Napa is…GLORIOUS. There’s no other way to put it. I am slightly bias because my husband works for a wine company, but still. Even when he didn’t, I thought Napa was IT. Napa is a place for wine, food, views, and fun. If you haven’t been, start making your plans yesterday.

If you are a wine drinker, this is where you need to be. Heck, even if you are not and you love to eat good food, this is where you need to be. But really, most people go to Napa to go wine tasting and soak up the good ole California sun. There’s nothing like hanging out in the vineyards for the day. Nothing.

I can not count anymore how many times I have been to Napa because we used to live in Northern California and would visit quite often. I was recently there with my friends from high school a couple months ago and it was a perfect weekend. No one ever says no to Napa, or at least not me :).

RIDGE WINERY

We made a quick stop up to Healdsburg first thing in the morning to hang out at the picturesque, Ridge Vineyards. I honestly could have stayed there all day, but we had places to go and people to see. Not really actually, just a lot of wine to drink, but you get the point. I loved this winery and bought a bottle of their chardonnay. It was the best tasting white wine I have ever had if that gives you a good idea of their wines.

 

SILVER OAK

We headed back down to Napa and toured and tasted at Silver Oak. Their wine is so juicy and yummy it’s ridiculous. The reds are all delish. They also have a great tour if you are interested in touring around the winery too.

 

 

Wine needs food and food needs wine. Do you agree? They are the perfect pair. We usually stop at Gott’s Roadside, Oakville, or V. Sattui, but we decided to stop in at Dean and Deluca, which is another amazing lunch spot. I always get a few things to share and nibble on while soaking up the views. Napa Valley=views all day long.

 

Later that day we went to Girard’s, which is a fun place to go later on in the day because they are open pretty late. There isn’t any views and it is a smaller tasting room, but their wines never disappoint. It’s one of our go-to last wine stops of the day.

TREFETHEN

The next day we started at Trefethen. I was hesitant because I have only been there one other time and they were under a huge renovation due to the earthquake, but honestly, their wines are fantastic and pretty unforgettable. They have such a beautiful facility and if you have not been here yet, please stop by and try their wines.

 

BERINGER

Okay so, for anyone that thinks they know Beringer wines, they truly don’t. When you think of Beringer, you think of not high quality, cheap stuff. TOTALLY not true and couldn’t be father from the truth. Head right to the reserve tasting room and try their wines. They will literally blow you away. TOTALLY divine wine. You will never think anything other once you try their wines. Beringer has some of the best wines out there.

 

 

DARIOUSH

Our tasting at Beringer might have been one of my favorites ever because our host made it extra special for us. There will always be a special place in my heart for this winery in Napa. We had quite a good amount at this point, but had one more tasting to go to which was at Darioush. We have been going to Darioush for yearrrrssss so it’s always a classic to visit. If you want a modern, sleek and sexy vibe, go here. I would honestly go here just for their lemon salted pistachios that they give you during your tasting. Truth. The good news is that you may purchase them to take with you so there’s that at least. Besides from that, their wines are beautiful, which means they are TASTY.

That’s about most of my recent trip to Napa. I didn’t add the parts about staying up until 3 am. doing blind tastings of delicious bottles of wine, but that also happened. I am getting too old for that nonsense, but when in Napa right?? YOLO.

See you again Napa Valley ❤

Tara Tips*

Napa and Sonoma both have some amazing wineries. If you could only go to one specific area, I would visit Napa first. We sometimes visit a winery or 2 in Sonoma and head back to Napa for the rest of the day. It’s doable! It just depends how much you want to do in 1 day. I would not recommend that for your first time visit to wine country though!

Some of my personal favorite wineries

Far Niente | Trefethen | Domaine Carneros | Duckhorn | Paraduxx | Joseph Phelps | Mumm | Beringer | Robert Mondavi | Darioush | Orwin Swift | Girard | Raymond | Silver Oak

To Stay

AirBNB | Andaz Napa | Embassy Suites by Hilton Napa Valley | The Meritage Resort and Spa | River Terrace Inn.

