Blog Posts

Best Off-the-Beaten Path Tasting Rooms

3/6/2016

After having visited numerous renowned wineries, many of us are looking for the hidden gems within the Napa Valley. Good wines are certainly valued, but the entire experience a winery provides leaves guests wanting to return and telling their friends and family to visit. To this end, we’re starting a series on best off-the-beaten-path wineries. Criteria for inclusion are that the winery is:

Not readily found or can be easily missed when driving the usual routes
Small or medium-sized in terms of wine production or size
Unique in some way
Open to the public, no appointments necessary

1. The Winery: Artesia Vineyards and Winery
Unique Point: Bold architecture and stunning views
Signature Wine/Varietal: Pinot Noir
Winery Tasting and Other Fees:$10-$15
The Experience
By far, the most extraordinary approach to any out-of-the-way tasting room is that of Artesa Vineyards & Winery. Take Highway 121 to Old Sonoma Road in Napa, and you will drive country roads lined with fields of wildflowers until you finally see signs into the entrance of the winery. The entrance itself is unique - it keeps going. And going.

The winery structure is built into the side of the hill and has been compared to a modern art museum. Interiors are reminiscent of the 1960s, with bold colors and graphic paintings hung throughout. Outside, the pristine pool requires true reflection.

Artesa’s collection comprises pinot blanc, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, albarino, pinot noir, merlot, syrah, cabernet franc,cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo and sparkling wines. Their Estate Pinot Noir is classic for the grape, while their upper tier Limited Release Carneros Pinot Noir is bigger and inkier.

Enhance your visit by upgrading from the $10 basic tasting to a Reserve and Limited Release Wine Flight for $15 or a glass of Grand Reserve Sparkling Wine for $10. Or book a Vino con Queso pairing on a Saturday or Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and enjoy artisan cheeses paired with reserve wines. Or skip the enhancements - a basic tasting in this beautiful is all you need for an experience that is truly off the beaten path.

Stay tuned for more in this series...

Picking a Place for Picnics

2/28/2016

Napa and Sonoma offer some of the most beautiful settings in the world, and many wineries invite you to explore the grounds as you taste their wines. However, far fewer allow you to eat, let alone, buy a meal onsite. And let’s be honest, drinking too much on an empty stomach can bring your day to an uncomfortably quick end. So keep this list in mind to keep those hunger pains in check!

1. Clos Du Val in the Stags Leap District offers a pleasant picnic area not far from Napa. It’s far off the highway in a shaded area. www.closduval.com (707) 261-5200.

2. Cuvaison Estate Wines in Calistoga has a picnic area that’s not too far off the Silverado Trail, but still offering a nice experience. www.cuvaison.com (707) 942-6266. Cuvaison in Carneros can't host picnics.

3. Hall Winery has impressive features, including a second story tasting room overlooking vineyards, impressive art, open views of the wine production and the restored old stone winery, and they do allow picnics. 401 St. Helena Highway South St. Helena www.hallwines.com (707) 967-2626.

4. Menage a Trois and Napa Cellars, which share a winery and the unique geodesic tasting room in Oakville, have a pleasant picnic area under the trees. They offer especially good picnic wines too. www.folieadeux.com 800-535-6400.

5. Frank Family Vineyards in Calistoga is one of the premier picnic location on the valley floor. You can taste at the new tasting room in a restored farm house and then enjoy your picnic at one of the tables on the well-tended ground. www.frankfamilyvineyards.com 707-942-0859

6. Louis M. Martini Winery in St. Helena. At the historic Martini winery, the picnic grounds are in a pleasant enclosed, shaded area behind the winery. The wines include some only found at the winery including rosé and Amabile Moscato. www.louismartini.com (707) 963-2736

7. Chappellet Winery is another gorgeous spot in St. Helena with breathtaking views perfect for picnicking, though you must bring in your own meal. chappellet.com (707) 286-4219

8. Rutherford Grove Winery & Vineyards features a classic picnic ground, with a square of towering trees framing the picnic tables. www.rutherfordgrove.com (707) 963-0544

9. Rutherford Hill Winery has perhaps the top picnic destination in Napa Valley, and yes, that “top” is a double meaning. The picnic tables lie high above the valley floor and they are so popular that they charge to use them, but the cost includes wine. Be sure to call ahead. www.rutherfordhill.com (707) 963-1871

10. V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena is in a class by itself. One of the only wineries to have a deli onsite, the winery requires you to purchase food and wine there if you want to enjoy the pleasant picnic grounds. www.vsattui.com (707) 963-7774.

A Unique Winery Experience

2/20/2016

0 Comments

Raymond Vineyards
Upon recommendations from a friend, we started our most recent trip to Napa at Raymond Vineyards. I had heard it was a “unique experience,” but skeptical as this phrase is not uncommon in the wine country vernacular. Boy was I wrong! Raymond is as much a winery as it is an attraction, with rooms and stories straight out of Hollywood. We were given a fantastic tour by Gina, who escorted us room by room as we uncovered an enormous range of colors, scents, and styles.

My favorite was the red room which was rented for a private event at the time. The guests were more than happy to oblige our request to take a quick peek inside. There, hidden within the winery’s walls, was a posh, beautifully furnished room with a gorgeous piano, billiards and a poker table amidst bottles and bottles of wine. It brought tasting to an entirely new level and I could understand immediately the appeal for private parties. Beyond this, we visited the Crystal Cellar, a cavernous room that felt like an oddly appealing mix of science and disco, with music and enormous vats of wine. The addition of two trapeze-swinging mannequins served to further liven the mood and keep us on our toes despite a few tastings under our belt. On that note, the wines are fabulous, particularly the delicious champagne and multiple rich full-bodied reds. I did not join the wine club, though I’ve heard positive things from others who did. I brought home a couple bottles and they are as good as I remember from the trip. The takeaway: A spot not to miss for wine aficionados and Napa tourists.

Dean & Deluca Grocery
We love Dean & Deluca, and almost always make a least one visit when we visit Napa. A little bit of history: Giorgio DeLuca, a school teacher turned cheese merchant, and Joel Dean, a publishing business manager, opened the first Dean & DeLuca in September 1977 in SoHo, an area in lower Manhattan, at the corner of Prince and Greene streets. Filled with high-end groceries and wines, Dean & Deluca became a staple of New York City and was soon launched in Napa, California. The cafe and grocery offers sandwiches, salads, and prepared foods, creating the perfect opportunity to pick up a few more items before your wine picnic at V. Sattui (conveniently located within walking distance from Dean & Deluca). The Takeaway: With a winery located in the back of the store, and it's centralized location within Napa, we encourage all of our customers to try this iconic grocery.

Check out A&W Transport on Yelp

0 Comments

Forward>>

Best Off-the-Beaten Path Tasting Rooms

Picking a Place for Picnics

A Unique Winery Experience

Categories

Archives

Best Off-the-Beaten Path Tasting Rooms

​Picking a Place for Picnics

A Unique Winery Experience

Categories

Archives

Picking a Place for Picnics