Things To Do in Napa Valley

Napa Wineries

With more than 400 wineries scattered throughout the valley, you could tour Napa’s wineries for months and still not try them all. So don’t approach winery circuits the way you might the great museums of Paris or the rides at Disneyland. You can’t hit everything, so don’t even try. The key is to find places that deliver the experience you want, whether it’s a specific wine varietal, a style, dramatic architecture, or a killer view. Relax about tasting—no matter where you choose to go, you can trust that in this competitive region, you won’t be served swill. (Frankly, I’ve always found that during the course of a fun adventure, almost any wine tastes amazing.) Rather than provide a laundry list of Napa’s offerings, I’ll highlight wineries that have a little something extra—a terrific view, a rich history, an outstanding art collection, or a particularly noteworthy tour. Still, there are other delicious experiences to be found in Napa, so don’t hesitate to ask your well-traveled friends, hotel concierge, or people you meet along the way for wineries they recommend.

To make planning your itinerary easier, get the downloadable maps from visitnapavalley.com, the website run by the Napa Valley Conference and Visitors Bureau. (It’s kind of buried, so if you want a quicker link go to visitnapavalley.com/wineries/winery-map.) If you can’t download maps beforehand, don’t fret; they’re distributed widely and for free, and your hotel or B&B will have more maps than you’ll know what to do with. Check out opening hours and tour times, schedule advance tours if required, and chart a path that doesn’t require a lot of backtracking. Otherwise, you’ll spend more time in the car than the tasting room.

Don’t bother with the touristy wine train that traverses Napa County; it’s a trap on which you’re required to eat their mediocre food, and you can’t get off and on as you wish (though they do have the opportunity to visit a few wineries en route).

Napa/St. Helena

If you have plenty of time and a penchant for Victorian architecture, seek out the Napa Valley Conference & Visitors Bureau, 1310 Napa Town Center, off First Street (tel. 707/226-7459, ext. 106; www.napavalley.com), which offers self-guided walking tours of the town's historic buildings.

Enjoying Art & Nature -- Anyone with an appreciation for art absolutely must visit di Rosa Preserve (5200 Carneros Hwy. [Hwy. 12/121], look for the gate; tel. 707/226-5991; www.dirosaart.org). Rene and Veronica di Rosa collected contemporary American art for more than 40 years and then converted their 215 acres of prime property into a monument to Northern California's regional art, including "Seated Woman with Vase," pictured, by Viola Frey. Veronica has passed on, but Rene still carries the torch through his world-renowned collection featuring nearly 2,300 works in all mediums, by more than 900 Greater Bay Area artists.

You're not likely to meet him, as the day-to-day operations are now run by a nonprofit staff, but you will be privy to his treasures, which are on display practically everywhere -- along the shores of the property's 35-acre lake and in each nook and cranny of their 125-year-old winery-turned-residence, adjoining building, two newer galleries, and gardens. With hundreds of surrounding acres of rolling hills (protected under the Napa County Land Trust), this place is a must-see for both art and nature lovers.

Sip Tip -- You can cheaply sip your way through downtown Napa without ever getting behind the wheel with the "Taste Napa Downtown" wine card, with which you'll get half off tasting privileges at 10 local wine-centric watering holes and tasting rooms, all of which are within walking distance of each other. Available at the Napa Welcome Center (600 Main St.) or the Napa Tourist Information Center (1331 First St.). Learn more at donapa.com/wine-tasting-card.

A Marketplace -- The Oxbow Market, 610 and 644 First St. (tel. 707/226-6529; www.oxbowpublicmarket.com), is a gourmet co-op featuring a cornucopia of tasty tenants, including a number of organic produce vendors, an exceptional rotisserie chicken (try the potatoes too!), a wine bar and shop, yet another outpost of Gott's Roadside Tray Gourmet (a gourmet burger joint), an outstanding organic ice-cream vendor (try the strawberry or coconut flavors!), a food-related antiques shop, and many other reasons to loosen your belt and your grip on your wallet. Definitely drop by hungry! Open daily. Check the website for hours of operation for specific vendors.

Spa-ing It -- If the Wine Country's slow pace and tranquil vistas aren't soothing enough for you, the region's diverse selection of spas can massage, bathe, wrap, and steam you into an overly pampered pulp. Should you choose to indulge, do so toward the end of your stay -- when you've wined and dined to the point where you have only enough energy left to make it to and from the spa. Good choices include Dr. Wilkinson's Hot Springs, 1507 Lincoln Ave., Calistoga (tel. 707/942-4102; www.drwilkinson.com), and Meadowood, 900 Meadowood Lane, St. Helena (tel. 707/963-3646; www.meadowood.com).

Natural Wonders -- Old Faithful Geyser of California, 1299 Tubbs Lane (tel. 707/942-6463; www.oldfaithfulgeyser.com), is one of only three "old faithful" geysers in the world. It's been blowing off steam at regular intervals for as long as anyone can remember. On average, the 350°F (176°C) water spews at a height of about 40 to 60 feet every 40 minutes, day and night, and the performance lasts about 3 minutes. (Note: Height and length of time are weather-dependent.) You can bring a picnic lunch to munch on between spews. Check the website for discount coupons. The geyser is open daily from 9am to 6pm (to 5pm in winter). To get there, follow the signs from downtown Calistoga; it's between Hwy. 29 and Calif. 128.

