San Francisco and Napa. Thanksgiving Edition.

Napa Valley is only an hour and a half away from San Francisco, so naturally it’s a very popular getaway for the locals and, of course, a huge attraction for tourists. You can drive to the valley, take a train through the valley or hire a car. The wineries are pretty spread out and the sign system, while well organized, is still pretty complicated. So, winging it after a few tastings can be a challenge and certainly, is not safe. Lena and I had a trade off that I would drive while in Napa, and she would drive when we visited Sonoma.

Beringer Vineyards, Napa

The wineries vary a lot in the quality of wine, the style, and the types of people that favor each spot. Some wineries tend to draw families (with little kids!), some cater to Asian tourists, others to Europeans, yet others are preferred by rowdy bachelor and bachelorette parties. On our first trip to the Napa Valley, we stopped at some of the most popular ones – Robert Mondavi, Castello di Amorosa, Sterling and Beringer. You will recognize most of these names from a shelf at your local grocery store. One of the reasons we picked these four, is because most of the wineries in Napa (but not in Sonoma) require advanced reservations and we did not make any (we’ve heard that it has something to do with regulating how many people can come to the valley each day). Travel Tip: Make winery reservations in advance. Travel Tip: If you are planning a day’s trip, four to five wineries is probably the most you can comfortably plan to visit.

The Mondavi winery was one of the first ones we saw when we drove into the valley. Although we snapped a few photos there, the tours were booked, were kind of expensive, and the whole place struck as a little too much of a tourist trap, so we didn’t stay long.

The next stop was Castello di Amorosa, and this was our favorite winery. The owner built a whole castle using materials he imported from Europe, including medieval weapons, tapestries, and decorations. The underground maze of cellars, the medieval tasting room, and the farm animals roaming around the grounds managed to create an authentic rather than gimmicky background. This winery is definitely on our “revisit list.”

Sterling Winery, Napa

We then drove to the Sterling winery, which aside from its wine is famous for having an aerial tram that takes you to the top of the hill, from which you can enjoy beautiful views of the valley. Unfortunately for us, on the day that we were visiting, there were a lot of families with little kids and many of the parents were too involved in tastings to pay attention to what their kids were doing. You might want to make sure that the school is in season when you plan your visit to this winery.

Our final stop was at the Beringer winery – a sophisticated and elegant winery with beautiful architecture and gardens – which was a perfect way to end our trip. We will definitely come back, perhaps with a driver and some reservations. 🙂

I think that no matter what wineries you visit or how your plan your trip logistically, it’s hard not to enjoy the Napa Valley because it’s such a beautiful place. When we went over the Thanksgiving holiday, the vines were changing colors, and it was pretty majestic. You really don’t have to be a wine connoisseur or even a wine lover to enjoy a trip to Napa.

If you are looking for places in San Francisco to have a drink or a bite to eat, check out the View Lounge at the Marriott Hotel for some pre-dinner drinks. It offers amazing views of the city, especially at sunset. For dinner, check out R&G Lounge in the Financial District for some crab dishes. It’s a little pricey, but definitely an experience.