How to Enjoy a Day Wine Tasting in Napa Valley

Napa Valley in Northern California offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity to drive down a single road for miles and have plenty of wineries to choose from in plain sight. Use a map to plan your day in advance then make spontaneous stops at any winery that looks interesting along the way. Hop on Highway 29 and start your tour of Napa Valley wineries.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Look online at a Napa visitor website for a map detailing the location of all the wineries. Napa Valley is divided into five regions: Calistoga, St. Helena, Oakville/Rutherford, Yountville and Napa.

2. Select four or five wineries to visit--either labels you recognize, favorite wineries or new wineries you haven't been to before. St. Helena has many well-known labels and is a good place to start for first-timers. Here you'll find Sutter Home, Beringer Vineyards, Raymond Vineyard and Charles Krug, the oldest winery in Napa.

3. Visit each selected winery's website to find out tasting room hours, tasting prices, wine selection and tour information. Some wineries have tours every hour, others may be restricted to just one or several per day. Make reservations when recommended.

4. Schedule one or two winery tours into your day. Most tours charge a fee but include tasting several wines. Robert Mondavi in Oakville is one of the most popular tours. Sterling Vineyards in Calistoga has a self-guided tour that includes an aerial tram ride and five-wine tasting.

5. Eat lunch at one of the many wineries with a picnic area. Purchasing food and wine at the winery's general store is an easy option.

Tips & Warnings

• Choose wineries located in close proximity if you want to limit driving time. Sometimes traffic is heavy on Highway 29.
• If you don't have a designated driver, it's perfectly acceptable to spit out the wine after tasting.
• Many other wineries dot the rolling hills of Napa when you have more than a single day to explore.
• Most winery tours require participants to be at least 21 years old.

Resources

• Download a printable Napa Valley winery map.