Napa Valley wine tasting tour.

Question

I am planning a trip to San Francisco and I wanted to stop by Napa Valley, which is an hour away (is it worth the ride?), and so I was wondering what a tour is like and which tours would be best.

I did a quick research, but they seem all so similar. Also how would it be like? Do we walk from one vineyard to another and try it like that or would we walk into a cellar and try it that way.

Help! I have so many questions!

I also heard about bike tours around the vineyards. Is that possible and if so how was it?

Answer 1

i went on that last year with my parents! im underage so i couldnt drink but i look a lot older so i did anyway.

i cant specifically remember any of the vine yards, the more expensive ones tend to be less fun but definitely do it on the bikes if its not too hot!

watching your parents fall off a bike absolutely plastered is quite amusing

Answer 2

There's so many things to do in Napa and Sonoma County. One thing that I hear is cool to do is take the Napa Wine Train. I haven't done this tour yet, but I hear it's great to do if you're with others who can't get around easily. (elderly, handicapped, etc.)

As for biking, I found a website that has tons of useful biking trails that take you through Napa Valley without having to use a tour guide. My wife and I did this last year and had no problems finding wineries on bike. Check out the websites below. I added some paid biking tour websites and tour reviews too...

Answer 3

I went to Sonoma Valley in May when I went to San Fran and the tour was awesome. The tour guy knew his **** and I got hammered...IT WAS GREAT! And what's cool is you could buy wine at the winery and drink it in the tour bus/van on the way to the next place. I wouldn't do bike tours...they group the vines out there because it's very dry and it gets really hot in the summer, like it the 100s. I suggest doing what I did...sign up for a tour online and they'll tell you where they're gonna pick you up.  

Answer 4

Napa is very beautiful and the wines are top notch but it is also very expensive and can be quite pretentious.  Plan on spending as much as $50/day just in tasting fees and many wineries don't credit the fees towards a bottle purchase!

The wineries are not close enough to one another to walk, for the most part.  Two north/south corridors dominate the valley; Hwy 29 on the western side, and the Silverado Trail on the eastern side.  Most of the towns lie along Hwy 29.  The "Trail" has much more production of grapes along it and many of the best wineries.  Also with the trail, it's more local traffic while 29 is a stop-and-go tourist parade most weekends.  You may literally be able to walk through St. Helena (one of the main towns) faster than you can drive through it most Saturdays.  

I would recommend a car tour rather than a bike tour.  As others have said, it's very hot during the summer (fall is beautiful) and the heavy traffic takes away from the pleasant experience of a bike.  Also, biking leaves you with no place to carry any wine you purchase.  Many, many maps are available that give suggested tour routes.  Be aware too that since it is snooty Napa, many wineries require a tasting appointment which can be made 24 hours ahead of time usually.

Now that I've said all that, I would actually recommend at trip to Napa's neighbor, Sonoma.  Sonoma county makes wines easily as good as Napa's, but still isn't overrun with tourists.  Use the small town of Healdsburg as your hub, and spend a day each touring through Dry Creek, Alexander Valley, and the Russian River Valley to the south.  All are in a 10 mile radius of Healdsburg and feature unique wines to the region (DCV-Zinfandels, AV-Cabs and Sauv Blanc, RRV-Pinot Noir and Chardonnay)

Answer 5

Typical protocol- show up at the vineyard; tastings run from free to $5 or $10, depending on the location.  By tastings, it's just that.  You'll get a tiny pour, sample, and the person will describe the wine for you; and compare it.

Typically, the warm climate of Napa produces good chardonnays (whites) and cabernets (reds).  

I went a couple years ago and spent a couple days up there.  Most of the locations aren't really walking distance; you could try the biking part but you're talking 2-lane highways with hills.  

Viasattui (I'm misspelling it) is a must-do.  You won't find their product anywhere else (they don't sell to stores); so if you like it, buy it there.

I hit about a dozen places in 2 days; what I found was the smaller places are your hidden gems.  You can hit Mondavi and the other big places, and it'll feel like a factory.  For me, the smaller, independent winemakers will actually take a little more time, and are a lot more fun to hang around (I can still remember being taken on an impromptu cellar tour; it just sort of happened).

There's a roadside place in the heart of Napa (the name escapes me; it's incredibly popular, and there's picnic tables all 'round it); it's a great place to stop for lunch, repair, and get your second wind.

If you plan on buying wine (and you're flying) do invest in the styrofoam packaging and boxes.  Trust me!

Enjoy your excursion; if you're going in August/September Napa can be quite warm compared to San Francisco (although September is the closest thing to 'summer' that San Francisco gets); daytime highs above 85/90F are quite common.

Bring your camera; many of the locations are near/on scenic vistas.

Answer 6

It's easy to just drive yourself from winery to winery.  There are so many wineries to choose from.  Take a look at this site for info on the wineries (you can also access free wine tasting coupons from this site):  http://www.cheers2wine.com/Napa-Valley-W...

Sonoma County is another great wine region.  This is the area where biking to the different wineries is popular.  Sonoma has wonderful wine and is just as scenic as Napa....more laid back....and usually less expensive to sample the wines.