In the present day I wish to convey you my Napa day journey itinerary. Napa Valley is without doubt one of the most well-known locations to go wine tasting in my residence state of California. The area is understood for Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, however there’s extra to it than vineyards. From acclaimed eating places to gorgeous landscapes, there’s loads to do and see on a day journey to wine nation. I’ve included a map, too.
Napa Day Journey Itinerary
There’s no scarcity of nice locations to go to in Napa County. From world-class wineries to Lake Berryessa, the world is a traveler’s paradise. However the vineyards are what draw most guests, and I’m no exception.
I’m right here now to spend a day in Napa with my different half and two of our pals. We’ve deliberate a enjoyable itinerary that features every little thing from wine tasting to eating places.
If you wish to observe in our footsteps with no automotive, you possibly can e-book a Napa day tour right here. It’s a enjoyable method to see (and style!) the highlights of the world with out driving.
Methods to Get to Napa Valley
We begin our day journey to Napa with a scenic drive north from San Francisco. We go away the town on a Sunday at 10am. After crossing the Golden Gate Bridge, we make our approach via Marin County to wine nation.
The vine-draped hills in Carneros welcome us as we arrive. It’s simply over 1 hour by automotive from San Francisco to Napa, and after we get there it’s one other 20 minutes to succeed in to our first wine tasting.
Vice Versa Wines
We’ve pre-booked an expertise at Vice Versa in St Helena. My pals are actually into wine, and so they discovered glowing critiques of it on CellarTracker. Once we arrive, our host welcomes us and presents us an summary of the vineyard.
He tells us that Canadian Patrice Breton based Vice Versa Wines in 2003 after working with legendary winemaker Paul Hobbs. Steadiness is the vineyard’s philosophy, and Philippe Melka, the winemaker at Vice Versa, ensures issues are easy and targeted.
We expertise this firsthand within the tasting room, the place there’s a desk set with glasses and particular person plates of fruit, nuts, and crackers.
As soon as seated, we sip a variety of Cabernet Sauvignons. We take of their wealthy aromas and benefit from the beneficiant pours as our host educates us on the rising situations and vintages.
Lunch in St Helena
After buying a number of bottles of wine, we go away Vice Versa and our Napa day journey itinerary continues with a brief drive to our lunch cease. We’re consuming on the well-known Gott’s Roadside in St Helena.
It’s an outpost of a beloved native chain that’s recognized for its retro diner ambiance and good burgers. It’s additionally held in excessive regard for its California-inspired dishes that function native produce.
As we take a look at the in depth menu, we see every little thing from citrus and avocado chop salads to chili cheese canines. Oh, and hand-spun milkshakes with natural ice cream. Yum.
We queue up and order on the outside window earlier than snagging one of many final out there picnic tables within the big grass space across the restaurant. A feast of ahi burgers, onion rings, and different classics quickly materializes, and we take pleasure in all of it.
Quintessa
After lunch our Napa day journey itinerary continues with a 10-minute drive to Quintessa. This well-known vineyard on Silverado Path is located on the foot of the Vaca Mountains on the japanese fringe of Rutherford.
We’ve pre-booked the Quintessential Expertise as a particular deal with. It encompasses a tasting in a non-public open-air pavilion surrounded by vineyards.
Once we arrive, our host greets us and whisks us off via the sun-dappled vineyards on a golf cart. We absorb views throughout Dragon’s Lake and over the rolling hills as we head as much as our pavilion.
Quickly we discover ourselves in a glass-walled room among the many oak bushes. There are lovely vistas over the vines and the Rutherford Bench district.
Seated at a giant desk within the center, our host tells us the story of the vineyard. As he does, we pattern two Illumination Sauvignon Blancs, two vintages of Quintessa, which is a Cabernet Sauvignon mix, and two barrel samples of future pink vintages.
He additionally educates us on Quintessa’s holistic philosophy and distinctive terroir. In doing so, he weaves in tales of Rebekah Wineburg, the winemaker, and her methodical method to harvesting and fermenting the grapes.
Dinner in St Helena
After leaving Quintessa, our day journey to Napa continues with a 10-minute drive to The Constitution Oak restaurant. An establishment in St Helena, it’s well-known for its wood-fired grill.
We’ve booked a desk on the welcoming outside terrace, and we begin with cocktails. The drinks are refreshing on a heat night, to not point out a pleasant change from the wine we’ve been sipping.
For dinner we tuck into sourdough bread with house-cultured butter, wings, koji eggplant, pork chops, and different grilled deliciousness. The meals is each bit pretty much as good as we’d hoped, and we love eating beneath the tree cover.
We spherical out the meal with burnt vanilla gentle serve. How might we not? It’s been listed as one of many 10 greatest chilly desserts within the Bay Space by the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s the proper candy ending to our day.
Napa Day Journey
After dessert we head again to San Francisco. We absorb a stunning sundown over the vineyards in Carneros alongside the way in which. We couldn’t ask for a greater finish to our day in Napa.
Napa Map
As promised, I created an interactive Google map of all of the spots we visited in Napa Valley. You possibly can see it right here. I hope it helps you observe in our footsteps and have a good time in Northern California’s wine nation.
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