Two-Days in Napa Valley: A whirlwind wine drinker’s weekend guide with favorite stops from Napa to Calistoga
With over 500 vineyards and tasting rooms across Napa Valley, it can be hard to plan the perfect weekend getaway if you aren’t part of the “inner circle”, but no worries…follow my guide below and you will be guaranteed a FABULOUS wine tasting adventure that will make you look (and feel) like a pro!
For this wine weekend adventure, we drove up to Napa on a Friday, leaving Los Angeles with plenty of time to make car charging stops along the way AND arrive in time to meet friends for dinner in Napa. We planned for wine adventures all day on Saturday and Sunday, with a drive home on Monday morning.
PLANNING YOUR WINE WEEKEND
Reservations?
I always recommend making reservations for the vineyards and tasting rooms that you most want to visit. Yes, you can do the ‘pop in’ and risk the chance of being turned away, but a little pre-planning ensures that you get to enjoy the experiences that are top of your list.
How many vineyards in a day?
Generally, two to three is the maximum you should plan in a single day. If you are hitting tasting rooms in downtown Napa, you can hop around a bit more, but for onsite tastings at vineyards throughout Napa Valley, you need to consider drive time and the fact that you will want to spend a good 90-minutes (or sometimes more) onsite at each location.
Dress
I’m a big fan of “dress to impress” when it comes to wine tasting. Honestly, when else do you get to dress up with your friends and day drink?! Also, you know you want to look Instagram worthy in your photos!
All joking aside, check the weather to establish your dress code, but I always suggest comfortable shoes (especially if you are going to stroll through the vineyard) and a sweater or jacket that can be layered in case you tour a wine cellar or are indoors.
Tipping
Yes, you should definitely tip the wonderful people who are serving you and educating you about their wines. I don’t have a hard rule about tipping (ie. a percentage of your total bill), but generally will tip between $20 – $50 per hour of my experience, going as high as $100 per hour when someone has truly gone above in terms of service.
Do I have to join the wine club?
No, unless you want to! I’ve joined wine clubs out of my love of the wine and the people behind the experience. I’ve also joined wine clubs because the cost offset my tasting experience and made financial sense to commit to 2 – 3 shipments at a discount, and then cancel.
For me, joining a wine club needs to fill a few checkboxes:
1. I need to love the majority of the wines, or be able to edit the shipments to include the wines that I like.
2. I need to be able to take advantage of tasting experiences and special events that are offered to wine club members (ie. I don’t want to live too far away).
3. I need to enjoy the people and the vibe of the vineyard, and feel that they are welcoming, knowledgeable, and care about delivering a quality experience, at whatever level that may be.
Tasting Times
Most vineyards and tasting rooms accept their first seating around 10:00 – 11:00am, and their final around 4:00 – 4:30pm. I like to schedule my first tasting around 11:00am, followed by a fabulous lunch somewhere, and my second tasting around 2:00pm. Remember, you want to plan around 90-minutes for each tasting experience, plus drive time.
If you are doing downtown Napa, or vineyards in close proximity, you can schedule a morning tasting and then two afternoon tastings, especially if you nosh at one of the tasting rooms that offers food. Just don’t overbook yourself, or you won’t be able to truly experience each location…and, who wants to be stressed on your wine weekend?!
Food
You really can’t go wrong with food in Napa Valley. Seriously. I make a few food recommendations of my favorite spots in this article and will write some articles strictly devoted to Napa food experiences, but whether you are seeking a quick bite or a Michelin-level experience, you can have it all….and it will be delicious!
Accommodations
Throughout the Napa Valley, you can find plenty of Bed & Breakfasts, luxury inns, international hotel chains, boutique hotels, and rental properties. There’s truly something for every taste, and every budget. I recommend booking sooner than later, especially around prime times like the BottleRock Festival, holidays, or the summer season.
Transportation
There’s absolutely ZERO reason to drink and drive. Always have a designated driver or snag an Uber, which is easy to come by in Napa Valley. There are also plenty of small and large transportation services you can hire for the day, which is great if you have a group.
Okay, let’s get into the wine itinerary!
SATURDAY MORNING
To kick off our weekend, we headed to Calistoga with two stops planned for the day: Tank Garage Winery & Castello di Amorosa. We had pre-ordered a driver for the day, so we could sit back and enjoy the gorgeous morning drive down Highway 29 to our first stop of the day.
TANK GARAGE WINERY
1020 Foothill Blvd, Calistoga, CA 94515
707-942-8265
tankgaragewinery.com
Tank is known for their funky, eclectic atmosphere, their wild Instagram feed and their delicious blends. With blend names like Trailer Park Pretty, The Alright Fight Club, and I Love You, But I’ve Chosen Disco (a personal favorite), and wine bottle labels that are literally frameable pieces of art, you know you’re in for some tastes that will challenge your palate. As is typical with blends, I found their wines to be bright, refreshing and downright fun, but with a level of complexity that shows their winemaker knows how to deliver a beautiful range of products.
Join their wine club and you gain access to their gorgeous VIP room that feels like you are stepping back into the lux 1920’s (pre-prohibition, of course!). My husband claims the best part of the VIP lounge is the Evel Knievel pinball machine (definitely NOT circa 1920’s!), but my girlfriend and I really like that it’s 100% Instagrammable with its lounge seating, velvety wallpaper, and gorgeous central chandelier.
