The fourth installment of my U.S. summer travel series, and it’s probably no surprise that this one is my favorite of the five. Because, umm, W I N E. What is there possibly not to love about California’s Wine Country?

• Grand estates dotting country roads lined with vineyards: check.
• Cozy family-owned establishments where you learn about the wine from the actual owners and producers: check.
• Sumptuous and velvety reds, crisp and refreshing whites: check.
• The freshest of produce and quite possibly the epitome of the farm-to-table approach: check.
• Jaw-dropping views for days: check.

So. Much. To. Love.

This post is also inspired by our imminent return to Sonoma. In a few short weeks, along with thirteen friends, we will visit Petaluma and the surrounding Sonoma wine region to learn more about soil composition, the effects of climate and temperature, and the colors, bouquets, and ages of various varietals.

Just kidding. We really just want to drink wine with our friends. Copious amounts of delicious wine. Let the shenanigans begin.

Below are suggestions on how to spend three glorious days in Napa and Sonoma Valleys from our very first trip to California’s Wine Country.

 

DAY 1

 

Domaine Carneros

 

Just fifty miles from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, Domaine Carneros serves as a fabulous entry way into lovely Napa Valley. The French-inspired chateau and surrounding gardens are opulent and magnificent and provide a striking setting for wine and cheese tastings. They specialize in sparkling wines and Pinot Noir, that of course, taste better while sitting on their expansive terrace overlooking sweeping views of the valley.

Cuvaison Estate Wines

 

Less than half a mile away down the road is Cuvaison Estate Wines, a winery that primarily produces Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The tasting room strikes a fine balance of modernity, sleekness, and simplicity, and the wines, views, and staff are all top-notch.

 

Artesa Winery

 

Built into a mountain, to say that this uniquely situated winery is picturesque, would be a gross understatement. The lavish estate is filled with fountains, sculptures, and cascading water structures. The landscaping, architecture, and views alone are enough to constitute a visit here, but thankfully the wines are equally fabulous.

 

Del Dotto Vineyards & Winery

 

One of our favorite and most memorable winery experiences during this trip was touring the caves of Del Dotto and sampling multiple barrel tastings (think unique flavors like creme brûlée). If you’ve never experienced a wine cave tour before, I highly recommend it–it’s just so cool and different than your typical tasting room experience.

Del Dotto’s Cave Experience and Barrel Tasting tour is 90 minutes in length, includes a welcome wine, 6-8 tastings directly from the barrel followed by a sampling of cheeses, charcuteries, pizza and chocolate ($60/pp Monday – Thursday, $75/pp Friday – Sunday; reservations required).

DAY 2

 

Seghesio

Seghesio is our jam. Our go-to. Our trusted and truest. It’s a rare (and downright sad) occasion that there aren’t a few bottles of Seghesio in our wine fridge at all times. So when we were discussing routes with our driver, one of our first requests was that we centered a day around visiting Seghesio.

It’s certainly not the flashiest of wineries–it’s more of a no-frills kind of place. But their incredible wines and knowledgeable staff more than make up for the lack of glitz and grandeur that some other surrounding estates with far less superior wines boast.

J Vineyards & Winery

 

Around five miles down the road in the heart of Healdsburg is the often sought-after and perennial favorite, J Vineyards & Winery. They offer a number of different tasting selections that include a fine assortment of their sparkling and varietal wines. A wonderful winery to visit while in and around Healdsburg.

Ridge Vineyards

 

After having a proper sit-down lunch in downtown Healdsburg (sorry, I cannot for the life of me remember where we ate–way too many tastings had happened by that point), we headed to the ever popular Ridge Lytton Springs Winery. Maybe it’s the fact that this was our third winery of the day, or maybe we just weren’t overly impressed by Ridge, but nothing stood out here; in our opinion, it’s just your typical run-of-the-mill winery and tasting room. It is conveniently located to downtown Healdsburg, so that’s something. Clearly we weren’t blown away here.

 

DAY 3

Conveniently clustered together on Dry Creek Road, only a few steps separate four wonderful and smaller-scaled wineries: Wilson, Papapietro Perry Winery, Family Wineries, and Amphora. While he had a driver during our entire wine country trip, being able to bounce from one winery to the next on foot added an extra convenience in terms of time and manageability. We enjoyed all four wineries, but our favorites were Wilson and Papapietro Perry, both family-owned and a bit more personal and intimate than the others.

 

Where to Stay

 

We enjoyed a wonderful stay at the lovely Inn at Occidental. The delightful bed and breakfast is centrally located in Sonoma Wine Country, and the innkeepers are welcoming, accommodating, and affable. There is an attention to detail throughout the inn; our room was charming, comfortable, and spacious. Their superb breakfast is served in the Wine Cellar dining room, sourcing locally farmed ingredients. Highly recommend staying here!

Where to Eat

 

Hell if I know. Ha! Let’s just say that we may have overdone it during the days and only managed to make it to one dinner! Let’s just take a quick nap, we’d say to one another when we returned to our bed and breakfast, all to then wake up completely disoriented at 2am to realize that we yet again slept through another dinner.

Maybe we should have heeded the advice of our driver and split some tastings?! Nah. Worth. It.

 

Getting Around

 

We hired a driver through Craig’s List who picked us up from San Francisco, where we spent the first few days of our trip, and drove us from winery to winery for all three days. We also arranged for him to drive us to the airport on our final day. He was wonderful–sadly, I can’t remember his name or contact information.

Sonoma, get ready, The Hills are coming back–and this time with friends. Fingers crossed we make it to dinner this time around!

Next up in my U.S. summer travel series: Bar Harbor, Maine

Happy Traveling, All!

 

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