I've lived in Sonoma County since 1980 when the local wine country was just a baby. There weren't many wineries to visit back then and, yes, they were all free to taste. Even next door in Napa!
I've done lots of wine tasting, I've worked in tasting rooms, and I read posts in various wine groups about people looking for help in planning their trip.
Following are some pointers to setting up a successful trip. It's aimed at Northern California, but can be applied to other wine destinations.
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| SFO vs STS |
Getting There
You can fly into San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, and Santa Rosa.
SFO has the most flights and likely the worse traffic getting to Sonoma or Napa.
OAK airport is smaller and easier to get in and out of, however if you are landing near afternoon rush hour, the traffic heading north towards the wine county is likely to be bad.
SMF (Sacramento) is a small airport with easy access. The worse time to try to get to Sonoma/Napa from Sacramento is Sunday afternoon, when there are many people returning to the Bay Area from the Lake Tahoe region, otherwise it's pretty easy. SMF is also great for visiting the Sierra Foothills, Lodi and Livermore area wineries.
STS (aka Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, or Charles M Shulz airport) is the most convenient for driving to your destination. The issues are flights are few and can be more expensive.
Plan Ahead
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| So many choices |
Lodging, restaurants, and wine tasting appointments often fill up, especially in Napa and holiday weekends. Plan early if you want to get into your first choices and at the times you want. Don't let procrastination be the reason you couldn't get into that one winery you most want to visit. I would plan a trip there at least three months in advance if you're going during the high season.
Before Asking For Help
Quality questions give you quality answers.
I've seen plenty of social media posts saying something like, "We're going to Napa next month. What wineries should we visit?" How do you expect anyone else to know with that little information? There are hundreds of possibilities! Do enough research to say something like, "Two of us will be in Napa in three months from a Thursday through Saturday. We want to stay in the town of Napa. We want to visit two wineries a day with a lunch stop in between. We'll be driving ourselves. Our budget is max $75 tasting fees and $125 bottles. We loved Cabernet, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc. Would like one place known for sparkling wine. Looking for lesser known places rather than the big, crowded wineries." Whew, that's a lot of info, but you'll get much more helpful replies.
It's also okay to say, "We don't know much about wine, but want to experience Napa. We are open to any kind of wines, but want to keep tasting fees, wine prices, dinners, and lodging as reasonable as possible. My wife says she would like to go to Beringer because it's historic and looks interesting. What else along that line can we do for our two days there?"
Travel During the Off Season
Consider going when others aren't. Yeah, you might get mediocre weather and you won't see much going on in the vineyards or wineries, but you'll save money and have far less traffic on the roads and in the tasting rooms. This means November through March avoiding holidays.
Mon-Thu is better than Fri-Sun if you can do it. Sometimes midweek in April-June isn't too bad. September and October are the harvest months; it's a big draw.
Going during the off-season means you get better service everywhere. At the smaller wineries, you are more likely to run into the owner or winemaker.
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| Winter flooding along the rivers isn't uncommon image from pressdemocrat.com |
Making Appointments at Wineries
Most require, or at least highly suggest, an appointment. Having two or maybe three wine tastings in a day is plenty. An option here is one morning and one afternoon appointment, and look for tasting rooms that are okay with drop-ins in case you want to try one more. Another option is a wine bar that does flights.
Try to set up each day with appointments and lunch all clustered close together. Be mindful of drive times.
If you are staying for over three days, put in some downtime. You'll want at least a morning or afternoon off from wine. It's called palate fatigue, a physical and mental exhaustion where all wines begin to taste the same.
Don't Overdo It
If you are spending the money to try premium wines, then emphasize quality over quantity, especially considering the prices for tasting fees these days (some wineries do waive the fees for a purchase). A leisurely visit means you allow time to ask questions, maybe see the cellar, or walk around the vineyards.
The people that look for wineries that open early and stay open late so they can get in the max stops each day are going to have the worst time; besides being dangerous if you're driving. Allow time for lunch. Allow plenty of travel time, and rehydration time, between wineries. The fewer stops you do in a day, the more you will enjoy each one. Two wineries a day is perfect if you're planning on a nice dinner with wine in the evening. Three is okay if you don't finish everything they give you, and you leave plenty of time between tasting, plus have a leisurely lunch without alcohol.
My wife and I often share a single tasting. That option isn't on their appointment booking web page so you might want to call and let them know you'll be sharing, especially if they are going to charge you ahead of time.
Not leaving enough time between appointments is a common rookie mistake. Trying to "power taste" your way through five or six wineries in a day is another.
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| The fifth day of wine tasting without a break :) image from istock |
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