Napa Weekends
Your Travel Guide to Napa Valley
Your Travel Guide to Napa Valley
Napa Vacation Weekends
St. Helena Day One
St. Helena Day One
WEEKEND:
DAY ONE
LODGING --
The Harvest Inn
St. Helena is definitely on the pricey side for both lodging and food. After staying at most of the offerings, we recommend The Harvest Inn. Although it's located on Hwy. 29, the lush landscaping makes it seem far away from the crowds. The rooms are large, individual, luxurious, most with fireplaces and privacy. Expect to pay between $300 and $400 a night with a two night minimum ( standard for the nice spots in Napa) on the weekends and the experience is truly first class. Check out the website at www.harvestinn.com for more information, photos of rooms and the spectacular grounds.
The hotel serves a wonderful breakfast that includes fruit, quiche, muffins, juice, and other delicious goodies. Breakfast is included with your room so take advantage.
Picnic Lunch --
You must have a relaxing picnic at one of the many beautiful winery picnic areas. It's a chance to pick up a chilled bottle of your favorite wine and select gourmet foods from one of our two favorite Deli stops.
Oakville Grocery
www.oakvillegrocery.com/
7856 St. Helena Highway
Oakville, CA 94562
Tel: (707) 944-880
General Store Hours
8:00am - 6:00pm Daily
As much a part of Napa as any winery, since 1881 they have been providing the finest foods, wines, and cheeses. A must visit.
DEAN & DELUCA
www.deandeluca.com/
607 South St. Helena Highway
707.967.9980
Mon-Sun 7am-8pm
A newer arrival but more impressive because you can sample your way to an entire meal (or at least snack) while you're shopping. There's no way to describe the bounty of foods and wines offered here.
DINNER
Terra Restaurant
Address: 1345 Railroad Ave, St. Helena, CA 94574-1123
Phone: (707) 963-8931
Website: http://www.terrarestaurant.com/
For dinner you get to eat at one of the most famous and best restaurants in the state. The only thing you'll need to do is call as far in advance as you can to reserve seating because you're not the only one who knows about this gem. Our experience is that almost anything is delicious so order at will but save room for desert and if you like fish, don't miss the miso cod!
DAY ONE
LODGING --
The Harvest Inn
St. Helena is definitely on the pricey side for both lodging and food. After staying at most of the offerings, we recommend The Harvest Inn. Although it's located on Hwy. 29, the lush landscaping makes it seem far away from the crowds. The rooms are large, individual, luxurious, most with fireplaces and privacy. Expect to pay between $300 and $400 a night with a two night minimum ( standard for the nice spots in Napa) on the weekends and the experience is truly first class. Check out the website at www.harvestinn.com for more information, photos of rooms and the spectacular grounds.
The hotel serves a wonderful breakfast that includes fruit, quiche, muffins, juice, and other delicious goodies. Breakfast is included with your room so take advantage.
Picnic Lunch --
You must have a relaxing picnic at one of the many beautiful winery picnic areas. It's a chance to pick up a chilled bottle of your favorite wine and select gourmet foods from one of our two favorite Deli stops.
Oakville Grocery
www.oakvillegrocery.com/
7856 St. Helena Highway
Oakville, CA 94562
Tel: (707) 944-880
General Store Hours
8:00am - 6:00pm Daily
As much a part of Napa as any winery, since 1881 they have been providing the finest foods, wines, and cheeses. A must visit.
DEAN & DELUCA
www.deandeluca.com/
607 South St. Helena Highway
707.967.9980
Mon-Sun 7am-8pm
A newer arrival but more impressive because you can sample your way to an entire meal (or at least snack) while you're shopping. There's no way to describe the bounty of foods and wines offered here.
DINNER
Terra Restaurant
Address: 1345 Railroad Ave, St. Helena, CA 94574-1123
Phone: (707) 963-8931
Website: http://www.terrarestaurant.com/
For dinner you get to eat at one of the most famous and best restaurants in the state. The only thing you'll need to do is call as far in advance as you can to reserve seating because you're not the only one who knows about this gem. Our experience is that almost anything is delicious so order at will but save room for desert and if you like fish, don't miss the miso cod!
MORE NAPA WINERIES FOR DAY ONE -- A Select Few
There are hundreds of wineries in the Napa valley and no matter how long you're planning to stay, you'll never be able to visit all of them. After spending months in the area, we have selected a few that offer a variety of experiences that best represent the Napa wine country. We hope you will enjoy them as much as we do. The wineries we've chosen are a combination of pretty expensive tours and tastings that include food or pairings plus some great tasting rooms that have good wine and reasonable tasting fees. Averaged out, the day will cost about the same as if you just did the standard Napa tasting things. Most wineries are grouped by AVA (see About Napa).
Rutherford
The wineries in Rutherford are mainly found either on or near the Silverado Trail.
