procured in Napa and wouldn’t be surprised if that is most of it!
Michelle’s friend Amee often visits here and gave us a few recommendations. Including the Oakville Delicatessen. It is hidden behind a sign saying groceries, but everything from salamis, to breads, olives, balsamic vinegar, cheeses, cakes and more is of the highest quality. It is of the highest prices with a two portioned cake at $7, explaining the smiles on the server’s faces. We chose a variety of cheeses including goats cheese, camembert and brie among other things to have on a picnic at our first vineyard.
We later had to ask ourselves what kind of people live in Napa, who comes here and if it would be a nice place to live. Napa Valley is really beautiful and only an hours drive from down town San Francisco; but I can imagine being surrounded by slow driving tourists and expensive local amenities. I can imagine tourism being everything here. Speaking to locals, we discovered many came here because they love wine and others were born and bred. Asking how they felt about being in such a touristy area, the answer was “it pays the mortgage”.
We reached Sterling Vineyard where we hoped to have a picnic. Their focal point is a cable-car, gondola; I don’t know what to call it, since the tram in San Francisco is known as a cable car. But you can read about selected wineries in the reviews section. They wouldn’t let us have a picnic so we swept around the corner to Cuveson who were more accommodating, especially when I bought a flat tasting bottle of red for $30!
Doing tastings at the vineyards is all part of the fun of coming to Napa. They generally come with a fee of $10-$20 and in return you are given a series of wines to tastes. Some even give you the glass. The wines are generally served in the same glasses and are enough for a taste. You are allowed to spit or throwaway the wine. Most servings are of 3-6 wines. You maybe shown a menu with a choice of wines. If you have a server, they may give you other wines that they think you will prefer. Servers generally give you an explanation with the wine creating a really good customer service. There are plenty of vineyards to choose from and they are spread over a large area.
If you are worried about driving, you could consider hiring a limo for the half a day or longer. There is no dependable public transport to help you get around the vineyards, but if you stay in downtown Yountville or Napa, you may be surprised at the amount of “watering holes” within easy reach. There are also coach tours from San Fran.
Michelle pulled off the road, after a sign saying “Harvester Inn”. We followed the signs to reception underneath some shady trees. Harvester to me is a cheap and nasty family chain pub in the UK. This, is not the UK. The Harvester is a very delightful collection of cottages and timeshare looking premises with enchanted looking shady trees acting as a relief to the hot afternoon sun whilst looking out over the vineyards. This part of our trip being a complete surprise, I entered the room with a big smile and a cheer. We were greeted by a bigger than king-size bed a big tv resting above a fireplace.
The en-suite was to the rear and was decorated with L’Occitane goodies and a huge bath. The bath was big enough for the two of us to sit side by side. We tested it! Luckily the bath had some serious water output and filled in about 2minutes. Entering the room again, we found some very fluffy dressing gowns in the closet, wine on the table and amusingly a cd waiting to be played. Overall looking impressively good! That is apart from the cd, a trashy romantic virtuoso that may appeal to someone, but still a nice touch! By now, we had listened to the same music for 800 miles, so a change is as good as a break!
We ran a bath with our fancy foam and opened the bottle of wine. We sat and washed away the accruement of the day and clinked the crystal together. We were interrupted by a maid who wouldn’t be satisfied that we didn’t need water or ice. After a few moments we decided it was easier to see to her than have to say no again and again. The next day, we continued to say no again and again!
The breakfasts are served between 7-10am and something to tell mother about! A buffet including quiche, cereals, croissants, bagels, cakes, fruit and more! A real proper breakfast! The room looks out over the vineyard to the rear and an oversized open fire adds warmth and comfort, regardless of the temperature outside. Breakfast was a little disturbed by other guests poignant on being disruptive. Our room didn’t particularly have decent views, and we failed to try out the little balcony. That is more a reflection on the amount of time we had.
There was a small pool with a Jacuzzi, but neither of us was brave enough to face cold water. Reading the documentation, I sniggered at being able to ask for a real log to put on the fire. Ours was a gas fire, and I can imagine many-a-guest feeling butch or back to nature by putting a real log on the fire! With our hotel package, we also received three complementary winery tastings.
We dined at Travigne and left struggling to fit through the door! Looking at different menus on the internet, myself being vegetarian, we found little to satisfy both our palettes. We went to Travigne, because it was local to the hotel and could see there were some delicately crafted dishes on the menu. This is a top restaurant! The building is square with a veranda joined by blooming wisteria. As we entered, we were escorted to the bar and given a hearty choice of spirits.
The décor was a mix of 1930’s modernist Italy without trying too hard. There were a mixture of booths and tables. We thankfully shared an appetiser of mozzarella and bruschetta. Bigger than my fist, it had to be the largest mozzarella I have ever seen! Most notable was any dish prepared with olive oil. It was light, full of flavour and relinquished any sense of greasiness. Believe me, I cant explain to you how good it was. Unable to eat more, we shared a bread and butter pudding served with gelato. Again, it was unspeakably good. It was recommended by the waiter who, older and gentlemanly had a good sincere presentation style offering good advice. Our bill came to about $80 before drinks.
