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Here's the thing we learned about tasting wine in Napa: It's incredibly hard not to have fun. If you go off plan, miss an appointment, or hit a crowd, so what? You're in Napa Valley. Just look around.
That's our first, most important advice: Relax, be in the moment, and go slow.
We do, however, have some tips for visiting the tasting rooms and the valley. If you ignore them all -- as we sometimes did -- no worries. Consider these a bonus, they're enhancements, hassle-avoidance advice, bits of guidance that will make it more fun. And we have this guide that describes the tasting rooms to help you choose.
The Big Things
1) Don't try to do too much. Give yourself time to hang out somewhere you like, to explore someplace you discover, and to eat.
2) Eat. Seriously, eat. You'll be drinking wine. Food is good when you're drinking, and it's great in Napa. High-end restaurants, small lunch spots, or places to stock a picnic are everywhere. One note: There aren't many food spots on Silverado Trail, so either make time to cross to Highway 29 or plan to picnic.
3) Drink water. Same point. You'll be drinking wine. Hydrate. You'll feel better.
4) "Appointment only" does not always mean appointment only. This one is huge. Napa County requires most wineries opened after 1990 to be appointment only -- at least in name -- but many, many tasting rooms handle it by letting visitors sign in for an instant appointment, and the county doesn't seem to mind. There are exceptions, however. As a general rule, tastings combined with tours require reservations, simple tastings don't. For complete listings, use this guide. We'll tell you if you need an appointment.
5) Carry a cooler. Don't cook your wine. If your car gets over eighty degrees, you'll damage the wine. It wouldn't hurt to toss in an ice pack. If you're flying to Napa, or you forget, a Styrofoam cooler costs a few bucks at a market.
6) The busy times are summer and harvest season. It gets busier as the week goes on, from Monday to the weekend, and as the day gets later. In busy times, assume the large wineries and the tasting rooms right on Highway 29 between Yountville and St. Helena will be packed by early afternoon. Better options include tasting earlier in the day (your palate is freshest in the morning, by the way), staying on Silverado Trail, and tasting during the lunch hour (when many people are eating) and lunching in the afternoon (when everyone is tasting). On those busy days, almost every winery gets jammed by 3pm, and on almost any day, the tasting rooms that stay open past 5pm will be stuffed. For some people, that's a good thing; it's just more happy hour than wine tasting.
7) Consider the off season. Early spring can be warm and dramatic, late fall is stunning for its color, and in winter, the tasting rooms get cozy with fireplaces. The tasting experience changes entirely when it's just you in the room.
8) Have a plan. Yes, we said go with the flow, but it still helps to start with a plan. Just don't be obsessive.
9) Figure on three or four wineries a day, maximum. Probably just one with a tour. And vary the day. For instance, try one big winery, one midsized name you like, then some place out of the way. Or just venture into wineries you don't know.
10) Turn right. Sounds dumb, but left turns out of a winery's driveway on Highway 29 during busy times don't exist. If you can, plan to go in one direction -- particularly by mid-afternoon -- and stay on one side of the highway, so you'll always be turning right. If you absolutely insist on a left turn, here's what you do: Turn right anyway and go until there's a left turn lane (or a middle lane) where you can pull in somewhere, turn around and go right again, back the way you wanted. Yes, it's farther. Don't be stubborn. If you wait for that left from a driveway, you'll wait till nightfall.
Downtown Napa Tasting Rooms
Back Room Wines
(974 Franklin Street, tel. 707/226-1378 or 877/322-2576; www.backroomwines.com; 10am-6pm Monday-Thursday; 10am-9pm Friday; 10am-7pm Saturday)
A small, unassuming wine shop whose owner, Dan Dawson, says he tries to stock the best small-production wines in California. The room is simply adorned but the range of wines is broad and eclectic.
Atmosphere: It's a place for locals and wine people, but anyone feels welcome. Warm yellow walls, with one red accent wall, give off an avant-garde tone, but mostly the ambience is no-frills. The room is filled with wine racks and light comes from overhead fixtures. It doesn't feel shoddy; it does feel that it's all about the wine.
