A couple of weekends ago, my aunt and I took a girl’s trip to Napa Valley. I have been itching to go since I turned 21 and 4 years later we finally got the chance to visit the homeland. No we are not from California, but it might as well be our homeland with the amount of wine that both of us drink! We spent the weekend sipping our way through Napa one glass at a time with the occasional pause for some delicious food. Are you planning a trip to Napa soon? I’ve got you covered on the best place to stay, what wineries to visit, and where to dine.
Stay
We had the pleasure of feeling right at home at Napa Vineyard House, an adorable and completely modern bed and breakfast plucked straight off of Pinterest!
We were greeted with genuine hospitality and a nice bottle of wine when we checked in.
Some of the many perks of this adorable cottage-style bed and breakfast included the heated tile bathroom floors, king sized bed, open seating and kitchen area, fireplace, luxurious soaking tub, and private patio. We stayed in the Premier Collection suite.
My favorite touch had to be the Bouchon Bakery goodies that were delivered to our door each morning. We enjoyed our fresh pastries, fruit and orange juice on our private patio while watching the vineyards, hot air balloons, and sights of the Napa wine train.
Wineries
Since this was my first time to Napa, I let my aunt be in charge of wineries and food. For wineries, we wanted a mix of something off the beaten path that wasn’t too commercialized, yet something that came highly recommended. You are coming all the way to Napa for some good wine so make sure your vineyard selections aren’t subpar. If you stick to our wino suggestions though, I can promise you that you won’t have any issues. Make sure that whatever your choices may be, that you call ahead to see if you will need a reservation or not. The majority of places that we visited required a reservation. We made our way around 5 wineries in one day and here are our favorites.
Goosecross
Goosecross was hands down our favorite winery. Not only was it quaint and on the smaller side, it was gorgeous! I think it goes without saying that the wine was just as wonderful as the landscape view of the vineyard. They had a wonderful selection of whites and reds, with our favorite being the 2012 Howell Mountain Cabernet Savignon.
Chateau Montelena
If you are looking for a castle experience that is not as commercialized as Castillo de Amorosa, you will love Chateau Montelena. This is one that you visit for more than just the taste of wine. There is a large tasting room and plenty of history to explore. Outside of the castle, there is lots of scenery to enjoy that will leave you wishing you had your camera. Don’t forget to bring it along!
Del Dotto
Del Dotto was our first winery that we visited and the most memorable. Our guide reminded me of Vince Vaughn and had us in laughing fits the entire time. They are known for their cave style wine aging methods. The entirety of the tour is done through the caves and you will get to sip wine straight from the barrel. Talk about fresh! They give generous size portions and as good as the wine is, you won’t be complaining one bit. The tour is a bit on the expensive side, but I assure you it is worth the splurge.
Food
I’m going to be short and sweet with my food recommendations since we were only in Napa for two days, but these three recommendations were out of this world. I highly suggest all three of these if you are visiting the area.
- Breakfast
- Bouchon Bakery– hands down our favorite food of the trip. If it wasn’t hand delivered to us, we would have sought it out. This is a must go to!
- Lunch
- Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch– This was our last stop before we headed out of town and it was our favorite meal of the trip. Not only is the restaurant and surrounding gardens a fairytale, the food was exquisite. I highly suggest the lamb gnocchi.
- Dinner
- Brix– First off, this is not the chain that we were familiar with in Texas. Brix is a high end dining experience and the best dinner that we had here. While waiting for a table, we enjoyed a glass of wine on the patio and walked through the vineyards. Great food and a great view.
If any of you have questions about the Napa area or would like more details about something, please let me know. Get me talking about wine though, and I might never stop! 🙂 Good luck planning your weekend getaway to the best place ever!
*A special thank you to Napa Vineyard House for providing a discounted stay. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
