If you're able to get out of bed bright and early, the area has a lot of morning adventures. From markets like Ox Bow in downtown Napa, to long bike rides, to hot air balloon rides as the sun rises. It's a wonderful way to get a jump on the day and to enjoy what the area has to offer.

After your morning activities and a bite to eat, get ready for one of the coolest tours you can take in the Napa Valley. The Jarvis Winery is located within a hillside some 10 miles east of Napa. We had never heard of it but were tipped off while talking to a waiter in Sonoma. He told us about "the best place in the valley for a wow factor tour." We immediately made reservations and were quite excited by his description.

When you approach the vineyard, you park and begin walking towards the hillside and a large arched door cut into the earth. This is the last point on the tour where you can take photos, so my description will have to do.

Once inside, the whole operation is within a series of underground cave tunnels. From the waiting lobby to the wine making area to the tasting room and ball room. The entire winery "building" was dug from deep within the earth using the same grinding and digging machinery used to make the Chunnel.

The tour highlights the traditional French methods and machinery William Jarvis uses to make their fine wines. From massive imported French oak barrels constructed by imported laborers, to the hand corking and wax dipping of the bottles, the utmost care is given to every bottle.

The coolest part of the entire tour is the trip to the tasting room. The cave was constructed as a circle with a crossing hallway. While digging the hallway across the diameter of the large circular cave, the workers came upon a natural spring. That spring is still running today and actually ensures the humidity of the cave remains at an even and perfect level for wine making. The spring runs in front of the tasting room that was dug off of the side of the hallway. To enter the room you must walk on a few well placed stones to cross the small spring. It was a unique experience, so say the least.

While in the cave we met the owner of the winery, William Jarvis, as he came out of his office (which had a huge carved wood door with his name above it). He and his wife are another pair of very wealthy (billions) wine hobbyists who came to Napa Valley on vacation. After spending a little time there, they liked it so much they decided to buy hundreds of acres, a lake, and build a winery. Oh the burdens of deciding what to do with so much cash. The end result is this very unique and enjoyable experience.

On the way out of the tour you can stop at the sample vines near the entrance. There you can see all of the grapes currently growing on their property and, if in season, sample each right from the vine. It's amazing what distinct flavor each one has. It's also amazing how much fun this can be after having just come from a wine tasting where it was easy to go a bit overboard.

After your tasting at Jarvis concludes, it should be about lunch time. Head back towards Yountville where you will be sitting down for another excellent meal at the well known Mustards Grill. Remember, Open Table is your friend on this trip because a reservation is almost always necessary, even for lunch. Billed as a "deluxe truck stop," it is truly anything but. The only thing even close in our book is the fact that it is by the side of the road and the "Way Too Many Wines" menu is in a metal binder. Beyond those items, this is simple an informal but amazing place to eat.

Wendy and I have gone a couple of times and have thoroughly enjoyed all of our meals. All dishes seem to have a bit of a simple setup, such as your standard burger and fries, but the preparation and presentation are excellent and the freshness of the ingredients contributes tremendously to the overall dish. As with many places in the area, you can't seem to go wrong with what you order.

After lunch there is another great tour and tasting fairly nearby that you should absolutely check our. It is our last suggested tour and tasting, but it's a good one. Frog's Leap is location just xx miles away from Mustards and is in a breathtaking setting and an perfect and relaxing experience. Their tours and tastings book very early, so be sure to call way in advance.

 

Our tasting actually took place on the porch of the main house and was conducted overlooking the gardens and vines of the vineyard. We sampled five of their current releases along with pairings of fruit, artisnal cheese, and crackers. 

When our tasting wrapped up we wandered around the grounds and came across some interesting and very cool things. 

From the lush vegetable gardens. 

To the chicken coop behind the barn. 

 Everything about this place just seemed perfect. A place you could easily see yourself living (if you had obscene amounts of cash). The whole place was completed with the signature Frog's Leap weather vane atop the wine making barn.

Heading north from Frog's Leap with an ultimate destination of Calistoga, we suggest you make a final pit stop for a quick tasting at Miner Family Vineyards. No reservation is required for this tasting at Miner Family, and it is right on the way to Calistoga. Wendy and I enjoyed the wines at this family owned and operated winery, as well as the very friendly and knowledgable staff. The woman who led our tasting had worked at the vineyard since it was started by the Miner family some 15 years ago. Beyond the wine, the view across the valley from the front of the property was simply breathtaking.