AirBNB will probably be your best bet for the price! You can find some amazing homes to stay in. Check google maps to see how far the wineries are from where you are staying and where you want to be. If money isn’t an option, stay at Andaz Napa. I stayed there for a weekend, and it was incredible. Right in downtown Napa, next to all the restaurants and bars too.

To Eat

You will NOT be disappointed! 🙂 Keep in mind that any of these places would be more than fine for lunch or dinner. It all depends on your daily plans.

Lunch

You must have a picnic type of experience in Napa. You can buy your own wine at the lunch spot OR bring your own bottle there for cheaper or from one of the wineries you visited. You can open up your bottle and enjoy with your favorite foods and cheeses, etc etc!

V. Sattui | This is a larger spot and they have everything you could possibly want to eat! My suggestion is to buy a bunch of things and share. They have picnic tables but bring a blanket if you can to this one because it gets busy FAST. They all do really.

Oakville Grocery Co | This is a similar type of place but a smaller setting. It is very peaceful in the back where you can sit and enjoy. Grab a bottle of wine while you’re there or pop your own and viola. Salud!  It is literally a minute away from Robert Mondavi Winery (A must go).

Gott’s Roadside | This place has awesome burgers, tuna burgers, fish tacos, etc etc. It is alllllwayyys packed and it’s awesome food. This is closer to Beringer Winery (which is another great winery option).

Dean and Deluca | They have delicious pre-made foods and food to order. There are not many places to sit, but they have amazing high quality items.

 

Dinner

 Oenotri | Downtown Napa | Italian | You can order delicious wood fire pizza. MUST make reservations for dinner daily. Things get crazy busy in Napa so plan ahead of time.

Eiko’s | Downtown Napa| Sushi restaurant |Some of the best sushi! Ambiance is lovely.

Angele | Downtown Napa | French-American | Such a special spot and in a beautiful area of downtown. It has a very romantic outside area. Also has an excellent brunch.

Bounty Hunter | Downtown Napa | Barbecue | Has amazing meat dishes and is more of bar-ish feel.

Bistro Don Giovanni | Napa | Italian | One of my favorite restaurants of all time!

 

Winery Plans!

To visit | For first timers/bach party – Must go to Robert Mondavi. It is a classic and the views/ambiance are perfect. Grab a bottle after you do a tasting and sit outside and enjoy the view. They also do group tours and if you are going to do one, this place would probably be the one to do it at. If you don’t want to spend a lot, I would suggest splitting tastings/buy a bottle and share that way.

For fun and bubbles (champs) | Must go to Mumm. They are one of the few wineries open till 6:00 I believe. Most close between 3:30-5 (last tastings you can schedule). If you want champs this is the place to go and the view is spectacular. you will all love it and its fun because it’s champs! Another one for bubbles and brunch/breakfast (a little pricey but not terrible) is Domaine Carneros. A little further away from the hustle and bustle. Great choice as well.

For Bachelorette fun | Must go to Raymond’s. This winery is very…how do I say it, unique, sexy, girly, fun. It’s pretty awesome. You just need to go here if you want that whole bach vibe. Let me know if you have more questions. They have GREAT red wines too.

For relaxation | Go to Paraduxx. They have comfortable chairs outside and it is in a very calm setting. Order the red tasting and they pair it with a bunch of delicious cheeses. Tip-make sure you call ahead and see if there are any perks for larger parties/maybe they can give you platters of some apps etc for free.

Tasting fees

$15-$35 a tasting (some may be more, depending where you go). Call and double check if you are concerned with tasting info. Again, you can always buy a bottle at these places and enjoy the wine that way as well!

I do not claim to be an expert on this area, but I definitely know a lot about Napa. Ask away and I would be glad to help out 🙂

Now, go get your wine on.