Service: Dawson asks visitors what styles they like, then consistently nails it. He covers the small bar and brings wine to people sitting on a couch. He says each wine has a story, but he waits for you to ask.
Tasting tools: Good, large glasses. Spit buckets, water, and crackers handy. Good light.
Intangibles and extras: This is a serious yet un-intimidating place for wine lovers. Tastings are available all day, but they conduct their special themed tastings every Friday night. All the tastings come with good descriptions of wines being poured.
Wine availability: This is a wine shop that specializes in small releases. Dan also says he knows his customers see a lot of Napa Valley wines, so he tries to keep a good stock from other regions. Prices are across the board. Wines opened for tastings often range from $15 to $50.
Cost: Price varies on pours by the taste, half-glass or glass. Friday night tasting is $15 for six to eight wines.
Recommended for: Everyone but wine novices.
Bounty Hunter
(975 First Street, tel. 707/226-3976 or 800/943-9463; www.bountyhunterwine.com; 11am-10pm Sunday-Wednesday; 11am-1am Thursday-Saturday)
This exuberant wine bar, pub, and bistro is one of our favorite places in Napa. It's got the energetic, friendly feel of a hot spot for people who don't go to hot spots. It is popular so there's a full house on most evenings, and daytime might be better for pure wine sampling. But this is a terrific place to end the day.
Created by Mark Pope, founder of the Bounty Hunter rare wine catalog, it offers a range of tasting flights, forty wines by the glass, and 400 wines by the bottle.
Atmosphere: Comfortable, high-ceilinged room has glass walls on each end, oak posts, and lots of wood and brick. There are racks of wines along one wall. The medium-sized bar -- one bar stool is a saddle -- is an L near one entrance and there are tall community tables and smaller, cafe tables around the room. Most impressive, however, is the easygoing liveliness.
Service: Although busy at night, bartenders are accommodating. And they are wine people. They also understand hospitality. We watched one waitress chase two people outside to tell them a space had opened up at the bar. Servers taste their wines regularly to know the inventory.
Tasting tools: Very good, large glasses. Good light. Detailed wine descriptions. No spit buckets, but this is a bar.
Intangibles and extras: Hard to imagine a better evening spot or bar in wine country. This is a place for wine lovers, but there is more. The bar has a long list of beers, and the full, bistro-style food menu is very good. Ask about the Beer-Can Chicken. Great room, great crowd, great energy.
Wine availability: They stock many hard-to-find wines, so it may be here or nowhere. Prices by the glass range from $6 to $20, and by the bottle from $16 to $400.
Cost: Wine tasting flights range from $10 for Chardonnays to $18 for Cabernets. Wines by the glass or bottle are cheaper than at most similar bars and bistros.
Recommended for: Everyone.
Copia
(500 First Street, tel. 707/259-1600 or 888/512-6742; www.copia.org; 10am-5pm Wednesday-Monday; closed Tuesday)
A sleek, modern, 80,000-square-foot center created with a big push from Robert and Margrit Mondavi, Copia opened in 2001 and pays tribute to the connections between food, wine, and art. It's named after the Roman goddess of abundance and the feel is part museum and temple, part food court, and part luxury mall.
Atmosphere: The Wine Spectator Tasting Bar is a large, curved glass bar in an open, mall-like section on the first floor. A three-story glass wall throws natural light on the center's glass, metal, and pale-toned tiles. The tasting bar has an easy, walk-up casualness. Depending on the day, tasters range from wine authorities to first-time tourists.
Service: This is a mixed bag depending on the day, because the servers are volunteers, unless they are winemakers pouring their own wine. Some volunteer servers are more like bartenders -- friendly and pouring big, but lacking real wine background. Others are experts from the industry.
Tasting tools: Very good glasses. Spit buckets and crackers handy. Water on request. Very good light.
Intangibles and extras: Copia is a high-end tourist destination with art, exhibits, films, and demonstrations related to food and wine. There's a full wine bar, a stylish restaurant, an upscale deli, and a museum store. It is lavish and expansive inside, and the tasting bar is a nice part of that. But it feels urban and contemporary, and is missing the sense it's in Napa Valley.
Wine availability: Varies widely, depending on what's served that day. Prices depend on what's being served.
