Things to do in Wine Country: Napa Valley

Basically, the world famous Napa Valley is all about WINE. There are hundreds of wineries from industrial sized Robert Mondavi (still worth a visit – you will recognize the tower silhouette from their bottles immediately: www.robertmondavi.com/rmw) to small boutique wineries (such as Black Stallion Winery - http://www.blackstallionwinery.com/). From traditional Californian Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon to Italian Sangiovese and from modern style tasting room (such as Opus One, which is close to Robert Mondavi: www.opusonewinery.com/The-Estate/Visiting-The-Estate) over traditional European style Chateau (such as Francis Coppola’s Rubicon Estate) to the lofty and fresh Champagne tasting rooms from French producers (e.g. Mumm Napa). Don’t miss the more private “Silverado Trail” which is parallel to Highway 29 (St. Helena Hwy.), as this is the place to find the latest additions to the Napa winery portfolio.


These are some of our favourite wineries:

Domaine Chandon (including the Michelin Star rated l’étoile Restaurant): FI you do a tasting at Domaine Chandon, don’t miss the dark red Noir de Noirs sparkling wine, which is only served and sold at the tasting room in Yountville.
Advance reservations for the restaurant are recommended.
http://www.domainechandon.com/

Beringer is not only available in Switzerland (at Coop); they also offer one of the most comprehensive tours on wine and winemaking in Wine Country.
http://www.beringer.com/

Chateau Montelena (Ch. Montelena's Chardonnay was the white wine winner in the 1976 "Judgement of Paris" and is therfore also featured in the 2008 movie "Bottle Shock").
http://www.montelena.com/

Clos du Val, http://www.closduval.com/

Mumm Napa (sparkling wine), http://www.mummnapa.com/

Rubicon (former Niebaum Coppola; Niebaum was the oldest winery on the valley and director and producer Francis Ford Coppola invested in 1975 with the proceeds from his Godadfather Trilogy success).
http://www.rubiconestate.com/

Merryvale, http://www.merryvale.com/

Hess Collection: Fine wine and art from Swiss emigrant Donald M. Hess (founder of Valser mineral water).
http://www.hesscollection.com/

To get to see Wine Country from a different point of view, you should consider a balloon tour. We did such a tour last summer (see our slideshow at http://www.nicoleandalan.com/) and loved it. For more information go to http://www.napavalleyballoons.com/ (make sure to book online for an additional discount).
Another great way to explore Napa Valley is the Wine Train (http://www.winetrain.com/) which is parallel to Highway 29. There are also many bus and limousine tasting tours available (e.g. http://www.beauwinetours.com/), which are probably the best way for extensive tasting.

Napa Valley is also a good place for fine dining. In Yountville you will find the 3 Michelin Star rated restaurant "the French Laundry" (http://www.frenchlaundry.com/ - reservations are normally required one year in advance), which is located in an old saloon and is supposed to be "the best" restaurant in the world.
With the "ad hoc" (http://www.adhocrestaurant.com/), which is run by the same management, there is also a more down to earth version available in Yountville.
In downtown Napa you will find the Ubuntu restaurant (http://www.ubuntunapa.com/), which offers outstanding vegetarian cuisine using only locally grown and seasonal ingredients - paired with local wine.

For further information on things to do, loding and wine please check with http://www.napatouristguide.com/ or http://www.napavalley.com/.