The Napa Valley

Mention California wines and most people will think of the Napa Valley, usually abbreviated to simply “Napa.” Mention that you’re writing a travel guide to Wine Country and almost everyone will ask about your favorite Napa wineries. There’s no escaping it—the Napa Valley is regarded as the center of everything wine in California, much as Sonoma, Santa Barbara, or Mendocino might jump up and down for attention.

Napa put California wine firmly on the international map in the 1970s with the oft-mentioned Paris tasting of 1976, which pitted the valley’s wines in a blind tasting against France’s best. It led the premium wine revolution in the 1980s and saw the building of some of California’s most ostentatious wineries in the 1990s. This little valley is now home to more than a quarter of all the wineries in California, despite the fact that it accounts for only about 5 percent of all the wine made in the state. The statistics speak for themselves—the Napa Valley turns out some of the best wine in California.

The valley is also a marketing manager’s dream. Natural beauty, colorful history, some of the biggest names in world wine, and $200 bottles of cabernet all serve to draw hordes of visitors—almost five million a year at last count. They in turn are entertained by top chefs, luxury pampering, and lavish winery shows like no others in California, or probably anywhere else in the world.

It can all seem a bit like a giant wine theme park at times, especially when lining up at yet another ticket booth for the privilege of being herded around another winery by guides who are probably as bored as they look. It’s not a great stretch to imagine that one day there will be giant gates at either end of the valley where all-inclusive passes will be sold to the “Greatest Wine Show on Earth” (the Sonoma Valley would be the parking lot if some competitive types had their way).

Although many visitors flock lemming-like to the same big wineries, there are hundreds of others to choose from in the valley, big and small, glamorous and rustic. Such diversity is one of Napa Valley’s big draws.

Art lovers could easily spend an entire vacation visiting the many wineries with art or sculpture displays. Photosensitive souls can hunt down all the wineries with cool, dark underground caves. Architecture buffs will have a field day at some of the more outlandish wineries.
And that’s before even considering wine itself. The valley is home to boutique wineries, making just a few hundred cases of wine a year, to corporate behemoths turning out millions. The multitude of microclimates has given rise to a patchwork of 14 distinct appellations (and counting) where just about every major type of grape can be grown. Although this is a red-wine-lover’s paradise, there’s bound to be a wine here for almost every palate.

The valley’s diversity extends well beyond wine: At one end of the valley are the hot springs and spas of Calistoga, while Napa at the other end contains some big-city entertainment. In between, nature offers plenty of diversions from wine, and plenty of fodder for some restaurants that would put many in world capitals to shame.

The locals are remarkably sanguine about the semipermanent invasion of their valley. Clearly, they are wise enough not to discourage the hands that ultimately feed them. But they also get to experience the beauty and diversity of the valley, the quality of the food, and the strong sense of community when the rest of us are long gone.

And, of course, they get to toast their good fortune with some of the best wines in the world.

Darioush: In a valley full of palaces to wine, the Khaledi brothers created one of the most unique. Their sandstone palace, inspired by their Persian roots, is fit for a sultan. (read more)

The Hess Collection: Located in the mountains above Napa, this part gallery, part winery brings new meaning to the expression “the art of wine making". (read more)

Copia: There’s a cornucopia of culinary fun to experience at the country’s first museum devoted to food and wine, from tastings to seminars and interactive exhibits. (read more)

Frog’s Leap Winery: Revel in the laid-back vibe at this organic winery. In addition to good wine, there’s an organic garden and plenty of places to just chill out in the sun. (read more)

Pride Mountain Vineyards: Straddling the Napa and Sonoma border, this mountaintop winery has some of the best views in the valley and some of the best mountain wines. (read more)

Culinary Institute of America: The West Coast’s next star chefs are born inside this fortresslike former winery, and you can get a taste of their training at regular cooking demonstrations. (read more)

Bothe-Napa Valley State Park: Take a break and stroll back in time through the redwoods in this gem of a park. (read more)

Schramsberg: If you plan to visit just one champagne cellar, why not make it the most historic one in the valley? Take a tour through the spooky cellars once visited by Robert Louis Stevenson. (read more)

Sharpsteen Museum: Learn about Calistoga’s early days at this quirky little museum next to one of the original cottages from the first-ever hot springs resort in the town. (read more)