Visit Napa Valley Vineyards
California's Napa Valley is the USA's best place for wine tourism
Visiting Napa Valley is like browsing the shelves of your favorite wine merchant. No wonder wine tourism is so big here, with vineyards which are household names: Robert Mondavi, Stag's Leap, Beringer, Inglenook and Sterling. Those are just a few of the 300 or so vineyards to be found in the Napa Valley.
HOW TO CHOOSE A VINEYARD
Wine lovers will already know the names of their favorite vineyards, which they'll want a chance to tour. You can also buy wine at winery prices, and have a chance to sample a wide range of wines, not all of which make it to your local supermarket or wine merchant. You might also want to pick a few names you've never heard of, whose wines you can only buy at the door. These boutique vineyards may have high quality but only a very low production, not enough to interest the bigger outlets.
SOME FAMOUS NAPA VALLEY VINEYARDS
Here's some basic information on some vineyards you might want to visit. Check their websites for further details:
ROBERT MONDAVI: Offers more in-depth tours for aficionados as well as the excellent standard hour-long tour. One of the best vineyards to visit. www.robertmondaviwinery.com
RUBICON: Here you'll find the famous Inglenook Vineyards of the even more famous Francis Ford Coppola. When not making movies like The Godfather, Coppola oversees the fine wine production here. A beautiful winery, good tour and some interesting Hollywood stuff to see too. www.rubiconestate.com
STAG'S LEAP WINE CELLARS: Within a few years of its 1972 founding, Stag's Leap was winning awards against top French wines like Chateau Mouton-Rothschild in blind tastings. A good hour-long tour and chance to taste rare estate wines. www.cask23.com
STERLING VINEYARDS: Some of the best valley views from this high-perched winery, and a thorough self-guided tour. www.sterlingvineyards.com
WHEN TO VISIT
Spring and fall are the best times. Book ahead for September-October, the time of the wine harvest. The weather's usually perfect, there's more to see with the vineyards hard at work, but the accommodation gets booked up. Spring is beautiful too, more laid-back but the vineyards are not yet blooming.
OPENING TIMES
These obviously vary but most wineries open daily 10am-5pm in winter, longer in summer. Some close on Sundays. Most also offer tours daily from opening time till about 30 minutes before closing. There is usually no need to book.
FURTHER INFORMATION
The best free source is the website of the Napa Valley CVB. You can order a guide to the Napa Valley and a separate guide just to wine country, with lots of information about wineries, accommodation and restaurants. Click here.
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