You won't see thousands of trees turned into stone, but you'll still find many interesting petrified specimens at the Petrified Forest, 4100 Petrified Forest Rd. (tel. 707/942-6667; www.petrifiedforest.org). Volcanic ash blanketed this area after an eruption near Mount St. Helena 3 million years ago. You'll find redwoods that have turned to rock through the slow infiltration of silicas and other minerals, a .25-mile walking trail, a museum, a discovery shop, and picnic grounds. Heading north from Calistoga on Calif. 128, turn left onto Petrified Forest Road, just past Lincoln Street.

The Ins & Outs of Shipping Wine Home

Perhaps the only things more complex than that $800 case of cabernet you just purchased are the rules and regulations about shipping it home. Because of absurd and forever fluctuating laws -- which supposedly protect the business of the country's wine distributors -- wine shipping is limited by regulations that vary in each of the 50 states. Shipping rules also vary from winery to winery.

Every single time I write this book, the rules change. This go-round the government is said to be phasing out reciprocity laws and requiring that each state be approved to ship or receive wine. Individual wineries must buy permits for each state they want to ship to, making it difficult for smaller wineries to ship to many states (so most will probably opt only for the states that brandish the most visitors or mail-order demands). Technically, only wineries with permits are allowed to ship wine; shipping stores are not supposed to ship any wine or liquor. That said, they do it anyway, so don't fret if you want to send wine.

If you do get stuck shipping illegally (not that we're recommending you do that, but believe me, it's done all the time and most shipping companies are well aware of it), you might want to package your wine in an unassuming box and head to a post office, UPS, or other shipping company outside the Wine Country area. It's less obvious that you're shipping wine from Vallejo or San Francisco than from Napa Valley.

However, you can try these companies. They are likely to help you out.

Napa Valley Shipping Communities -- The UPS Store, at 3212 Jefferson St. in the Grape Yard Shopping Center (tel. 707/259-1398), claims to pack and ship anything anywhere. Rates for a case of wine were quoted at approximately $40 for ground shipping to Los Angeles and $65 to New York.

St. Helena Mailing Center, 1241 Adams St., at Hwy. 29, St. Helena (tel. 707/963-2686), says they will pack and ship to certain states within the U.S. Rates for prewrapped shipments are around $29 per case for ground delivery to Los Angeles.

Sonoma Valley Shipping Communities -- The UPS Store, 19229 Sonoma Hwy., in Maxwell Village, Sonoma (tel. 707/935-3438), has a lot of experience with shipping wine. It claims it will ship your wine to any state. Prices vary from $21 to Los Angeles to as much as $75 to the East Coast and $187 to Hawaii and Alaska.

Napa/St. Helena

Shopaholics should make a beeline to the Napa Premium Outlets (tel. 707/226-9876; www.premiumoutlets.com), where Barneys New York can inspire even a jaded local to take the First Street exit off Hwy. 29 and brave the crowds. Unfortunately, Barneys usually carries only cheap outlet-store stuff. But you'll find multiple places to part with your money, including TSE (killer cashmere at bargain prices), Banana Republic, Calvin Klein, Nine West, Benetton, Jones New York, BCBG, more fashion shops, a few kitchenware and gift shops, a food court, and a decent (but expensive) sushi restaurant. Shops are open Monday through Thursday from 10am to 8pm, Friday and Saturday from 10am to 9pm, and Sunday from 10am to 6pm. Call for seasonal hours.

St. Helena's Main Street is the best place to go if you're suffering from serious retail withdrawal. Here you'll find trendy fashions at Pearl, 1219 Main St. (tel. 707/963-3236), Jimmy Choo shoes at Footcandy, 1239 Main St. (tel. 707/963-2040), chic pet gifts at Fideaux, 1312 Main St. (tel. 707/967-9935), custom-embroidered French linens at Jan de Luz, 1219 A Main St. (tel. 707/963-1550), estate jewelry at Patina, 1342 Main St. (tel. 707/963-5445), and European home accessories, sample holiday table settings, and free gift-wrapping at Vanderbilt and Company, 1429 Main St. (tel. 707/963-1010).

Most stores are open 10am to 5pm daily; the mall is on Main Street, between Pope and Pine streets, St. Helena.

Shopaholics should also take the sharp turn off Hwy. 29 2 miles north of downtown St. Helena to the St. Helena Premier Outlets (tel. 707/963-7282). Featured designers include Escada, Brooks Brothers, and Tumi. The stores are open daily from 10am to 6pm.

One last favorite stop: Napa Valley Olive Oil Manufacturing Company, 835 Charter Oak Ave., at the end of the road behind Tra Vigne restaurant (tel. 707/963-4173). The tiny market presses and bottles its own oils and sells them at a fraction of the price you'll pay elsewhere. In addition, it has an extensive selection of Italian cooking ingredients, imported snacks, great deals on dried mushrooms, and a picnic table in the parking lot. You'll love the age-old method for totaling the bill, which you simply must find out for yourself. Drop by any day between 8am and 5:30pm.