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Top Reasons to Go | Getting Oriented | What’s Where | Planning

Updated by Daniel Mangin

Life is lived well in California’s premiere wine region, where eating and drinking are cultivated as high arts, and the hotels, inns, and spas rival the world’s top resorts for luxury and pampering. Ivy-draped wineries anchor highways and meandering back roads, and boutique operations flourish amid vineyard-blanketed hills. Marquee chefs preside over big-name restaurants whose dishes really are as gorgeous as they look in magazine spreads. There’s so much to enjoy here: the natural setting is splendid, the architecture divine, the hospitality nearly always sublime.

The Wine Country is also rich in history. In Sonoma you can explore California’s Spanish and Mexican pasts at the Sonoma Mission, and the origins of modern California wine making at Buena Vista Winery. Some wineries, among them St. Helena’s Beringer and Rutherford’s Inglenook, have cellars or tasting rooms dating to the late 1800s. Calistoga is a flurry of late-19th-century Steamboat Gothic architecture, though the town’s oldest-looking building, the medieval-style Castello di Amorosa, is a 21st-century creation.

Tours at the Napa Valley’s Beringer, Mondavi, and Inglenook—and at Buena Vista in the Sonoma Valley—provide an entertaining overview of Wine Country history. The tour at the splashy visitor center at St. Helena’s Hall winery will introduce you to 21st-century wine-making technology, and over in Glen Ellen’s Benziger Family Winery you can see how its vineyard managers apply biodynamic farming principles to grape growing. At numerous facilities you can play winemaker for a day at seminars in the fine art of blending wines. If that strikes you as too much effort, you can always pamper yourself at a luxury spa.

To delve further into the fine art of Wine Country living, pick up a copy of Fodor’s Napa and Sonoma.

Top Reasons to Go

Biking: Cycling is one of the best ways to see the Wine Country—the Russian River and Dry Creek valleys, in Sonoma County, are particularly beautiful.

Browsing the farmers’ markets: Many towns in Napa and Sonoma have seasonal farmers’ markets, each rounding up an amazing variety of local produce.

Wandering di Rosa: Though this art and nature preserve is just off the busy Carneros Highway, it’s a relatively unknown treasure. The galleries and gardens are filled with hundreds of artworks.

Canoeing on the Russian River: Trade in your car keys for a paddle and glide down the Russian River in Sonoma County. From May through October is the best time to be on the water.

Touring wineries: Let’s face it: this is the reason you’re here, and the range of excellent sips to sample would make any oenophile (or novice drinker, for that matter) giddy.

Getting Oriented

The Napa and Sonoma valleys run roughly parallel, northwest to southeast, and are separated by the Mayacamas Mountains. Northwest of the Sonoma Valley are several more important viticultural areas in Sonoma County, including the Dry Creek, Alexander, and Russian River valleys. The Carneros region, which spans southern Sonoma and Napa counties, is just north of San Pablo Bay.

What’s Where

Napa Valley. You’ll find big names all around, from high-profile wineries to world-renowned chefs. Napa, the valley’s oldest town, sweet-life St. Helena, and down-to-earth Calistoga all make good home bases here. Calistoga has the extra draw of local thermal springs. Yountville has become a culinary boomtown, while the tiny communities of Oakville and Rutherford are home to historic wineries such as Robert Mondavi and Inglenook. Rutherford in particular is the source for outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon.

Sonoma Valley. Historic attractions and an unpretentious attitude prevail here. The town of Sonoma, with its picture-perfect central plaza, is rich with 19th-century buildings. Glen Ellen, meanwhile, has a special connection with author Jack London.

Elsewhere in Sonoma. The winding, rural roads here feel a world away from Napa’s main drag. The Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander valleys are all excellent places to seek out Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Sauvignon Blanc. The small town of Healdsburg gets lots of attention, thanks to its terrific restaurants, bed-and-breakfasts, and chic boutiques.