Some facts about Napa vineyards.
Girard
We were met by Christo in Girard’s bar which is in downtown Yountville. Christo was certainly overwhelming with wine knowledge. His gravely voice proved evidence that we were not the only ones who love wine. We sampled a variety of wines with our complementary voucher and left with a Pinot Blanc. Christo explained some of the mysteries we still had about wine and this was our last wine visit. The décor was distressed and we drank out of crystal glasses. They own no vineyards but have contracts with farmers for a minimum of 25years.
Sterling
Sterling was the first vineyard we visited so had a lot to stand for, yet failed miserably. We paid our $20 for the self guided tour and tasting then embarked on the cable car, gondola which is a gimmick for the visit. Within minutes of the tour, we were told they were closing. Closing not meaning hurry-up, but “the exit is behind you” which are words I quote. The way forward was on the cable car down. We asked if we could return the next day, refused but told we could quickly have our tasting. The wine was only ok, especially because it was rushed. It certainly wasn’t enough to warrant making a special visit here. Other than the politest cable car operators, we were subjected to rudeness at every possible stage. The worst customer service experience I have ever had in the US! I left with a slap in the face after just handing over $40 and felt quite hurt and cheated by the experience. Perhaps the lowest point of our trip.
Cuvison
You are allowed to have a Picnic here. Which is why we stopped here. I thought the red wine was a bit flat. There are fields of Californian Poppies, lovely!
Chandon
Chandon was our favourite of all wineries. Perhaps it was the modern, industrial looking bar area with a bar made of glass, the great surroundings, a wall piece made of bottles or perhaps just great sparkling wine? The veranda was hidden beneath some leafy green trees and looking at the building, it was possible to see it had been inspired by the shape of oak barrels. Chandon is as in “Moet Chandon” and have a collection of vineyards across California. I was surprised to hear they also make still wine. We had a bogof voucher from their website for the tasting which was hosted by Kristen. She came to Napa for the wine and had been here for four years. All the bartenders were knowledgeable and really friendly; although one of the guys had really bad jokes that just made me pity him! There are also packages on tours and tastings together. There are a variety of tastings on the menu depending on your tastes. We decided to stay and with Kristen went on a tour of the winery. At 30mins it was about right and we went into the cellars. We learnt about the process of making champagne, sorry sparkling wine and learnt quite a bit. The wine tasted absolutely great and not as expensive as you would expect. Fact of the day is, smaller bubbles indicates bottle fermentation. We kept the glasses!
Goosecross
Goosecross was off the beaten track but the small bar and cellar was in a building set in the vineyards. Goosecross was a complementary tasting from our hotel and we were served by Jose. We were served on a one to one basis and given some delightful insights into the wine making process. Jose was very friendly, very informative and gave us a good selection with varied tastes. We were starting to find it a cliché when we were told a wine would go well with Thai food or crab cakes. The cliché didn’t end there! Jose was terrible at taking photographs, so ask for one for a laugh! But I wont be mean, it was his birthday! The wines tasted delightfully good and we bought a bottle to go with some spicy Thai food or some crab cakes. They have a podcast called “Wine 101”
Joseph Phelps
Phelps is a really good vineyard to visit. Slightly higher than the valley, you are invited to sit on a sheltered veranda over-looking the vineyards where the grapes were grown. The scenery is magical and the viewpoint is a great place. It was $20 for a five wine tasting. The wines were good and we had a good banter with the server. The last wine to be served was the signature wine, “Insignia” a blend with 92% cabernet 7% petit verdot 1%merlot. I can’t remember enough to give a review, but I remember it was significantly yummier than the other wines.
Grgich
It is spelt right! “ger gitch! We were served by Marc who comes from my favourite part of France, La Cote D’Azur. We were given a number of wines for our $10 tasting and given the glasses as a memento. Marc’s parents looked after vineyards in the South of France and he himself was keen to start growing olives. Yum! The bar is dark and cool as the barrels of maturing wine are behind you. Outside the wisteria is graceful. We left empty handed as Grgich wines are priced higher than reasonable. “Violetta” a sweet wine was $85 for a half bottle and worth every penny. Violetta is the maker’s daughter’s name so you can only wonder her spending habits!
Mumm
Mumm like Chandon also stems from France and have a number of wines on the menu. We were seated at an outside table with great views over the valley. We were given a menu and then chose a selection expecting to be given some information or knowledge. I like being made to feel excited and here we weren’t sold to. We had 3 full glasses each, although not overwhelmed by the flavour. Being table service, we were not informed to pay in the gift shop, so perhaps more training is needed? The gift shop is ok and sells wines from Mumm and other local souvenirs such as t-shirts (I didn’t like any of them). We bought some truffle and rich chocolates as gifts as well as half sized sparkling wines. Again their wines were reasonably priced. Mumm also offer a 1hr complementary tour of their winery. We would have loved to have done it, but needed to start our long flog 500 miles south. We also needed to stop in San Francisco!