Keep heading north on the Silverado Trail towards Calistoga. Located at the north end of the Valley, Calistoga is your quintessential sleepy town. Complete with historic main street shopping and ultra friendly people. We enjoyed strolling around and just taking it easy. You definitely do a lot of driving on a trip to Napa Valley, but you get to see and experience some great an diverse places. And on your way back towards Napa, stop by California's Old Faithful Geyser as a fun stop.

Switching gears back to food (because when is a bad time to eat on vacation), we'll focus on the final evening's dinner selection. For your final dinner we HIGHLY recommend The Wine Spectator at Greystone at the Culinary Institute of America. This restaurant is a staple in our trips to Napa Valley. Working within the Culinary Institutes Napa Valley Campus, the restaurant carves out a large area and patio in their historic building and renowned location of learning for some of the world's top chefs.

The restaurant has an open central kitchen that allows you to watch your chefs as they construct your meal. Wendy and I really enjoy the appetizer sampler and absolutely recommend ordering that among the table. It changes every night, but we've always enjoyed.

With your final evening wrapped up, head back to your hotel and enjoy your last night. Lounge, relax, do what vacations do best. But be sure to get some sleep, you have one more morning left in Napa Valley.

Wendy and I usually like to take the red-eye back in the evening, so we use the last day to spend the morning and lunch in Napa Valley, then head back to San Francisco for the remainder of the day. Before before we head back, we usually like to stop at two vineyards and grab lunch in at least one more amazing restaurant.

For your final day, sleep in, enjoy the relaxation, get a massage, go for a walk, chill out. Then check out of your hotel and head out for your final morning tasting. We suggest either Clos Du Val or Grgich Hills Estate. Wendy and I thoroughly enjoy both places. Clos Du Val has the more grand setting and is a very nice way to wrap up your still wine tastings.

After your tasting, head back towards Yountville for your final lunch. As you get into town, stop by to at least look at the The French Laundry. Don't worry, I'm not suggesting you eat there, unless you have an extra $1,000 burning a hole in your pocket and several hours for lunch. 

But at least walk across the street and look at their amazing vegetable and herb garden.

Rather than The French Laundry, we suggest you have lunch at another of Thomas Keller's Napa Valley restaurants, Bouchon. Serving lunch every day, with Bouchon you get to experience Thomas Keller cooking without the top end prices. But whatever you order, don't get dessert. Instead, walk to the building next door after your meal and select an item or two from the Bouchon Bakery. Truly amazing confections, that's for sure. By this point in the trip you should be happy and full and ready to roll out of Napa Valley. We have one more stop for you on your way back to San Francisco.

A fitting final vineyard tasting on your way home is more fitting if it is a sparkling stop. As you leave the valley stop by Domaine Carneros to give your excellent vacation one final toast. The Carneros region is where the majority of grapes for sparkling wine originate, so no better place to wave goodbye "until next time."

The winery's setting is picturesque and gives a grand backdrop to your final tasting. Sit on the porch, enjoy your view, your wine, and your company. And pick out your favorite bottle to bring home so you can ring in the New Year with it.

And with that, our tour and itinerary for Napa Valley comes to a conclusion. I hope you've enjoyed some of our favorites and find this guide useful in helping to either convince you to go to Napa, or to find some new places to try.

There are obviously hundreds of vineyards and thousands of activities we've not touched on, but this should be a good starting point for anyone going to the area.

If we've left out something that you think people should absolutely be aware of, please be sure to include it in the comments below. I'm sure it will be useful as people stumble on this series of posts over the years.

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Day two of a trip to Napa Valley should take advantage of some of the more formal tours and tastings, and also some of the more touristy things to do. You should also take a few moments to do a little shopping at some of the places you don't see in many other parts of the country. Just remember, you should absolutely call ahead for all tours and tastings to be sure they have availability and can make you a reservation.

The day should start early, especially if you are an east coaster and still several hours ahead. Mornings in the Napa Valley, especially during fall harvest, are crisp, cool, and beautiful. It's wonderful to start the day with a run or walk along one the side streets that front vineyard properties. I know the temptation to stay in bed all morning is a major one, but you will kick yourself if you don't take full advantage of all the area has to offer.

