Napa Valley wine tours

[camdan]

Hi,

I'll be in San Francisco for a few days next month and would like to spend a day in Napa Valley visiting some wineries and sampling the wines. A tour would seem to be the best option but there are so many tour companies operating. Can anyone provide recommendations about good/bad companies? Is there any difference? How much should we expect to pay for a good tour? Thanks,

Dan

[ScoopKW]

I go to Napa every year. I would not even consider a tour because I would be at the mercy of the tour operator. What if you click with a winery and want to spend a couple hours there? No can do, because the tour needs to shuttle you to Mondavi or Sutter Home or whatever.

Pick a few good wineries, and do it yourself. Part of the charm of the valley is exploring on your own. Take the ferry to Vallejo, rent a car there, and Napa is minutes away. Just don't get blotto. I can safely do three or four flights per day, and still be in good shape to drive. The police are more lenient than most places, but they have their limits.

I would recommend going to Goosecross, Shramsberg, Grgich and August Briggs. That would be a nice, pleasant day in the valley. Of course, you'll want to move there afterward. Such is the danger of visiting Napa.

Make absolutely sure you visit the Fatted Calf at Oxbow market for picnic provisions. Nothing like a really good pâté and rillets to nosh on while you go from winery to winery. V. Sattui winery has a good deli, but I prefer Fatted Calf.

[docdix]

Hi,

I agree tour companies will bring you to the more commercial wineries and you tend to miss out on the good stuff from the smaller ones who are not involved with the tour groups and operators. Just get a rental, GPS and a designated driver if possible. If you have a short time, perhaps the Silverado Trail in Napa is a good place to start as the wineries are within a few miles of each other. Get a good start as most wineries open at 10am and by mid day, they can get crowded especially in summer. Smaller wineries are less crowded. the map can be downloaded from here:http://www.silveradotrail.com/

Among those I personally like are: Chimney Rock, Dry Creek Vineyards, Clos du Val, Joseph Phelps, ZD wines, darioush...

Oh and while you can go to wineries with delis, most of them would allow you to "picnic in their grounds for as long as you get a bottle from them. I suggest that you buy what you want to eat ahead of time, pack em and find the winery with the wines that you like and stay there for lunch.

Good luck and enjoy

[ScoopKW]

IIRC, it is not particularly expensive to book a limo for the day. That takes care of everything.

I cannot stress strongly enough: Go to the small wineries where the guy pouring flights is either the owner, or one of the sons/daughters of the owner. Avoid the places with $25 tasting fees. My favorite places usually had a "$10 per flight, refunded with any purchase" price. That's the sort of place to go to.

[docdix]

I cannot stress strongly enough: Go to the small wineries where the guy pouring flights is either the owner, or one of the sons/daughters of the owner. Avoid the places with $25 tasting fees. My favorite places usually had a "$10 per flight, refunded with any purchase" price. That's the sort of place to go to.

Yes that's right and two that come to my mind are Teldeschi and Manzanita Creek... if you like Zins!

[nikkib]

agree with zd and joseph phelps - happy drinking!