Cheat Sheets
Napa Valley “Cheat Sheet”
Sacramento and Sonoma County airports offer the easiest access to Napa valley, especially on Fridays between noon and seven P.M.
Most wineries stop accepting new customers at about four.
The ideal number of wineries to visit is 3.5. Three is a relaxed pace, no rush. With four, I have to keep you on a schedule. Five is possible, but it takes determination on everyone's part. With four and five, be prepared to taste and spit and not finish each individually poured tasting. Both are a hard and seemingly impolite action to take - this is Napa, drink like a pro.
Eat a real breakfast or you’re going to flame-out. We’re talking protein with lots of white carbs. Coffee and a granola bar won’t cut it, you’re going on a viniculture marathon, don’t turn it into a bar crawl.
You'll have to call the pace you want to set.
Typically, a standard tasting goes from an hour to an hour and a half.
Tours/food pairings can go anywhere upwards of an hour and a half.
I'd also try to pick an area to concentrate on to limit travel time, unless the "must visit"
wineries on your list are spread out. I'd also make sure that your second or third stop can accommodate
a picnic. (Some wineries allow it and others don't. It’s a county permit issue and covid has changed everything) Up-Valley, I like to to use Sunshine Foods for sandwiches and sides. In the City of Napa and Carneros I prefer Genova Delicatessen for sandwiches. It’s a full on Italian deli with staff wearing ties and an espresso bar.
We can pick up your lunch order on the way or I can run out while your are in your first or second stop.
Or for an up-valley sit down lunch try:
Farmstead at Long Meadow Ranch - http://www.longmeadowranch.com/Farmstead/Restaurant
Gotts Roadside - http://gotts.com/ - Your lunch order can be called in so it will be waiting for you when you arrive.
Rutherford Grill - http://www.hillstone.com/rutherfordgrill/ about 10 minutes south of St. Helena and across the street from Inglenook.
Count on a sit-down lunch taking about 90 minutes. 60 minutes is usually possible, if you preview the menu on-line and order when seated and let your server know you are on a schedule.
A cocktail or glass of wine on the Auberge deck and its view are a "must do" during your up-valley visit: http://www.aubergedusoleil.com/napa-dining/bistro-and-bar
Up-Valley Wineries:
Chateau Montelena - https://montelena.com/
Schramsburg - http://www.schramsberg.com/
Mumm - https://www.mummnapa.com/
Frank Family Winery - http://www.frankfamilyvineyards.com/ Pina - http://www.pinacellars.com/ The winery is very small and spartan. They produce five unblended single vineyard cabernets and have outstanding hospitality.
Up-Valley and Off the Beaten Path:
Nichelini Family Winery - http://www.nicheliniwinery.com/ Napa’s oldest continuously family owned and run winery.
South Napa Valley Favorites:
http://www.obrienestate.com/
http://www.fontanellawinery.com/
http://porterfamilyvineyards.com/
Carneros favorites:
http://www.schugwinery.com/ http://www.saintsbury.com/ https://www.cuvaison.com/
There are upwards of 400 wineries in Napa valley each offering their own atmosphere, spin and presentation.
These are my favorite reference sources:
http://www.napawineproject.com/ - reviews individual wineries from an independent source. I feel it is well rounded.
Google Maps for determining travel time between wineries.
I like using TripAdvisor - The civilian reviews strike the right tone with me. Although a winery’s wine may be great, it’s hospitality and staffing might be sub-par. The website provides verification in this regards. It is also my biggest unpaid referral source for business other than word of mouth. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g32766-d7974045-Reviews-Nor_Cal_Car_Service-Napa_Napa_Valley_California.html
A great on-line guide for wine in the Valley: https://napa.guides.winefolly.com/
So you’re going to load up your Lear jet with top of the line boutique Napa wines for your cellar: https://starkadvantage.com/ I’m happy to drive, but have Scotti book your day. After nine years of driving, I have a respectable knowledge of Napa valley, however Scotti is several levels beyond what I, or my palate, can comprehend.
Budget-Friendly Wine Tasting in Napa: https://www.winewithpaige.com/budget-friendly-wine-tasting-in-napa/
San Francisco “Cheat Sheet”
I wrote this cheat sheet for a high school friend who was visiting San Francisco with her young adult daughter. Ahem… it is informal.