That's Wendy waving while she runs

When you are back to your hotel, grab a light breakfast and get ready to head out for your first stop of the day. This is wine country and you're on vacation, it's okay to start drinking before noon. A beautiful first stop for a tour and tasting is also the first sparkling wine we're suggesting at Mumm Napa.

Mumm is yet another place we used to be wine club members. Everytime I mention being a wine club member somewhere, you can conjure up a mental image of us having a really good time, lots of wine being poured, and then Wendy saying "I LOVE it here, we should be club members."

Be sure to reserve a full tour along with your tasting. The tour is very informative and sheds some light on the process used to make sparkling wine sparkle. It also covers some of the myths associated with sparkling like "I always get a heachache when I drink champagne." (Turns out, you get a headache when you drink cheap champagne because the bubbles are injected CO2 instead of naturally forming CO2 from the yeast.) 

You also get to wander through their breathtaking photo gallery and learn about things like the FYBs and where the various names of their wines, like their high end DVX, come from.

Once you are done with your tour, you'll head over to the Mumm Napa tasting terrace to enjoy some of the wine you just learned about. 

You'll also get to appreciate views of some of their vines which are quite idyllically located overlooking the valley from the east side. It is really a breathtaking view and something we look forward to every time we go to Napa. 

When you're done at Mumm it won't quite be lunch time, but close enough to start thinking about it. Head north towards St. Helena and you can bridge the gap between your first tasting and lunch with a stroll around the Main St. of St. Helena. Main St. features lots of shopping of almost any sort. Even the Ace Hardware has a huge collection of gourmet cooking utilities. Be sure to stop in the various olive oil, balsamic, and mustard shops along the way, as well as the chocolate shops. And don't leave without going into Wendy's favorite place, Fideaux, a very fun pet boutique store.

After you've completed your shopping fun, I'm sure you will be hungry and ready for lunch. Head south on the St. Helena Highway just to the edge of town to a place Wendy dreams of, Pizzeria Tra Vigne. A more informal eatery to its high class parent restaurant (Tra Vigne), this wonderful place has a large selection of excellent dining options. Wendy loves to get Nona's meatballs with spaghetti, and I'm a fan of anything vegetarian they have. You might recognize that you'r right across the street from Gott's Roadside if you followed our day one itinerary. 

The best part of Pizzeria Tra Vigne is their outdoor seating area. Particularly enjoyable are the signs that instruct parents to control their children. No wonder Wendy loves this place.

When lunch concludes, you will be quite near a small grocer that Wendy learned about while watching Micheal Chiarello's show, Napa Style, several years ago. It's called the Napa Valley Olive Oil Manufacturing Comapny, and is located in a small while building just a few blocks from Tra Vigne. This place sells some great and unique items, and it's always worth stopping in.

Once you've had a look around the Olive Oil specialty store, you can head out to your next tour and tasting. Next on the docket, we recommend a place that we had the most educational, enjoyable, and fun tasting experience in all of our trips to vineyards. The place is called Spring Mountain and is located in the Spring Mountain appellation up the winding Spring Mountain Road. 

Wendy and I made reservations on a whim and went on our last day our first trip out. We didn't know what to expect and I had actually suggested it based purely on the Victorian architecture of the house on the property. When we arrived we were buzzed in through the front gate and ended up in a situation we were initially intimidated by, but had our minds put at ease by the extremely friendly and knowledgeable staff.

The vineyard is a very small production place that is owned by an extremely rich wine hobbyist. The Victorian home that is the centerpiece of the vineyard was actually the home featured in the opening credit of the television show Falcon Crest. It features various period ornamentation, a pool, and views that make you say "I WANT TO LIVE HERE!"

The tour was so much fun. We got to walk through the cellar caves, watch the process of wine making, and even strolled through their vast collection of olive trees (they make their own olive oil too). But the most fun past of the whole event was the tasting. Unlike previous tastings, where a single glass is used between all pours, this was a more formal (but in a fun way) situation. We were each given five glasses, then our guide poured all fives wines at once. Since we were relatively new to wine tasting, he taught us the various aspects of the wine, what falsehoods have been propagated (be skeptical if someone says wine "has good legs"), and how each wine can actually impact the perceived taste of the others if you sip them or smell them in a particular order. 

We finished the tasting with a little game where Wendy was asked to taste the wines in a random order and identify which was which. She was so close, identifying three of the five correctly. The final was a 50/50 shot between the regular release Cabernet and a library Cab, but she guess incorrectly and we didn't win the expensive bottle. So close!

