Not to be missed...Napa or Sonoma??

[hmwnick]

DH & I are planning a trip (without kids) to California & want to see the wine country. Should we go to Napa or Sonoma or both? Are there any "not to be missed" things on a trip like this? We are planning to be in the area for 4-5 days. Thank you!

Rebecca

 

[CraftyMouse]

DH & I are planning a trip (without kids) to California & want to see the wine country. Should we go to Napa or Sonoma or both? Are there any "not to be missed" things on a trip like this? We are planning to be in the area for 4-5 days. Thank you!

Rebecca

If you have time for both then I would suggest that. If you really only have time to focus on one I would do Napa. Sonoma is beautiful and there are some nice wineries there, however Napa is really fantastic. The wineries are mostly situated along a few roads so going from one to another is very easy. I would plan to stop at V. Sattui Vineyards for lunch. They have a terrific deli where you can get meats, fresh bread and terrific pastries and then have a picnic on their lawn. It's really very nice.

If you do go to Napa I would also suggest, in addition to the larger wineries like Mondavi, Beringer, etc., that you seek out Van der Heyden vineyard. It is very small winery and the gentleman that owns it is very nice. It is located on Silverado Trail which runs (sort of) parallel to Route 29 (where Mondavi, Beringer and V. Sattui are).

Mondavi is nice for a modern vineyard tour. Beringer is nice for an old-style, caves in the mountain, kind of tour. We also liked Beaullieu and Sterling.
If you go to Sonoma we liked Buena Vista and Gundlach & Bundschu wineries.

Hope that helped.

 

[bekkiz]

I have done both in one day

My favorite lunch spot is the Girl and the Fig in Sonoma (I dream about it often--it is outstanding) and then I head to Yountville (in Napa) for my favorite bakery in the whole world, Bouchon Bakery.

A couple of my favorite wineries (in Napa): Cliff Lede (also in Yountville), Miner Family (Oakville) and Cakebread (appt. only)

Another great restaurant is in St. Helena (napa) called Market. And it's like two stores down from Woodhouse chocolates which are amazing.

In Napa (the city) there's a fun place called the Bounty Hunter which has good, simple food and TONS of wines by the glass or half-glass. It gives you a chance to try lots of different things, including wines from outside of CA.

 

[Peter Pirate]

I agree with Crafty except that I believe if you can only do one do Sonoma, it is more laid back and much friendlier, IMO.

We took an early morning ballon ride (out of Yountville) which was absolutely fantastic.

We stayed at the Yountville Inn one trip, it was very memorable.

As for the wineries, there are so many, I think a little research, knowing your own likes and dislikes will get you good results.

Twice we've done wine tasting with a limo. A bit expensive but very special...And no driving.

 

[gate_pourri]

Being a little biased as I was born and raised in Sonoma, but if you had to choose just one, I would say Sonoma. It is much more quant, quieter, and not as crazy as ‘Napa’ is.

Some things to remember:
- Napa charges for wine tasting (usually something along the lines of $4 to $6 for a couple of tastes), whereas Sonoma typically does not.
- Sonoma is much cheaper then Napa. It is cheaper to stay, cheaper to eat, and cheaper to play.
- Much of Napa is freeways, and the downtown area (which IMO is not the nicest town). Once you leave Napa (go into Yountville, St. Helena, Rutherford, Oakville it is pretty) but rather expensive.

If you could, do both. It is worth it. But get a hotel in Sonoma.

Just PLEASE don’t slow down on the one lane highway to take pictures of the vineyards, the locals want to shoot you at that point.