While the Napa/Sonoma valleys are technically last week's Trip Pick, at the time we were spending too much time offline in the CA desert (more on that later) to post all the recommendations we received from jauntsetter readers.And so today we bring you one final wine country-related post, the corollary to Craig Silverstein's Sonoma tips: A Weekend in Napa. Craig, for those of you who aren't familiar, is Google's longtime Director of Technology. He's also a serious wine and food lover, and as a former CA resident, he's spent a lot of time in Napa. Below are his very specific ideas on how to make the most with a weekend in the area.
Thanks to Craig for being kind enough to share all his seasoned recommendations to us New Yorkers. And for those reading, please let us know if you have any tips of your own from Napa, and check back later today for some posts on our current Trip Pick of the Week, Hither Hills.
xo,
your jauntsetter Editor, Dorothy
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Craig's Weekend Napa Itinerary:
Friday
Drive up from SF and stay at the Roman Spa, a '50s era motel, which is nothing particularly fancy. It is, however, nice and clean, and it also has onsite hot-spring pools - wherever you stay, try and stay someplace that has these!
Relax and head to sleep early tonight - you'll have a busy day of wine tasting and biking when you wake up.
Saturday
Morning:
Have breakfast/brunch at Cafe Sarafornia [1413 Lincoln Ave] then pick up your rental bikes [1318 Lincoln Ave] at Calistoga Bike Shop. I recommend the "comfort" bikes, which included some panniers for carrying wine. You can probably fit about 2 bottles per bike.
Morning through afternoon:
Time for your winery tour. First, here's a good winery map. (But also be sure to also get a map from the bike store, which has the names of roads on it!)
I recommend biking down the Silverado Trail. Here's the route I would make:
- Wine Stop #1. To begin, stop at one of the few places that still does free wine tastings in napa: Frank Family Vineyards [1091 Larkmead LN, Calistoga]. Or, instead of Frank Family, you could stop by Casa Nuestra, which is kind of a "hippy" winery. It's by appointment only, though, make sure you call ahead. [3451 Silverado Trail North, St. Helena]
- Wine Stop #2. Continue down Silverado. At the blinking red light (Deer Park), turn right and head over to 29. Turn right on 29. St. Clement is the first or second driveway on your left. They specialize in Orropas cab. [2867 St. Helena Highway North, St. Helena, 10-5:00]
- Olive Oil Break! Turn right out of the winery, and continue south on 29 through downtown St. Helena. Stop and taste (and buy) some very tasty olive oil. Napa Valley Olive Oil Co. [835 Charter Oak, St. Helena]
- Lunchtime. Two good choices: Anything at the Pizzeria/Cantinetta Tra Vigne [1050 Charter Oak, St. Helena] or sandwiches at Model Bakery [1357 Main St, St. Helena]
- Wine Stop #3. Right nearby -- I think across the street from Tra Vinge, and across the other street from Taylor's Refresher -- is Merryvale, a family owned winery and the first built in Napa after the repeal of prohibition. [1000 Main St, St Helena]
- Wine (Port) Stop #4. South on 29 a little bit more, and the sign for Prager is on your right. (1281 Lewelling Ln. St Helena)
- Shake Stop. You're done with wine for the day! You don't want to get too wobbly. Bike North again on 29 and stop at Taylor's Refresher for some wine-sopping fries and maybe a shake. [933 Main St, St. Helena]
Driving Home
After returning your bikes, it's time to return to the motel to rest up a bit. How to get back is up to you: take the Silverado Trail again, or take 29. 29 is a bit flatter but has more traffic. You can also combine the two, which will combine pretty and flat: Silverado to Bale Lane and then cut across to 29 for the rest of the trip home.
Saturday evening:
If you're sick of wine, try the Calistoga Inn for dinner, which is a microbrewery. Two other places I've also heard good things about: All Seasons and Wappo. They're easy to find; Calistoga is really small. After dinner, you'll probably fall right asleep! But there's also the hot-pool to lounge around in...
Sunday
Sunday morning:
Try "the works" treatment, plus 30 minute massage, at Dr. Wilkinsons. You'll want to sign up in advance. Soaking in the mud is an experience (and a good one the day after so much biking). [1507 Lincoln Ave, Calistoga]
Sunday lunch:
I'd personally head back to Cafe Sarafornia to have more of their yummy cheese blintzes. But if you'd like to try something new, another good lunch option is the burger-and-fries famous Checkers [141 Lincoln Ave].
Sunday afternoon:
Drive back to the bay area the "scenic" way. It's Petrified Forest road out of
Calistoga, to Calistoga Road, to Route 12, to 101. It sounds complicated, but is very straightforward on a map. Plus, you drive near or by two great, '50s style tourist attractions: The Faithful Geyser of the West and The Petrified Forest.
Both are worth going to for their old-fashioned feel (here's a coupon for a whole $1 off The Faithful). On that note, the geyser is pretty cool; if I were just doing one, I'd choose this attraction over the forest. There are brochures for both at the visitor's center, which is across the street from Dr. Wilkinsons.
Winery Recommendations:
If you're staying longer than a weekend, you'll probably want to check out some more wineries. Below is a list of places that have been highly recommended to me by wine snobs over the years - there's an asterisk next to ones that require an appointment.
- Calistoga: Chateau Montelena (zin)
- Napa: Pine Ridge (Onyx Bordeaux, Crimson Creek merlot, Dijon Clones chard)
- Napa: Stag's Leap* (chard, Ne Cede Malis petit syrah)
- Napa: Clos du Val (reds, bocce)
- Napa: Van der Heyden
- Napa: Robert Sinskey (pinot, cab franc)
- Napa: Chateau Potelle (VGS zin) [informal, picnic]
- Rutherford: Caymus* (cab)
- Rutherford: Cakebread (chard, tour)
- Rutherford: BV (Georges de Latour cab)
- St. Helena: V. Sattui (gamay rogue, riesling off dry, port) [free, food]
1 comments
kate_d says:
Just got back from a San Francisco – Point Reyes – Calistoga trip! Craig’s tips were super helpful. My fiance and I stayed one night at Roman Spa, which is motel-esque as advertised. Despite being visted by a charming calico kitty who curled up and spent the night with us, we decided to upgrade our second 2 nights in Calistoga and stay at Indian Springs Resort & Spa. Highly recommended – it’s only $225/ weeknight, gorgeous rooms with private patio, an Olympic size hot mineral pool, and great spa treatments that maintain the 1950s-era bathhouse aesthetic.
(posted on 10/15/09, at 03:10PM)