Anyhow, we think you'll love this tasting and tour, just don't get intimidated at first like we did. Nothing ruins a tour faster than you worrying about what others think of you.

When you wrap up at Spring Mounting, head back down to St. Helena and then head north to Sterling. This tour is far more touristy and gimmicky than the others we've suggested thus far, but it is quite fun. Sterling has a gondola that takes you from the parking lot up to the winery. The tram ride is worth the price of the tasting, but if you look around online you can usually find coupons for a free or discounted tasting, so check into that.

The ride up to the winery takes several minutes and gives you an opportunity for some spectacular views of the valley. You can see for miles and the views just keep getting more beautiful.

Once you reach the winery, it is like you are on a perch above the rest of Napa Valley.

The tasting tour is a walking tour through the winery with tasting stations setup at various points. You get to experience the various other amazing views from the balcony, porch, and other locations. 

We actually ended up buying a few bottles of one of their dessert wines we tried.

When you are finished up, the ride down is as much fun as the ride up, all with more amazing views.

Are you tired yet? You very well may be. Wendy and I like to head back to the hotel for a little while, change, take it easy, hang out, whatever else. There's often snacks, tastings, or other fun events in many of the hotels, so check into that to see what they have to offer.

When you are ready for dinner, we have another excellent suggestion for you. And if you can make it before it gets dark, even better. Located just north of Yountville on the St. Helena highway, Brix offers French inspired California cuisine. We've enjoyed this restaurant several times, and always look forward to going back. Beyond the food, the view across the gardens are breathtaking. If the weather is nice, you can request seating on their patio.

There you have it. That wraps up full day number two of your Napa Valley adventure. It's time to roll back to your hotel room happy, full, and looking forward to your next day of excess. If day one was a warmup, by the end of day two you should be ready and raring to go!

Have we outlined any of your favorite Napa Valley places in this post? Let us know what you think, especially people who've been before. Are we giving a decent approach to vacation thus far?

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Yep, you heard me, though we've made the trip to California's wine country in the Napa Valley and Sonoma area for the last five falls, we made our trip for 2011 back in April and probably won't be returning until next year...sniffle...sniffle. 

Rather than make the 3000 mile treck from DC to the Bay Area on our beloved Virgin America (with personal entertainment at each seat, free drinks, on board wifi and power outlets, comfortable seats, and friendly flight staff - It's an airline I really love), we'll be remembering our vacations of years past in a virtual manner with a series of posts on our Napa Valley favorites. 

We'll also double these posts as a bit of a vacation guide. We've had so many friends and family tap our knowledge and experiences in the California wine country for their adventures that we think we've become somewhat adept at putting together a good itinerary. Think of our fall 2011 wine country hiatus as your gain as we compile and share some of our favorite stops and places. Whether you're a Napa Valley noob or just looking for some new places, we hope you can use our favorites to make your Napa Valley trip enjoyable. 

The fall is a beautiful time in the Napa Valley. The vines are at their peak with full leaves and fruit, the vineyards are in full swing harvest mode with pickers lining the meticulously arranged crops, and the weather is about as picture perfect as possible more often than not. My initiation to the west coast wine country came at this time of year back in 2007 and I've been hooked ever since. It is the peak season for visitors, so there are far more people than usual, but for everything I just said, there's a nice reason for that. As long as you schedule out your trip and make the appropriate reservations, you should be good to go and won't run into too many delays or closed doors.

Our little guide will assume you have about three nights to spend in Napa Valley, and that you'll be staying in or near the area. If your trip will be slightly shorter, you can just pick and choose from things that sound good to you.

Booking Your Stay

Even though you are going to Napa, if you're going for wine country you really aren't going to Napa, you are going to the Napa Valley, so don't stay in downtown Napa. Of course there are several hotels, motels, B&Bs, etc where you can stay downtown, but most of the best places you'll be enjoying are about a 15-20 minute drive from Napa, so it is much easier to stay elsewhere. 

Though it is within the bounds of Napa (but on the northeast outskirts) we love to stay at the Silverado Resort & Spa. We stayed there years ago on our first trip and we've been back so often that it has almost become like a second home for us. 