Cost: Entrance to Copia is $5; free tasting daily noon to 4; the full wine bar offers two-ounce pours ranging from $2 to $12 and full glasses from $4 to $24.
Recommended for: People looking for a contemporary food/wine museum. Not recommended if you're looking for a Napa winery tasting.
JV Wine & Spirits
(426 First Street, tel. 707/253-2624; www.jvwineandspirits.com; 2pm-7pm daily)
This retail wine and spirits store says it has one of the five largest wine collections in California. The tasting bar is inside the store's smaller room for expensive wines.
Atmosphere: It's simple but surprisingly winery-like, considering the location and grape-colored cinder block back wall. Spotlights on the tasting bar give warm light, and the racks of bottles nearby give a sense this is a place for serious wine tasting.
Service: Efficient and professional -- and patient, since the tasting list was twelve wines deep. The assumption was we knew what we were doing.
Tasting tools: Good, large glasses. Spit buckets. Water and crackers on request. Good light.
Intangibles and extras: They have a large, innovative tasting list that rotates forty wines regularly. Servers offer everything that's behind the bar, sometimes including wines not on the list. The sense is this is where locals taste. Two wine distributors stopped to try a couple wines during our tasting. The Friday evening tastings -- discounted to $2 -- feature winemakers pouring their own. The store also has wine consultants available.
Wine availability: This is a big store; you come here to buy. They also have a wine club and an online catalog. Prices our day ranged from $15 to $30, but the store carries wines of every level.
Cost: $5 for ten to twelve wines. $2 on Fridays. Waived with purchase.
Recommended for: Anyone more interested in wine than atmosphere.
Napa General Store
(500 Main Street, tel. 707/259-0762; www.napageneralstore.com; 10am-6pm Sunday-Wednesday; 10am-8pm Thursday-Saturday)
Much more than a general store, this is really a small, upscale, indoor marketplace, with a wine bar, exposed kitchen, restaurant, and large deck over the river. Their large tasting list is intriguing and looks like lists from any good restaurant.
Atmosphere: The airy, bustling, two-story room has brick, beams, exposed fixtures, wood trim, and a wood-burning stove around the open restaurant. Light filters through large skylights and the glass wall leading to the deck. Overhead spotlights add warmth to the tasting bar.
Service: They're efficient, sociable, and professional, but this is a restaurant wine bar, not a real wine tasting spot. Servers know wine, but they don't have a lot of time for wine talk because they're working the room.
Tasting tools: Good, large glasses. Spit buckets handy. No crackers. Water on request.
Intangibles and extras: This is a terrific room and it has a large wine list. The wine bar is part of the restaurant, so it offers good people-watching opportunities.
Wine availability: They pour a range of popular wines, all available in restaurants and markets. Prices range from $17 to $49.
Cost: Wines by the glass range from $6 to $12.50.
Recommended for: Everyone. But it's a cool restaurant, not a winery experience.
Napa Wine Merchants
(1146 First Street, tel. 707/257-6796; www.napawinemerchant.com; 10am-5pm Monday, Wednesday-Saturday; 11am-4pm Sunday)
Twelve small wineries share this casual wine shop and collective tasting room. It's managed by the Gustavo Thrace wineries and the lineup includes Beaucanon Estates, Liparita, Chrichton Hall, St. Barthelemy, Croze Wines, Young Ridge, Waterstone, and Z-52.
Atmosphere: It's one of the many casual, approachable wine shops in downtown Napa. Big windows and overhead spotlights give it a cheerful feel, and it's a tall room with high ceilings and light wood trim.
Service: Casual and approachable, almost silly. They talk about the wines when asked and are well-versed on their inventory, but they mostly seem happy to have visitors. They talk about Napa and all its wine and doings, rather than just the wines.
Tasting tools: Good, large glasses. Spit buckets handy. Variety of pretzels and mustards on a nearby table. Very good light.
Intangibles and extras: The servers' general happiness in being there made us happy to be there. And the unfussy air got everybody at the good-sized tasting bar comparing wines and talking with each other. Besides the mustards and pretzels, they have a bar for tasting olives and oils.
Wine availability: They handle mostly small wineries. Though some of the wines are well distributed, this may be the best place to find some of them. Prices range from $9 to $60.
