Napa Valley Wine Tasting

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Back to Weekend GetawaysNapa Valley Wineries & Attractions

Touring the Valley & Wineries

The Napa Valley has nearly 300 wineries -- each with distinct wines, atmosphere, and experience -- so touring the valley takes a little planning. Decide what interests you most and chart your path from there. Ask locals which vintners have the type of experience you're looking for. And don't plan to visit more than four wineries in a day. Above all, take it slowly. The Wine Country should never be rushed; like a great glass of wine, it should be savored. Besides, you're bound to get sidetracked and blow any schedule that's too tight.

Most wineries are open 10am to 5pm (some have extended hours during summer; most are closed on major holidays). Many offer tours daily from 10am to 4:30pm, which usually chart the entire winemaking process -- from grafting and harvesting the vines, to pressing the grapes, to blending and aging the juice in oak casks. Tours vary in length and formality; most are free.

The towns and wineries listed are organized geographically, from south to north along Highway 29, from Napa village to Calistoga. I've included a handful of my favorites; for a complete list, be sure to pick up one of the free guides to the valley.

Sip Tip -- You can cheaply sip your way through downtown Napa without getting behind the wheel with the new "Taste Napa Downtown" wine card. For $20, you get 10? tasting privileges at 10 winecentric watering holes and tasting rooms within walking distance of one other. Plus you'll get 10% discounts at tasting rooms and half-off admission to Copia. Available at the Napa Valley Conference & Visitors Bureau (1310 Napa Town Center, off First St.; tel. 707/226-7459, ext. 106) and Copia . Learn more at www.napadowntown.com.

Paying to Taste -- Sipping has become such a popular pastime that free tastings often leave you jockeying for elbow room and the bartender's attention. But with the flash of a $20 or more per person, you avoid crowding in with the hundreds of tipsy souls who come for the cheap buzz. You also get a more intimate experience, more educational information, and maybe even a seat.

Shipping Wine Home

The only thing more complex than that $800 case of cabernet you just purchased are the rules about shipping it home. Because of absurd and forever fluctuating laws -- which supposedly protect the business of the country's wine distributors -- wine shipping is limited by regulations that vary in each of the 50 states. Shipping rules also vary from winery to winery.

To avoid hassles, talk to the wineries and the shipping companies below before you buy. Keep in mind that it's technically illegal to box your own wine and send it through the U.S. mail, but people do it all the time anyway (shhh). If you go that route, you might want to disguise your box and head to a post office, UPS, or other shipping company outside the Wine Country; it's far less obvious that you're shipping wine from, say, Vallejo or San Francisco than from Napa Valley.

Shipping from Napa Valley

The UPS Store, at 3212 Jefferson St. in the Grape Yard Shopping Center (tel. 707/259-1398), claims to pack and ship anything anywhere. Rates for a case of wine were quoted at approximately $25 for ground shipping to Los Angeles and $60 to New York.

St. Helena Mailing Center, 1241 Adams St., at Highway 29, St. Helena (tel. 707/963-2686), says they will pack and ship to certain states within the U.S. Rates for prewrapped shipments are around $30 per case for ground delivery to Los Angeles.

Shipping From Sonoma

The UPS Store, 19229 Sonoma Hwy., in Maxwell Village, Sonoma (tel. 707/935-3438), has a lot of experience with shipping wine. It claims it will ship your wine to any state. Prices vary from $30 to Los Angeles to as much as $79 to the East Coast and $150 to Hawaii and Alaska.

The Wine Exchange of Sonoma, 452 First St. E., between East Napa and East Spain streets, Sonoma (tel. 707/938-1794), will ship your wine, but there's a catch: You must buy an equal amount of any wine at the store (which they assured me would be in stock, and probably at a better rate). Shipping rates range from $20 to Los Angeles to $72 to the East Coast.