If you’re a gourmand,
Napa is a dream come true. Oodles of specialty food stores, wineries, farms, and culinary institutes are here to pique your senses. There’s a farmers’ market almost every day of the week. Food and wine pairings are endless. And to top it all off, you have your choice of some of the world’s best restaurants, run by some of the world’s best chefs. So loosen your belt—we’re going on a culinary tour of Napa Valley.
Dutch Henry
Dutch Henry
This small family-owned winery (4310 Silverado Trail, Calistoga) produces no more than 2,500 cases of wine each year, and even fewer cases of its acclaimed olive oil, which is so distinctive that it has its own tasting notes. At $34 per bottle, the expertly blended extract of Italian, Spanish, and Mexican olives isn’t cheap, though you can taste it for free. Reservations recommended.
CIA/Keith Ferris
The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena
The West Coast arm of the New York heavyweight of food education is an
imposing stone chateau (2555 Hwy. 29, St. Helena) to which wannabe chefs flock to sharpen their skills. But you don’t have to be an enrolled student to watch cooking demos, marvel over displays of ancient food-making artifacts, and shop at an extensive marketplace that stocks every kind of specialty ingredient, cooking tool, and utensil you can imagine—the cookbooks alone would take several lifetimes to work your way through. There’s also a wonderful restaurant on site.
© Meghan Lamb
Olivier
Sample, sample, sample at this French-inspired
purveyor of epicurean delights (1375 Main St., St. Helena). Big, copper olive-oil dispensers line the walls, so try mixing your own—or shop for beautiful kitchenware from Provence.
Woodhouse Chocolate
Woodhouse Chocolate
The gourmet handmade confections
here (1367 Main St., St. Helena) cost a pretty penny—but to a true palate, they’re worth the price. Try the fan-shaped Thai ginger tidbit or the brown-butter ganache.
Long Meadow Ranch
Long Meadow Ranch
This innovative
organic farming operation (738 Main St., St. Helena) is a winery known for its reds—but it’s also an environmentally responsible ranch that, depending on season and supply, provides Napa’s best restaurants with extra-virgin olive oil, eggs, and heirloom fruits and vegetables. To experience more than just the wine flights, consider booking the chef’s table experience (reservations required), which gets you a garden tour and a three-course meal plucked from the land. If you want to come back when you’ve got the morning and afternoon free, opt for the Mayacamas Estate experience (reservations required) for a visit to the home ranch, the wine cave, and the valley’s oldest olive orchards (planted in the 1870s) before your meal.
© Meghan Lamb
Dean & Deluca
California’s only
D&D outpost (607 St. Helena Hwy.) stocks fresh local produce, cheeses, and a fantastic array of international food products and gifts, plus 1,400 California wines. There’s an espresso bar too, in case you need a pick-me-up.
Olaf Beckmann
Round Pond Estate
If you don’t have time for Long Meadow’s tour, make an appointment at
Round Pond (886 Rutherford Rd., Napa), which also makes artisan olive oil and premium red wine. During the 30-minute Splash and Dash tasting, you’ll sample olive oils, red-wine vinegars, and artisan syrups. Opt for Round Pond’s full tour and you’ll see the olive orchards, learn about harvesting techniques and oil-extraction processes, and taste Italian and Spanish olive oil varieties paired with estate-grown vegetables while an expert teaches you about the oils’ many culinary uses.
City Foodsters/Flickr
Oakville Grocery or The French Laundry
Napa’s two true foodie options for lunch are on opposite ends of the fanciness scale. The 130-year-old, recently renovated
Oakville Grocery (7856 St. Helena Hwy.) is a casual, crowded little store selling gourmet foodstuffs, much of them locally made and available for sampling. A nice wine selection can be found in the back. Buy ready-made sandwiches and entrees, and at the espresso bar, pick up coffee drinks to go. There’s an ice cream counter, too.
The second option:
The French Laundry (6640 Washington St., Yountville), a culinary experience that should be on every food lover’s bucket list. Reservations are required and should be made far in advance. But even if you can’t get a table, wander through chef Thomas Keller’s expansive herb garden across the street.
Prayitno/Flickr
Oxbow Public Market
Finish the day by sampling the best in local wines and artisanal foods. A venerable farmers’ market that’s open daily,
Oxbow (610/644 First St.) sits in the heart of downtown Napa. Dessert sounding good right about now? Go for one of the spiced ice creams at Three Twins.
Frommer's Travel Guides
Frommer's Napa and Sonoma Day By Day