Cost: $5 for five pours from a long list (but servers were purposely undiligent in counting); free tasting coupon available on the website.
Recommended for: Everyone.
Robert Craig Wine Cellars
(880 Vallejo Street, tel 707/252-2250; www.robertcraigwine.com; 10am-5pm Monday-Saturday by appointment)
Robert Craig has been involved in Napa winemaking for years, including a long stretch as general manager at Hess Collection Winery. He started his own winery on Howell Mountain with its first vintage in 1992. The mountain site doesn't allow the general public, but they offer tasting in this small, charming, throwback room in downtown Napa connected to one of the first winemaking facilities in town. (The winery is still used for some small, independent labels.)
They make limited quantities of some very good wines, including Chardonnay, Syrah, Zinfandel, Cabernets from Mt. Veeder and Howell Mountain, and a Cab named Affinity.
Atmosphere: This room is old school in lots of good ways. It's small and bright, with pale walls and a big table in the middle for tasting. It has a simple tile floor, straight-back chairs, windows that look across the street at a couple old Victorians, and an active, city feel -- but a city in wine country.
Service: Rachel Miller runs the tasting room as if it's her house you're visiting and it's her wines she's pouring. Visitors sit at a table and Rachel proudly pours, explains, and makes the tasting friendly and personal. She's a wine veteran who knows the valley and is full of good info -- and good fun. She'll re-pour what you feel you need to taste again.
Tasting tools: Good, large glasses. Spit buckets handy. No water or crackers. Good light.
Intangibles and extras: This feels like Napa before the boom. It's intimate and low-key and not at all showy. The tone here is very comfortable and the wines are big, luscious, and well regarded. Don't be bothered if Rachel has to leave for a moment to run an errand at the winery office a couple blocks away.
Wine availability: The wines can be found in some shops and restaurants, but are made in small quantities and the best bet is through the winery or website. Prices range from $22 to $50.
Cost: Free.
Recommended for: Everyone except first-timers who might be intimidated by a small sit-down tasting.
Vintner's Collective
(1245 Main Street, tel. 707/255-7150; www.vintnerscollective.com; 11am-6pm Wednesday-Monday; Tuesday by appointment only)
Downtown's most upscale tasting room, Vinter's is in a historic stone building that was once a brewery, then a saloon and brothel. It's a collective tasting room for eighteen small, premium winemakers including Judd's Hill, Ancien, Richard Perry, Gregory Graham, Patz & Hall, Melka, Mi Sueno, and Phelan.
Atmosphere: The inside is fashionable, with a small art gallery and a serious, dark tasting bar framed by blond wood. They advertise themselves as no frills, no views, and they clearly are serious about wine, but the room is definitely high-end. Servers, however, are welcoming and unstuffy.
Service: Very knowledgeable, very descriptive service, which is expected in a room with a good range of high-end wines. Servers are willing to talk small details about winemakers and wines, but they start as comfortably broad as you need. Despite the expensive air and the quality wines, the servers and the room don't have a sense of self-importance.
Tasting tools: Good, large glasses. Spit buckets and water handy. Tasty crackers. Good light.
Intangibles and extras: This is a strong lineup of wines all in one place. Winemakers pour their own on Saturdays. Altogether, it's a satisfying tasting experience for serious wine people.
Wine availability: Most are found in fine shops and restaurants, but the store or website are the first places to look. Prices range from $18 to $75.
Cost: $15 for Vintner's Tasting (four wines); $25 for Luxe Tasting (four premium, hard-to-find wines).
Recommended for: Serious wine people. Not for wine novices.
This article is an excerpt from A Moveable Thirst: Tales and Tastes from a Season in Napa Wine Country, available at Wiley's online bookstore now. You can also listen to the authors on this Frommers.com Podcast
Rick Kushman enjoys wine but doesn't know much about it. He's not afraid to ask questions. When not in Napa, he's a nationally syndicated television columnist for the Sacramento Bee.
Hank Beal is a wine pro who's won medals at the California Wine Tasting Championships. As Executive Wine Buyer for a California supermarket chain, Nugget Market, he buys over 1 million bottles of wine a year.
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