Are you Starting your Napa Valley Wine Tour in Yountville?
Yountville, overall known for small town charm is located just a few miles north of the City of Napa. While on a Napa Valley Wine Tour you can take a stroll around town and delight your culinary palate with everything from macaroons at Bouchon Bakery, fried chicken at Ad Hoc, or satisfy your sweet tooth at Kollar Chocolates. Furthermore, if you fancy fine dining, then be sure to make reservations at The French Laundry. In addition, this Michelin starred restaurant has a 2-4 month waiting list.
During your stay in Napa Valley here are some of our suggested Yountville restaurants, wineries and hotels.
Restaurants Kendric has picked:
Hotels that have walking options:
Also south of Yountville is the Town of Napa, which could be your first stop while touring Napa!
Fun facts you should know about Napa Valley when planning the best Napa Wine tour for you!
- We are located approximately an hour away from San Francisco and Sacramento
- Napa Valley has over 475 wineries and tasting rooms, 95% are family owned wineries
- The valley floor is 30 miles long and 5 miles across at it’s widest point
- In 1861 Charles Krug founded the first commercial winery in Napa Valley
- It took Napa Valley 100 years to recover from the grape Phylloxera that killed over 80% of the grapevines
- Louis M. Martini found his way around prohibition by producing sacramental wines for churches
- The Judgement of Paris awakened the world to the fine wines of Napa Valley when Chateau Montelena and Stags’ Leap Winery took first place against the best French wines.
- Vintage 1997 was the most highly scored year in the history of Napa Valley
The first thing to remember is that Napa Valley offers an array of tasting rooms, wineries, art galleries, hotel accommodations, and restaurants that will please everyone. As a result the foodie to those that prefer fine dining will love our rich Valley. For example here are some of our favorites and will help you plan the best Napa Wine Tour!
Touring Napa Wineries:
2020 Restaurants of the year:
When planning a Napa wine tasting tour you will surely be stopping in Oakville, particularly for a boxed lunch from Oakville Grocery.
The village of Oakville, named after it dense groves of oak trees was once a water stop for the Napa Valley Railroad. During the mid 1800’s this stream train was used to transport tourists from the ferry docks in Vallejo to the resort town of Calistoga. Today, Oakville is know for producing robust Cabernet Sauvignon from places like Groth Winery and Silver Oak. No Napa wine tour is complete without a stop at Oakville Grocery for some epic picnic goodies! Loved by locals and tourists alike, this is a “must” pitstop for a perfect Napa wine tour.
Nonetheless below you will find some of our favorite Yountville Wineries for your Napa wine tasting tour:
- Silver Oak
- Caymus Vineyards
- ZD Wines
- Cakebread Cellars
- Opus One Winery
- Far Niente Winery
- Groth Winery and Vineyards
While it may be true that Rutherford Grille makes the best corn bread in Napa, surprisingly Rutherford is also known for wines.
The town of Rutherford got it’s name when George C. Yount gifted land to his beloved granddaughter Elizabeth & her husband Thomas Rutherford, back in 1864. In addition this region of the Napa Valley has a unique soil referred to as “Rutherford Dust”, which adds a spice element to the wines produced here. However if you are looking for a the perfect stop on your Napa Valley Wine Tour, look no further. Pestoni Family Estate is undoubtedly a hidden gem, offering a variety of wines that can be enjoyed while picnicking on their beautiful property. Rather then moving to your next winery after lunch, hang around a while and play bocce ball or buy wine by the bottle. Below you will find some of our picks to make the best Napa wine Tour.
Wineries we recommend:
Local favorites:
Rutherford Hotels:
Explore, Relax, sip then repeat! This is a common thing to do in St Helena on a Napa Valley Wine Tour
First as you venture further north to the town of St. Helena you will be greeted with even more small-town culture. In fact St. Helena is in the center of the worlds famous vineyards of the Napa Valley. This is indeed perfect for those with a love of the outdoors and Napa Valley viticulture. Want to enjoy a breath-taking picnic with epic views? Another reason to take a dreamy Napa Valley Wine Tours. To emphasize we will have you falling in love all over again. To conclude St. Helena is not only the center of historic Napa Valley Wines, but undoubtedly the home to some of the best views around. Below you will find our take on what will help you plane the best Napa wine Tour.
Heart of the Valley Wineries:
St Helena Restaurants:
Hotel Accommodations:
Journey to the peak of Napa Valley, although it is famous for its rich mud baths it is equally rich in its vines. I would almost guarantee that the best Napa wine Tour includes a stop on Calistoga.
At the peak of the Napa Valley you will find the historic town of Calistoga. Without a doubt its old western charm makes it easy to feel like you are transported back in time. With always something new to discover the Napa Wine Tasting experiences run far and wide. From higher end exclusive Napa Wineries to smaller family owned boutique estates there are a plethora of wineries to choose from for your Napa Valley Tour.