SATURDAY LUNCH
Walk down the street from Tank a few blocks and you have multiple choices for lunch. For this visit, we chose the Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery. There’s a nice outdoor seating area along the Napa River, and a nice selection of local brews for those that want to taste something different than wine.
Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery
1250 Lincoln Ave, Calistoga, CA 94515
707-942-4101
calistogainn.com
SATURDAY AFTERNOON
After lunch, we only had a brief drive to our next stop, Castello di Amorosa. I’m fortunate to have friends who enjoy the highest level wine club membership – Cinquecento Cavalieri – which meant we would have a server focused on delivering an amazing experience complete with a tour of the castle, and an elevated tasting experience complete with chocolate pairings and a charcuterie board. We planned our entire afternoon around this experience.
Castello di Amorosa (“The Castle of Love”)
4045 St Helena Hwy, Calistoga, CA 94515
707- 967-6272
CastelloDiAmorosa.com
After spending about ½-hour taking photos outside of the Castle (yes, you will want to plan for that!) we checked in at our scheduled time only to find our server, Lucas, waiting for us. Although it was Lucas’ day off, when he found out that we would be visiting that day, he insisted on coming in to personally wait on us. After handing us glasses of bubbly, Lucas took us on a tour of the castle from the highest tower to the deepest wine caves, offering us samples of delicious wines along the way which included barrel tastings from some future wines.
After our tour, we were seated in a private VIP lounge for the remainder of our tasting experience, sampling many of the wines that make the castle so popular. I’m a big fan of the Sangiovese and the Zindago, as well as their Estate Pinot Noir and Cabs.
All in all, we spent about 3-hrs at the Castle, and I would do it again (actually, I have!). The Castle was built in the 1990’s, but modeled after authentic Italian castles and they spared no attention to detail. It’s a very popular attraction, so reservations are definitely recommended.
SATURDAY DINNER
Leaving the Castle, you can stop in Yountville for dinner at RH. Not only do they have a beautiful tasting room- The Wine Vault – on the property, there is also a design gallery that you can explore before heading into the restaurant for dinner. Another Instagrammable location, and the food elevates the entire experience. My girlfriend declared the pork belly cheeseburger the best burger she’s ever had! Enjoy!
RH
6725 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
RH.com
SUNDAY FUNDAY!
After a good night’s sleep and a relaxing breakfast, it was time to head out for a day hitting tasting rooms in downtown Napa. We played this day a little different by only making a key reservation at one tasting room that we did NOT want to miss, and otherwise hit the streets to visit some of our favorite spots. Luckily, we never had a problem receiving rockstar treatment everywhere we went.
P.S. All four of the following spots are literally within a few blocks of each other, so wear your walking shoes and hit the streets!
STOP #1: Be Bubbly
1407 2nd Street, Napa, CA 94559
707-637-4532
bebubblynapa.com
It’s never a bad idea to start your day with a flight or bottle of bubbly! This fun spot offers a large array of champagnes and sparkling wines by the bottle, as well as different tasting flights. Add some unexpected food pairings, and you’ve got a party! I call them “bite-sized grilled cheese”. They call them “brioche with havarti and cheddar grilled to perfection”. You get the idea!
After toasting our way through a bottle of Louis Roederer, ‘Collection 243’ and noshing on grilled cheese and loaded tater tots, it was time to head next door for a completely different experience….
STOP #2: Benevolent Neglect
1417 2nd Street, Napa, CA 94559
707-241-3463
BNwines.com
With its mid-century vibe, music on the turntable, and unfined and unfiltered wines served by flannel wearing staff, you have landed in a hipster wine paradise. Benevolent Neglect sources their grapes from Napa, Sonoma, North Coast and Central Coast, searching for unique and unusual varietals to create their wines. They focus on minimal intervention, using little new oak, no oak substitutes, and no industrial additives. The result is fun, refreshing and easy drinking blends that definitely are unique.
STOP #3: Padis Jewelry & Tasting Room
1400 First Street, Napa, CA 94559 (Downtown Tasting Room)
707-963-2288
PadisVineyards.com
What do you get when you cross wine drinking with sparkly jewelry? Probably a hefty credit card bill, but I assure you it’s worth it! Padis offers a sexy Breitling bar and tasting room with some lovely wines that you can enjoy while you shop for some gorgeous diamond earrings, or a new watch…or, a diamond bracelet….or, you get the point! Where else can you find excellent service, delicious wine, and that special gift all under one roof? Cheers!
STOP #4: Buena Vista Tasting Room
1142 First Street, Napa, CA
707-703-5677
BuenaVistaWinery.com
Our final stop of the day, and the one that we made a reservation for was the gorgeous Buena Vista Tasting Room in downtown Napa. Jean-Charles Boisset has created a space as flamboyant and fun as his wines. Think cheetah print carpeting, pink feathered lamps, velvet seating, and delicious chocolate pairings to compliment rich, jammy wines.
The Boisset family has invested heavily in the Napa Valley region, bringing the French-style of wine making into the “new world”. I’m a big fan of their history, their service, their spaces (you can also visit Raymond and the Buena Vista Vineyard (Sonoma)), and their wines.
After you’ve followed this two-day itinerary, it’s time to give your liver a break! You’ve partied like a rockstar, now go home, rest up and get ready for the next adventure. Cheers!
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