Napa, and next door in Sonoma, are two big destinations for out-of-state visitors coming to experience the California wine country. Most people have probably heard about summer crowds and summer prices.
If you'd like to avoid these issues, an off-season visit might be for you. Off-season is considered November through April.
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| Mid-winter in the vineyards |
Pros and cons of an off-season trip:
Pro:
- Lodging costs. Many hotels have mid-winter rates that are half of their summer prices.
- No crowds. The lack of lines of people or traffic makes the trip more relaxed. It's easier to get into places. The congestion is at its peak in Napa during the summer and early autumn.
- It's easy to get dinner reservations. The popular spots in the popular towns fill up ahead of time in the summer.
- It's much easier to get winery reservations. Almost all have gone to appointments since Covid. Many, in Sonoma anyway, are likely to be okay with weekday walk-ins in the winter. Winter is also the winemakers' slowest season, so you have a better chance of a chat with them.
Con:
- Weather. Northern California's rainy season is mid-Nov. through mid-March. Heaviest rains are likely to be Dec. into Feb. Rain can certainly happen in other months, but it's less rainy and less of an issue.
- Closings. A few smaller wineries and restaurants may take a week or two off in January, as it's their slowest time of the year.
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| You might see gray skies and flooded vineyards in the winter image from AFP |
Is there a best time to visit?
This depends on your priorities, but the tweener times might be a sweet spot for visiting. This would be when there's a decent chance of good weather, the highest prices aren't in place yet, and crowds aren't too bad -- this would be mid-Oct through early Nov and in April. Also, June seems to be the "lost" summer month. Tasting rooms always seemed a little slow. I guess a lot of people don't see June as a summer travel month.
Whenever you go, there will be lots of good wine!
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