Wine, Wine, and More Wine

Mondavi Barrel Storage, Napa
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We chose Napa as our base for our first visit to the Valley.  We stayed at the Embassy Suites and we were able to walk downtown our first day and we had easy access to the highway to explore the rest of the Valley.

It is tough figuring out an itinerary as there are lots of wineries and restaurants and you just can't do it all in one weekend!  We focused on staying in certain areas each day, although Saturday really didn't fit this idea, because our friends really wanted to go to V. Sattui and we really wanted to see the views from Artesa.  I'm really glad we went to Artesa, because they had the best views of all the wineries we visited.

Lots to Explore!

Views from Artesa, Napa
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We definitely plan to go back again and stay in Sonoma and Calistoga to explore those areas.

Our itinerary included:

Friday - visit downtown Napa tasting rooms with tasting card purchased online.

Dinner at Allegria

Entrance to Del Dotto Cave Tour, Napa
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Saturday - visit Artesa (for the views); V. Sattui (because our friends had VIP tasting privileges and to see the picnic grounds); Del Dotto Vineyards (for the cave tour); and Van Der Heyden Vineyards (since it was open past 5pm).

Courtyard of Embassy Suites
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Dinner at Celadon

Sunday - visit PlumpJack (not planned); Robert Mondavi Winery (which is one of our first favorite wines); and Cakebread (since their wine is usually expensive).

Mondavi Cabernet Grapes, Napa
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Dinner at Bottega

Things to remember when wine tasting in Napa Valley:  drink water, eat, and don't visit too many in one day.  We brought a collapsible cooler with us and carried water and food in it.  I thought tasting at 3 wineries a day was plenty!  You can always visit wineries without tasting like we did at Artesa or share tastings, which we did at Van Der Heyden and PlumpJack.