Planning

When to Go

High season extends from late May through October, with “crush”—the period when grapes are harvested and crushed—being the best time to see winery workers in action. Crush usually takes place in September and October, sometimes earlier or later depending on the weather. In summer expect hot and dry days, roads jammed with cars, and heavy traffic at tasting rooms. Wine auctions and art and food fairs occur from spring through November. During high season it’s wise to book smaller hotels at least a month in advance. To avoid crowds, visit wineries during the week (Tuesday and Wednesday are usually the slowest days). Because many wineries close as early as 4 or 4:30—and only a handful are open past 5—you’ll need to get a reasonably early start if you want to fit in more than one or two.

Getting Here and Around

Air Travel

Wine Country regulars often bypass San Francisco and Oakland and fly into Santa Rosa’s Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS) on Alaska Airlines, which has nonstop flights from San Diego, Los Angeles, Portland, and Seattle. Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, and National rent cars here. TIP Alaska allows passengers flying out of STS to check up to one case of wine for free.

Bus Travel

Bus travel is an inconvenient way to explore the Wine Country, though it is possible. Take Golden Gate Transit from San Francisco to connect with Sonoma County Transit buses. VINE connects with BART commuter trains in the East Bay and the San Francisco Bay Ferry in Vallejo. VINE buses serve the Napa Valley and connect the towns of Napa and Sonoma.

Car Travel

Driving your own car is by far the most convenient way to get to and explore the Wine Country. In light traffic, the trip from San Francisco or Oakland to the southern portion of either Napa or Sonoma should take about an hour. Distances between Wine Country towns are fairly short, and in normal traffic you can drive from one end of the Napa or Sonoma valley to the other in less than an hour. Although this is a mostly rural area, the usual rush hours still apply, and high-season weekend traffic can often be slow.

Five major roads serve the region. U.S. 101 and Highways 12 and 121 travel through Sonoma County. Highway 29 and the parallel, more scenic, and often less crowded Silverado Trail travel north–south between Napa and Calistoga.

The easiest way to travel between the Napa Valley and Sonoma County is along Highway 12/121 to the south, or Highway 128 to the north. Travel between the middle sections of either area requires taking the slow, winding drive over the Mayacamas Mountains on the Oakville Grade, which links Oakville, in Napa, and Glen Ellen, in Sonoma.

TIP If you’re wine tasting, either select a designated driver or be careful of your wine intake—the police keep an eye out for tipsy drivers.

From San Francisco to Napa: Cross the Golden Gate Bridge, then go north on U.S. 101. Head east on Highway 37 toward Vallejo, then north on Highway 121, aka the Carneros Highway. Turn left (north) when Highway 121 runs into Highway 29.

From San Francisco to Sonoma: Cross the Golden Gate Bridge, then go north on U.S. 101, east on Highway 37 toward Vallejo, and north on Highway 121. When you reach Highway 12, take it north to the town of Sonoma. For Sonoma County destinations north of Sonoma Valley stay on U.S. 101, which passes through Santa Rosa and Healdsburg.

From Berkeley and Oakland: Take Interstate 80 north to Highway 37 west, then on to Highway 29 north. For the Napa Valley, continue on Highway 29; to reach Sonoma County, head west on Highway 121.

Ferry Travel

From late April through October the San Francisco Bay Ferry sails from the Ferry Building and Pier 41 in San Francisco to Vallejo, where you can board VINE Bus 11 to the town of Napa. Buses sometimes fill in for the ferries.

Contact
San Francisco Bay Ferry. | 510/522–3300 | sanfranciscobayferry.com.

Restaurants

Farm-to-table Modern American cuisine is the prevalent style in the Napa Valley and Sonoma County, but this encompasses both the delicate preparations of Thomas Keller’s highly praised The French Laundry and the upscale comfort food served throughout the Wine Country. The quality (and hype) often means high prices, but you can also find appealing, inexpensive eateries, especially in the towns of Napa, Calistoga, Sonoma, and Santa Rosa, and many high-end delis prepare superb picnic fare. At pricey restaurants you can save money by having lunch instead of dinner.

