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| Home / Napa Valley |
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Napa Valley
Fast Facts
Location: In the Napa County, at the north of San Francisco Bay area in California, USA.
Best Time to Visit: Summer and fall.
Preferred Timing: 10.00 a.m. to 04.00 p.m.
Entry Fee: $5 to $30 per winery
How to Reach
Air:
The nearest airport of Napa Valley is the Napa County Airport (IATA Code: APC, ICAO Code: KAPC). Also known as Napa Valley Airport, this airport is located just 8 km south of Napa. Remember, no commercial flights are available in this airport, only charter flights are available. So, you may have to use some other mode of transportation in order to reach Napa Valley.
Car/Bus:
Form San Francisco: Take Highway 101 and drive over the Golden Gate Bridge to reach almost Novato. Take Napa (Highway 37) exit to Highway 121/12 and drive by following the signs to reach Napa. It is just under an hour drive in good traffic condition.
From Oakland and Sacramento: If you are coming down from Oakland, you need to take Interstate 80 north, whereas if you are coming down from Sacramento, you need to take Interstate 80 west. You need to turn off Highway 80 at the Napa exit and drive towards west to Napa Valley.
Nearest airport: Napa County Airport (APC) with no commercial flight. San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Visit Napa Valley in the winters! A sudden rain can ruin your day, but the risk is worth taking, because on a clear day – the contrast of the green vine trunks and the yellow mustards that overgrow the grass will give you a view you have never seen in your life. It will be like cycling through a watercolor painting. Is the Napa Valley America's answer to the French Burgundy or Tuscany in Italy? Understandably, a few Europeans will love to disagree, but the fact remains that Napa Valley can challenge the best wines from the French and Italian shores.
Located in the Napa County, at the north of the San Francisco Bay Area in the US state of California, Napa Valley is an American Viticultural Area, also known as Napa Valley AVA, it is presently universally recognized as the land of some of the most famous and beautiful vineyards in the world. In fact, the place has a lot to offer to the tourists throughout the world as several wineries welcome tourists in their place and offer various world-class art collections for public viewing. As a result, Napa Valley has become the second most popular tourist destination in California, only after the Disneyland.
A Brief History
The history of Napa Valley starts with George C. Yount who first planted the first wine grapes in this valley. In the year 1864, he gifted his son-in-law Thomas Rutherford 1,040 acres of land as his wedding gift. From 1850 to 1880, Rutherford made a serious investment in grape production and winemaking in that land which is now known as Rutherford. Later Thomas was successful in establishing himself as a grower and producer of high quality wines in the region.
There are also some other personalities that became prominent in making the place as the hub of wine industry in the country. The first commercial vineyard in the valley was established by John Patchett in 1858. Charles Krug established the first commercial winery in St. Helena in 1861. It was Captain Gustave Niebaum who established Inglenook Winery in 1879, the first Bordeaux style winery in USA. In the following years, a number of people came up with their ventures in this area and the place started becoming a hub of wine industry in the country.
Currently Napa Valley has more than 340 wineries that grow a wide variety of grapes including Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Zinfandel, and many more.
Activities in Napa Valley
There are several ways you can explore and enjoy the beauty of Napa Valley. As Napa Valley is known for the world-renowned vineyards, your activities will revolve around the wineries, though you also have some other activities to do as well. Various wine tours, bicycle tour to the vineyards etc. are some of the most exciting activities in Napa Valley. Besides these, you can also visit several other tourist attractions in Napa Valley like Historic Parks including Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park and Sonoma Historic Park, various picnic spots like Kenney Park, Yountville Park, and Fuller Park, and several places for hiking including Skyline Wilderness Park, Westwood Hills Park, Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, and Alston Park etc.
Wine Tours
One of the most thrilling tours in Napa Valley is surely the Wine Tasting tours that every tourist looks forward to here. In these tours, you get an opportunity to visit the vineyards as well as enjoy a wide range of wines. Some of the wineries that you can visit are given below:
Beringer Vineyards: It is the oldest continuously operation winery in Napa Valley.
Goosecross Cellers: Enjoy great wines, away from the crownds, in cool cellar of Goosecross Cellers.
Girard Winery: It is the award-winning winery that offers friendly and world-class services to the tourists.
St. Clement Vineyards: It is the award-winning winery that offers friendly and world-class services to the tourists.
Whitehall Lane Winery: It is a family-owned winery, specialized in Cabernet, and is located in the heart of Rutherford Appellation.
Flora Springs Winery & Vineyards: It is the place for Flora Springs wine with some wonderful wine accessories.
Burgess Cellar: It, arguably offers the best view of the Napa Valley. Tours and tasting can be done only by prior appointments.
Louis M. Martini Winery: It is called 'A Napa Valley Gem'. You will find best quality distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon here.
Mumm Napa: It has got one of 'America's Best Tasting Rooms' and is known to the whole world for exceptional and sparkling wines.
Pine Ridge Winery: According to the Wall Street Journal, Pine Ridge Winery is one of the top five wineries to visit in Napa Valley.
Robert Mondavi Winery: It is consistently voted as the best tour in Napa Valley..
Rutherford Hill Winery: It is, according to the Wall Street Journal, is one of the top five wineries to visit in Napa Valley.
Cycling in the Vineyards
There is hardly any better way to explore the vineyards of Napa Valley than visiting them by a bicycle. It is an exhilarating and memorable experience for any tourist to visit the vineyards by bike that to see them from inside a rental car. There are various organizations that offer cycling tour to the vineyards of Napa Valley. These are usually one-day tours which may have easy to moderate difficulty levels. So, if you are going for one, be prepared for that. The tours will include bike & helmet, local guide, food and any van support in case you buy some bottles of wine. It is recommended that you bring comfortable shoes, camera, sunscreen, sunglasses, and some cash for wine tasting fees and other purchases.
A one day bike tour usually starts from 09.30 a.m. and end around 4 p.m. before covering almost 15 miles. It may cost you around $149 per person including all costs.
Napa Valley Wine Train
Another unique way to explore the beauty of Napa Valley is through the Napa Valley Wine Train. It is a three hour journey through the picturesque Napa Valley in vintage rail cars. It is not only a tour to the valley; it is also a culinary experience at the same time, as the train has got the best restaurants of Napa Valley which offers wonderful seasonal menu.
The train, after starting its journey from the McKinstry Street Station in Napa, travels towards north to St. Helena and then come back again via same route.
You may choose three tours including Raymond, ZD Winery Tour, Domaine Chandon Winery Tour and Grgich Hills Winery Tour as well. In Domaine Chandon Tour on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, you will disembark at Yountville during the return trip (southbound leg). In Grgich Hills Tour on weekdays, you will disembark at Grgich Hills Winery on the northbound leg. You will again be picked up by the train at the time of its return trip.
Related Links :
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=VosNDW2GA4c: A great guide to the Napa Valley wine tour. To find out how it feels to be in the area, and also to get to see some of the best wineries of the region, watch this video!
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=y5x38gek3Ck: A traveler's video on a tour to the Napa Valley, including visits to some of the well known Napa Valley wineries. To get an idea of how a vacation in the Napa Valley feels like, watch this video!
http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=qcDbbfR9jV8: A slideshow taken from a tourist's point of view. You will get some wonderful views of the Napa Valley in this clip. Check it out!
http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Napa-Valley/: For some really exciting traveler's accounts of their visits to the Napa Valley, click on this link. You are sure to find the blogs both informative and entertaining.
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