Quintessa
$65 for tour and tasting includes food pairing
1601 Silverado Trail, Rutherford
707-967-1601
www.quintessa.com.
This is an appointment only winery. You must call the winery to arrange your visit.
The Huneeus family purchased 280 acres to create Quintessa in 1989, they planted organic, biodynamic vineyards. Their informative tour explains how the gravity-fed winery works and ends with a sit-down tasting of two vintages of Quintessa wines with local cheese. Best tour to sign up for: a 10:30 a.m. session early in the week during harvest (September through November), when the winery is not crowded but there's a lot of activity. The tour and tasting fee is pretty steep but the wines are great and the tour is top notch.
Prager Winery and Port Works
1281 Lewellen Lane
St. Helena
www.pragerport.com/
If you're staying at the Harvest Inn, you are literally next door to the winery. Facing the hotel, the winery is to the left and sits back on the side road. A visit to Prager is a real treat. Situated in an old barn like structure (it has a top floor apartment that rents daily) , Prager has charm, ambience and great port. If you're lucky Jim Prager will be pouring and can fill you in on the history and sign your bottles. Staff is friendly and tastings are $10. Well worth the visit, particularly if you love Port.
There are hundreds of wineries in the Napa valley and no matter how long you're planning to stay, you'll never be able to visit all of them. After spending months in the area, we have selected a few that offer a variety of experiences that best represent the Napa wine country. We hope you will enjoy them as much as we do. The wineries we've chosen are a combination of pretty expensive tours and tastings that include food or pairings plus some great tasting rooms that have good wine and reasonable tasting fees. Averaged out, the day will cost about the same as if you just did the standard Napa tasting things. Most wineries are grouped by AVA (see About Napa).
Rutherford
The wineries in Rutherford are mainly found either on or near the Silverado Trail.
Quintessa
$65 for tour and tasting includes food pairing
1601 Silverado Trail, Rutherford
707-967-1601
www.quintessa.com.
This is an appointment only winery. You must call the winery to arrange your visit.
The Huneeus family purchased 280 acres to create Quintessa in 1989, they planted organic, biodynamic vineyards. Their informative tour explains how the gravity-fed winery works and ends with a sit-down tasting of two vintages of Quintessa wines with local cheese. Best tour to sign up for: a 10:30 a.m. session early in the week during harvest (September through November), when the winery is not crowded but there's a lot of activity. The tour and tasting fee is pretty steep but the wines are great and the tour is top notch.
Prager Winery and Port Works
1281 Lewellen Lane
St. Helena
www.pragerport.com/
If you're staying at the Harvest Inn, you are literally next door to the winery. Facing the hotel, the winery is to the left and sits back on the side road. A visit to Prager is a real treat. Situated in an old barn like structure (it has a top floor apartment that rents daily) , Prager has charm, ambience and great port. If you're lucky Jim Prager will be pouring and can fill you in on the history and sign your bottles. Staff is friendly and tastings are $10. Well worth the visit, particularly if you love Port.
St. Helena: Heart of Napa Valley
St. Helena is located on Highway 29 in the middle of Napa Valley. This makes it the perfect place to visit some of the most famous wineries and restaurants in addition to strolling the sidewalks and checking out some of upscale shops. The area is home to some of the most well known and award winning Napa wineries and is the perfect location for your Napa Valley vacation. First you'll need a memorable (and romantic?) place to stay.
IDEAL PICNIC SPOTS FOR SCENIC EATING
Ideally you'll want somewhere that's easy to get to, allows visitors to the picnic grounds without taking a winery tour, and has an amazing view of the valley. This is our favorite:
Rutherford Hill Winery
Turn right onto the Rutherford Crossroad (Hwy. 128) for 2.8 miles; stay to the left at the fork
Turn left onto the Silverado Trail and continue north for only a 1/10 mile
Turn right on Rutherford Hill Road and continue for 1/2 mile. The winery is located at 200 Rutherford Hill Road, 100 yards above Auberge du Soleil
If you decide to taste,
$15 Tasting, $20 Tour & Tasting
They have great old growth Zins.
WINE TASTING FOR DAY ONE:
Frogs Leap
www.frogsleap.com
8815 Conn Creek Rd, Rutherford
800-959-4704
This is also an appointment only winery but tastings are Free.
Near Quintessa you'll find Frogs Leap. Although the web site is so poorly (they went for cute over functional) designed it'll drive you crazy, you can use it to drop an e-mail for a reservation or just use ours...ribbit@frogsleap.com
for your reservation.
Note: Don't skip wineries just because they ask for a reservation or you'll miss some of the best ones. Think of it like a hotel reservation, you just need it.
