What Happens In Napa Valley

....stays in Napa Valley.

Just kidding!

It gets written about here on the blog! Let's get real honest here, there is no way I would ever not talk about the place that I feel the most at home in (at a winery-if you're wondering.) To all the others winos-let's raise a glass during this post, or if you're at work, treat yourself to one tonight.

We arrived in Napa after coming straight from Tahoe (read the recap:here) and since we loved Tahoe so much, it had a lot to live up to. We had such high expectations from hearing great things (and the fact that it's wine country!), but luckily it lived up them. The drive into Napa Valley is scenic with the mountains, big green trees lining the roads, and is just gorgeous. There are vineyards all to your right and left just begging to be stopped at, and some cute restaurants here and there.

*Planning a trip here? I would definitely recommend doing your research on different vineyards, so when you get there you aren't just pulling up to a random vineyard hoping to do a tasting and love it. Also, many vineyards require reservations so make sure you plan ahead of time. 

We did wine tastings and tours at V.Sattui (in St. Helena-which is an awesome little area) and Sterling Vineyards because of all the great recommendations we got from some of you, and just exploring and researching the websites. We also explored Castlello di Amorosa, but didn't do a wine tasting there. I would recommend it though, it is so neat inside and outside and perfect for photo op's. If I would've done another tasting, the chances of me passing out in a vineyard would be pretty high I assume (or did I? Keep reading).

Let's take a look into our time at the vineyards!

V. Sattui

 

V. Sattui was our favorite by far and is a must see!! This winery is absolutely adorable. We took a bit of a walk around the vineyard before we went in, and it was so cool to see the grapes on the vine. The vineyard here is beautiful and I knew that I never wanted to leave (this is a recurring theme on this trip if you didn't notice yet). 

Everyone there with us visiting was having a great time, and for good reason. V.Sattui has the most AMAZING deli that is perfect for a casual lunch. They have multiple areas with picnic tables set up that you can outside at, which is what we did, and it was perfection. The food is delicious and then you can go back inside for your tastings. Billy got the spicy italian sandwich and says it was "the best sandwich he's ever had". I went with the tomato basil mozzarella sandwich and it was so fresh and so good. The sandwiches are huge! They also have some great desserts at V. Sattui, so naturally we had to get one and Billy's pick was the Creme Brulee. Yumm-o. 

this door? Swoooooooon.

I checked in on the app "Yelp" on my iPhone before we got there and actually got our tasting half off! Looking back, I should've done a couple of tastings here! The staff was extremely friendly and it is just an adorable place to visit. The tasting that I did included 6 different wine flights, but I made friends with the lady who was serving me and she gave me much more than that. Probably at least 9 flights. When doing the tasting, they give you a brief history on the wine and where it came from. I found this to be really interesting..I mean, normally I just chug my wine back here in Ohio and could care less about anything else (this has changed). I couldn't stop smiling...I was in wine heaven.

After buying some gifts for our house and a lot bit tipsy,

 we were on our way to the next.

Sterling Vineyard

Sterling is located towards the back of Napa Valley, so you get to see a lot of the other vineyards and the area on your way to it. Sterling is the only vineyard in Napa that has a gondola ride that you can take to see more of the property. We chose to tour this vineyard because we thought that was a fun option. Sterlings grounds are also breathtaking, but we didn't enjoy the wine selections as much as we did at V. Sattui. We loved Sterling though because it gives you a great tour inside where you can actually see the process of wine making and the big barrels they use. In addition, Sterling has an outdoor terrace that you can sit out on towards the end of your tour that looks over the vineyard and yep, you guessed it, it's beautiful.

Billy and I did love a wine from here (it was a dessert wine and our last one we tasted) and we've even looked it up so that we can order it or buy it here. 

Located across the street from Sterling is Castle di Amorosa, which is actually a castle owned by the same owners of V. Sattui. When we found that out, we immediately wanted to go because we enjoyed V.Sattui so much and it looked really pretty. We toured the grounds, but didn't do a tasting here. The prices were reasonable though ($30.00 per person), so keep it in mind if you go here. 

I found some of the coolest doors on this trip!

So, tell me, have you been to Napa/Sonoma?

(We just drove through Sonoma)

Did you love it? What vineyards did you go to?

Up next?

San Francisco!!

{ps-this is seriously so fun. I hope you guys are enjoying these! 

I'd gladly recap trips every week}