Photo Credit: Silverado Resort & Spa

The rooms we enjoy are like small condos with bedroom, bathroom, living room, small dining area, and a full sized kitchen. In addition, the amenities on the property are very well appointed and the surrounding neighborhood area is great for morning runs and walks. It's really an awesome place that we love to go back to every year. Like I said, a home away from home.

If we weren't staying at Silverado, we'd absolutely stay in or near either St. Helena or Yountville. There are various places along the St. Helena Highway that look like really nice places and allow you easy access to great vineyards, wonderful restaurants, and the best shopping the area has to offer, all within an easy drive. We've heard wonderful things about a couple of places you can check out. 

The first is the Inn at Southbridge. A small hotel within walking distance of the quaint St. Helena main street, great restaurants, shopping, and vineyards. Wendy and I love the nearby restaurants and always find ourselves sitting by the fountain of this hotel saying "Do you think we should ever stay here?" Maybe someday...

The other location, the Cottages of Napa Valley, sits two miles south of Yountville. Each cottage offers a spacious bedroom and living area with private areas for relaxing. We've had friends who recently stayed here and they really enjoyed it. 

Day 1 - Driving and Arriving

We like to get an early start on all of our trips. Our cross country flight typically leaves between 7:00-8:00am, and with the time change we typically get into San Francisco and to our rental car by about 11:00am. We also make a point not to eat much at the airport or on the plane. Afterall, we're headed to wine country, no packaged sandwich can even come close to beating it. 

Once we have our car we are one our way. By this time, be it on the weekend or during the day, traffic through and out of San Francisco isn't typically that bad. Though it is faster to take the Bay Bridge to get to Napa, Wendy and I love crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. It makes the trip slightly longer, but there is no toll to cross the Golden Gate when you are headed north, and like I said, we love it. Besides, if you're making good time, you can stop at the parking area as soon as you cross the bridge and take in a few of the spectacular sights of the San Francisco Bay.

If all goes well, you should get into Napa Valley by about lunch time. If you're like us and you are coming from the east coast, it's already way past your typical lunch and you're getting really hungry. There'e no better time to pick up an amazing meal, but you need one that is also fast. Don't pass go, don't collect $200 (because they take credit card at this place and it is very reasonably priced), and take the St. Helena highway to Gott's Roadside (used to be Taylor's Refresher) for some of the best fast food you will ever eat.

Photo Credit: Flickr User AbiznessDigital

This has been our favorite "Welcome back to Napa Valley" for the last several years. The drive in takes you past many of the most recognizable vineyards and landmarks, including the area just prior to St. Helena where the smell of grapes fills the air. There is an unmistakable and enjoyable odor that goes along with wine country that you can pick out anywhere. 

Gott's is one of those places that you walk up to thinking "this looks like it might be a good choice," and you walk away saying "Oh WOW! That place was amazing!" Whether you are looking for burgers and fries, fish tacos, ahi burgers, salads, soups, chilis, milkshakes, or any number of other items, they are all good from this roadside diner. Oh, and this is Napa Valley, so their wine selection is quite extensive. What, you've never had wine with your burger and fries from a roadside diner? 

Once you're done enjoying your lunch your stomach should be full, so there's not much better of a time to hit your first vineyard. Since you've been travelling all day you probably don't want to go to a stuffy vineyard with a long tour, just a more casual place to break in your trip. One of our favorites for a good tasting with a fun and knowledgable staff and no need for a reservation is Peju.

We like Peju because they are a very cool, very relaxed vineyard that doesn't produce a huge number of cases. We feel this keeps the focus on the customer's experience rather than the distribution. We also like the idea that we can't just walk into any grocery store in our home town and pick up a bottle, it makes it a little more special. 

A few years ago we were even wine club members at Peju. Some of our nicest bottles of wine are actually Peju bottles that we're patiently waiting for the drink window to open. In addition to our regular favorites at Peju, like the Provence and their signature Rutherford region big bold Cabernet, and if you have an opportunity to try their zinfandel port, it's very tasty.

After your stop at Peju, you should be pretty much ready to check into your hotel. Stop in, drop your bags, grab a snack, maybe some cheese or something, then head back out to your next vineyard stop of the day. 

Cakebread Cellars, located between the Oakville and Rutherford regions on the St. Helena Highway is a fun place with beautiful grounds, great wines, and very knowledgeable staff. For this stop, you need to schedule a tour and tasting. You'll need to reserve a spot at least several days in advance, so it is best to call in well before your trip. 