Instead of us describing it, let's see what some visitors have to say, check out this link.....
http://www.yelp.com/biz/frogs-leap-winery-rutherford#hrid:wOJul_vjJ5bBMNJZW6kFPw/query:wineries
Peju Winery
8466 St. Helena Highway (Highway 29), Rutherford, CA 94573
www.peju.com/napa_valley_wine_tasting.htm
No Appointment, Tasting is $10 which is refundable if you buy wine.
Peju has many, many fans who love visiting the winery and rave about the low key, friendly ambience and the good value wines. It's a great place to stop in and try the wines.
Grgich Hills Winery
1829 St. Helena Hwy (29)
Rutherford
www.grgich.com
No Appointment, $10 Tasting w/glass.
This is a winery with great wines and a tasting experience that merits your visit. Plus it's pretty reasonable at $10. In addition, if you go during the crush, they'll let you stomp the grapes (space available).
NOTE: If you haven't eaten lunch yet, you've had way too much to drink. Time to eat. Check out the picnic site at Rutherford Hill.
Milat Family Vineyards
Hwy. 29
St. Helena
www.milat.com
No Appointment and $5 tastings.
Located near St. Helena on the main drag, Milat Family Vineyards continues to live up to it's name by offering a homey family wine tasting have a few minutes and are not "tasted out", it's a great stop at the end of your day to relax and get out of the traffic, plus enjoy some good wine.
Tell Us What You Liked
Whew! So how was the first day? We'd love to know. Send your comments and suggestions to:
info@napaweekends.com
Enjoy your day two in St. Helena! Click here..............
St. Helena is located on Highway 29 in the middle of Napa Valley. This makes it the perfect place to visit some of the most famous wineries and restaurants in addition to strolling the sidewalks and checking out some of upscale shops. The area is home to some of the most well known and award winning Napa wineries and is the perfect location for your Napa Valley vacation. First you'll need a memorable (and romantic?) place to stay.
IDEAL PICNIC SPOTS FOR SCENIC EATING
Ideally you'll want somewhere that's easy to get to, allows visitors to the picnic grounds without taking a winery tour, and has an amazing view of the valley. This is our favorite:
Rutherford Hill Winery
www.rutherfordhill.com
200 Rutherford Hill RdTurn right onto the Rutherford Crossroad (Hwy. 128) for 2.8 miles; stay to the left at the fork
Turn left onto the Silverado Trail and continue north for only a 1/10 mile
Turn right on Rutherford Hill Road and continue for 1/2 mile. The winery is located at 200 Rutherford Hill Road, 100 yards above Auberge du Soleil
If you decide to taste,
$15 Tasting, $20 Tour & Tasting
They have great old growth Zins.
WINE TASTING FOR DAY ONE:
Frogs Leap
www.frogsleap.com
8815 Conn Creek Rd, Rutherford
800-959-4704
This is also an appointment only winery but tastings are Free.
Near Quintessa you'll find Frogs Leap. Although the web site is so poorly (they went for cute over functional) designed it'll drive you crazy, you can use it to drop an e-mail for a reservation or just use ours...ribbit@frogsleap.com
for your reservation.
Note: Don't skip wineries just because they ask for a reservation or you'll miss some of the best ones. Think of it like a hotel reservation, you just need it.
Instead of us describing it, let's see what some visitors have to say, check out this link.....
http://www.yelp.com/biz/frogs-leap-winery-rutherford#hrid:wOJul_vjJ5bBMNJZW6kFPw/query:wineries
Peju Winery
8466 St. Helena Highway (Highway 29), Rutherford, CA 94573
www.peju.com/napa_valley_wine_tasting.htm
No Appointment, Tasting is $10 which is refundable if you buy wine.
Peju has many, many fans who love visiting the winery and rave about the low key, friendly ambience and the good value wines. It's a great place to stop in and try the wines.
Grgich Hills Winery
1829 St. Helena Hwy (29)
Rutherford
www.grgich.com
No Appointment, $10 Tasting w/glass.
This is a winery with great wines and a tasting experience that merits your visit. Plus it's pretty reasonable at $10. In addition, if you go during the crush, they'll let you stomp the grapes (space available).
NOTE: If you haven't eaten lunch yet, you've had way too much to drink. Time to eat. Check out the picnic site at Rutherford Hill.
Milat Family Vineyards
Hwy. 29
St. Helena
www.milat.com
No Appointment and $5 tastings.
Located near St. Helena on the main drag, Milat Family Vineyards continues to live up to it's name by offering a homey family wine tasting have a few minutes and are not "tasted out", it's a great stop at the end of your day to relax and get out of the traffic, plus enjoy some good wine.
Tell Us What You Liked
Whew! So how was the first day? We'd love to know. Send your comments and suggestions to:
info@napaweekends.com
Enjoy your day two in St. Helena! Click here..............
Division
of Online Advice
info@napaweekends.com
Napa Weekends is a division of Online Advice and is
not responsible for any damage, harm, disappointments, or loss that may
result from using these guides.