With a few exceptions (noted in individual restaurant listings), dress is informal. Where reservations are indicated as essential, book a week or more ahead in summer and early fall. Restaurant prices are the average cost of a main course at dinner or, if dinner is not served, at lunch.

Hotels

The fanciest accommodations are concentrated in the Napa Valley towns of Yountville, Rutherford, St. Helena, and Calistoga; Sonoma County’s poshest lodgings are in Healdsburg. The spas, amenities, and exclusivity of high-end properties attract travelers with the means and desire for luxury living. The cities of Napa and Santa Rosa are the best bets for budget hotels and inns, but even at a lower price point you’ll still find a touch of Wine Country glamour. On weekends, two- or even three-night minimum stays are commonly required at smaller lodgings. Book well ahead for stays at such places during the busy summer or fall season. If your party will include travelers under age 16, inquire about policies regarding younger guests; some smaller lodgings discourage (or discreetly forbid) children. Hotel prices are for the lowest cost of a standard double room in high season.

Accommodations Listings
Napa Valley Hotels & Resorts. | 707/251–9188, 855/333–6272 | www.visitnapavalley.com/napa_valley_hotels.htm.
Sonoma Hotels & Lodging. | www.sonomacounty.com/hotels-lodging.

Tastings and Tours

Many wineries require reservations for tours, seminars, and tastings, which in most cases are made through booking websites such as CellarPass and VinoVisit. A good scheduling strategy is to book appointment-only wineries in the morning, saving the ones that allow walk-ins until the afternoon. That way, if lunch or other winery visits take longer than expected you won’t be stressed about having to arrive at later stops at a precise time.

Booking Websites
CellarPass. | 707/255–4390 | www.cellarpass.com.
VinoVisit. | 888/252–8990 | www.vinovisit.com.

Many visitors prefer to leave the scheduling and driving to seasoned professionals. Whether you want to tour wineries in a van or bus along with other passengers or spring for a private limo, there are plenty of operators who can accommodate you. Tours generally last from five to seven hours and stop at four or five wineries. Rates vary from $80 per person to $250 or more, depending on the vehicle and whether the tour includes other guests. On most tours, at least one stop includes a behind-the-scenes look at production facilities and the chance to meet winemakers or others involved in the wine-making process. Most tour operators will pick you up at your hotel or a specified meeting place. You can also book a car and driver by the hour for shorter trips. Rates for limo generally run from $50 to $85 per hour, and there’s usually a two- or three-hour minimum. TIP Some tours include lunch and tasting and other fees, but not all do, so ask.

Fodor’s Choice | Perata Luxury Tours & Car Services.
Perata’s customized private tours, led by well-trained, knowledgeable drivers, are tailored to its patrons’ interests—you can create your own itinerary or have your guide craft one for you. Tours, in luxury SUVs, cover Napa and Sonoma. The options include exclusive, appointment-only boutique wineries. | 707/227–8271 | www.perataluxurycarservices.com | From $325 per day, plus fuel surcharge ($25–$35), tasting fees, and 18% gratuity charge.

Fodor’s Choice | Platypus Wine Tours.
The emphasis at Platypus is on “fun” experiences at off-the-beaten-path wineries. Expect intimate winery experiences with jolly, well-informed guides. You can join an existing tour with other guests or book a private one. | 707/253–2723 | www.platypustours.com | From $99, excluding tasting fees.

Woody’s Wine Tours.
The amiable, well-informed Woody Guderian favors small wineries but will customize a tour to suit your taste and budget. In addition to winery tours in both Napa and Sonoma, Woody also conducts tours of local craft breweries. | 707/396–8235 | www.woodyswinetours.com | From $80 per hr, excluding tasting fees.

Visitor Information

Pretrip Planning
Visit Napa Valley. | 707/251–5895 | www.visitnapavalley.com.
Visit Sonoma. | 707/522–5800, 800/576–6662 | www.sonomacounty.com.

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