Actually, it's a good rule of thumb to call ahead before your trip to book all of your tours or special tastings. 

Cakebread's tastings are reservation only but the amount of information you get and the number of wines you are able to taste make the reservation well worth it. If you are new to the wine tasting game, this is a great opportunity to ask lots of questions and gets lots of answers. 

Cakebread is actually another of our favorites (ok, I think I'm going to be saying that all of the places we will write about are our favorites... so I'll stop that now). A friend turned us onto their wine and we make sure we stop in nearly every time we get back to wine country. The small walking tour takes you around their grounds and ends with a tasting in their beautifully kept yard and gardens.

Also, be sure to take a moment to walk through Mrs. Cakebread's garden. In addition to the various vegetables, herbs, and fruit, you'll get to see some of the largest sunflower heads you'll ever witness. Here is Wendy standing below one. (Be careful not to walk aimlessly into one with your head, yeah, I did that.)

Once you've finished up your vineyard tour and tasting at Cakebread, you may have enough time for your third vineyard stop of the day, and final before dinner. Like Peju, a nice relaxed tasting is a perfect way to round out the day, and we have a perfect and easy place to stop. 

Very nearby Cakebread is another of our favorite (couldn't help myself) places, Sequoia Grove. Wendy and I visited this vineyard for the first time this past April. We liked it so much (and their pours were so generous) that we signed up for their wine club. They are aptly named for the grove of large sequoia that were planted on their property.

Sequoia Grove's atmosphere is absolutely great, and what we love about some of the vineyards in Napa. There are a lot of people who tell us that Napa Valley has gotten too snotty and pretentious, and they prefer Sonoma, but we feel like we've been able to find some really great places that still maintain what put Napa Valley on the map, and Sequoia Grove was one of them. I mean, look a this photo, a dog came in and they let him behind the bar so he could start serving people, you can't get more laid back than that.

Once you've completed your third tasting, it should pretty much be dinner time. Vineyards tend to close between 4:30 and 6:00 and everyone starts to prepare for dinner. If you are east coasters you may be getting a little tired, so there is no better way to wrap up the day than with your first amazing dinner of the trip on the earlier side of things.  

For this first dinner event (because that's what it really is), we can very highly recommend Chef Micheal Chiarello's Bottega in Yountville. Michael Chiarello of Food Network and "Napa Style" famed opened this wonderful Italian eatery in 2009 as a way to get back to the kitchen. He also happens to be a television personality that Wendy has a tremendous crush on, and when we learned of his newly opened restaurant just before our 2009 trip, we immediately made reservations.

Now three years later, the need for reservations is even more necessary as Bottega continues to be featured in various publications that cover the culinary highlights Napa Valley has to offer. We've been three times now and have yet to experience anything less than an amazing meal. A few of our highlight dishes include the Burrata Caprese with balsamic vinegar caviar (this is where I got the idea for our post about making balsamic caviar), the gnocchi, and donut for dessert. But quite honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with anything you order.

If you arrive for dinner a little early, you have plenty to do. Situated within the historic Vintage Estates Property, there are several shops in the buildings surrounding the restaurant. Bottega itself features an indoor dining area and large covered outdoor dining patio with fireplaces. Chef Chiarello is 100% hands on in his venture, not a ghost chef running the operation from a far. We've seen him cooking, prepping, entertaining, and interacting every time we've eaten there. One time he even took our check from the table. Wendy swooned. I think you'd be hard pressed to find me another top notch television chef that will do the same.

After your meal is done you can stroll around Yountville and smell the amazing smells lingering in the air from all of the spectacular restaurants. Then head back to your hotel. The first day in Napa is always a big one, and one that can leave you quite tired. Afterall, you need your rest, day two tends to be just as much fun.

In the next of our series of Napa posts we'll cover a magnificent day two for your trip to wine country. Like I said, if you're headed out that way we highly recommend you call well ahead for any tours and some tastings. There's no worse feeling than getting shut out of trying a wine.

Napa Valley veterans, what do you think? Is this a decent first day to kick off a good Napa Valley visit? I've tried to provide a good warm up for what the following days of wine and food indulgence have to offer. Whether you are living vicariously through these posts, or actively planning your wine country trip, I hope you find this and the next several Napa posts quite useful.

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