Wear walking shoes! Go light as possible on Jewelry and don't flash around that expensive handbag. Bring layered clothing: light jacket and medium sweater or vice versa, especially and counterintuitively, in summer. Bring a messenger bag or backpack to stash them in. Weather changes from neighborhood to neighborhood and sometimes hour to hour within each. Have a stash of one dollar bills or dollar coins for the bus, if not, have your Uber app ready to go. A car in San Francisco is a liability and parking is a supreme P.I.T.A.
Ocean Beach: Lunch at the Beach Chalet at the bottom of Golden Gate park. Check out the dutch windmills nearby or take a long walk along the beach or explore the ruins of the Sutro Baths. The GG park is pretty amazing. You can rent a bicycle in the upper Haight and glide down to the beach without much effort. There is a great bicycle trail that runs from the bottom of the park to the Zoo.
Museums: The Palace of the Legion of Honor, as well as the De Young and Steinhart Aquarium in Golden Gate park on the West side of town. The Asian Art Museum and the SFMOMA downtown.
Take a bay-side hike: Start at the ferry building (have breakfast there, the farmers market happens weekend mornings, walk the Embarcadero to Fisherman's Wharf, through Aquatic Park, Marina Greens, Crissy field, tour Fort Point (civil war era), walk across the Golden Gate, take a bus or Uber back. If you're driving be sure to visit Hawk Hill to enjoy the overlook of SF from Marin. Or rent bicycles and take the ferry back from either Tiburon or Sausalito. Have a glass of wine or a beer on the ferry on your trip back and enjoy the view. https://goo.gl/maps/bZ6hTws1Gn52
If you want to go to Alcatraz you need to pre book your ferry ride now, it is tourist season. Skip the aquarium on the boardwalk, but do go to the Exploratorium instead. https://www.exploratorium.edu/ Check out the http://museemecaniquesf.com/. Be sure to take a quick tour of the USS Pampanito WWII submarine next door to the Musee Mecanique. https://maritime.org/uss-pampanito/
In North beach: be sure to check out City Lights Bookstore at Broadway and Columbus. http://www.citylights.com/ Get a cappuccino at Cafe Trieste and read the beat poetry anthology you just purchased at city lights. http://coffee.caffetrieste.com/ If the beatnicks aren't your scene go to Cafe Greco to watch the neighborhood pass by. http://www.caffegreco.com/
City Hike: Start at union square, walk across China Town on Grant street, through to North Beach, take a bus up to Coit tower from Washington Square and go to the top of the tower. Get a meatball sandwich at Mario's Bohemian Cigar shop, or grab a sandwich at Molinari's and eat it at Washington Square. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60713-d480582-Reviews-Mario_s_Bohemian_Cigar_Store_and_Cafe-San_Francisco_California.html ::::&:::: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g60713-d879230-Reviews-Molinari_Delicatessen-San_Francisco_California.html?m=19905
You can hop the Union street bus across from Mario’s to go over the hill to the Union street shopping district and cut over to Chestnut on Filmore to continue shopping. Or you can take the Fillmore bus over to Japan Town. Check out the Japanese grocery store, have lunch at a nearby restaurant in the mall. Go to the Daiso which is the Japanese $1 store which is amazingly cool and an excellent place to load up on souvenirs. https://goo.gl/maps/qW78RYoM43r https://goo.gl/maps/yBT4SzzpQa72 http://www.nijiya.com/ http://www.daisojapan.com/
In the Mission: Check out 24th street between Mission and about Bryant, Mission between 24th and 21st, cut over to Valencia continue on valencia to 16th. Walk up 16th to Market and a few more blocks to the Castro. See a movie at the Castro Theater in the evening. It is the oldest and most successful repertory movie house in the United States and an amazing architectural gem. It’s Wurlitzer organ will be played before the movie and during intermission, which is astounding. http://www.castrotheatre.com/
Now that your feet ache from walking, take a drive down highway 1 to Santa Cruz or up to Bodega Bay via Stinson Beach along the coast, cut inland to return on 101 either way. https://goo.gl/maps/9PfpczcddxP2
Be sure to make a side trip to Point Reyes Lighthouse - https://www.nps.gov/pore/planyourvisit/lighthouse.htm