We really had a vague idea on the area. Other than a couple of recommendations on winery’s and restaurants and watching Samantha Brown travel video’s we didn't know what to expect. This is why we started this blog.
There is a direct JetBlue flight from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco which takes 5.5 hours. Other flights are available for about $50 less per person, but with the layover it would have taken in excess of ten hours to travel.
The extra legroom on JetBlue was great, but be prepared to pay for their pre-boxed lunches or bring snacks. Credit or debit cards – no cash accepted.
We arrived in San Francisco by 2 o’clock. It took about an hour to find baggage, get our things then take the monorail to the car rental complex. This is one of the few times we have rented an automobile on a trip. Lesson one – if possible, the driver should immediately head to the rental counter to start paperwork, as we arrived with everyone else from other flights and faced a two plus hour wait in line. Guess what – no cars left when we got to Dollar Rental counter.
Thankfully after another 45 minutes and a cash tip to the agent, we were on our way to Napa Valley – Wine and Dinner here we come!
I thought I was being so efficient printing out detailed directions when Polly pulled out her GPS. OMG – I've never really used one, as I always know where I’m going. Lesson two – figure out how to work my phone GPS! With the exception of a few areas in the mountains it was GREAT!
We arrived in Napa Valley within 1.5 hours. The Bay Bridge took us at least 30 minutes to go over, but once we cleared that, it was smooth sailing. The new bridge opened the Tuesday after we left.
I expected Napa to be a little town atmosphere with a two lane road. NOT – downtown Napa looked like a busy little downtown. Our hotel was conveniently across from a grocery store, Target and Home Depot.
While researching hotels I quickly figured out that all the little towns were within 30 minutes of each other, so we went with the best price and availability. The BEST WESTERN PLUS Inn at the Vines was perfect and centrally located. Our room was spacious, it was clean and the bed comfortable. Even better, since Polly is an early riser she checked out the grocery store and delivered my favorite breakfast: fresh gooey Cinnamon Buns and coffee.
The front desk staff offered us some very good recommendations on places to try and gave us discount cards to apply towards the tasting fees. Most wineries charge $10+ for tasting four wines. Some apply that fee towards a purchase. Sip and dump if you have plans to visit a lot of wineries unless you have a designated driver.
Sunday, we started off to find wine about 9 in the morning. Just for the record, wineries don’t open before 10/11. So, we checked out the little town of Calistoga and found their Chamberof Commerce & Visitor Center. They were the nicest people who gave us some good insider recommendations.
Our friend Billy had recommended Sterling Winery because of the views from the top of the mountain. We agreed to the $40 fee per person for five wine tastings and a ride in the sky tram. The Sterling Malvasia Bianca 2012 was my favorite, as it had a hint of grapefruit, so we bought a bottle. The views were great and there was a self tour available.
After five half glasses of wine, we decided to eat. Both the area video’s suggested a local burger joint. We headed down the road and in less than ten minutes arrived at Gott's Roadside. I personally don’t eat a lot of hamburgers, but this one was worth it! The garlic fries were great and of course they serve wine.
We decided to try the Chamber’s recommendation. After visiting LavaVine Winery, four tastings and a bottle of port in hand, I couldn't feel my legs.
That evening, still full from our hamburger, we decided to try the recommended Rutherford Grill. It is in the Hillstone chain and has many here in Florida. Peter and Polly had eaten at the Winter Haven establishment and gave it high thumbs up. After an hour wait and another glass of wine we were escorted to our table. We started with the grilled artichoke appetizer. The French Dip was highly recommended. Polly opted for that and confirmed it was worth it. Peter said his prime rib was one of the best he’d ever had. I had the special, the sea bass, and it was delicious. I tried Don’s ribs and decided they are one of my top five favorite dishes ever.
The next day, after a quick visit to the Prime Outlets, only one exit from our hotel, and a sweep through the Cabi Outlet, we found the Foley-Johnson Winery where Polly decided to purchase a bottle and we bought a hat and t-shirts.
We opted for a light lunch at the Culinary Institute of America. The building is very impressive featuring a small museum with vintage wine openers and such and a culinary gift shop. Don, Mr. Food, was in heaven. The café lunch selection was limited, but fresh. I enjoyed a Cobb Salad (no egg), as did Peter (with egg), Polly tried a smoked salmon sandwich and Don had a Turkey Club with avocado. My favorite course, dessert, was disappointing. The cannoli was made of cream cheese instead of ricotta and tasteless. We all agreed it did not meet our expectations of a culinary facility.
That evening we had reservations for dinner on the Wine Train. We joined about 75 people at the train depot and loaded onto a beautifully restored passenger train. At about 15 mph, we ambled along taking in the vineyards in the comfortable lounge while sipping complementary local wine and eating an appetizer of shrimp, cheese and other morsels. Guests were encouraged to explore the other train cars. The staff provided tidbits from the different wineries along the way which was helpful the next day. 
After 1.5 hours, the second seating moved to the dining car. At any time you have the option to order a cocktail or purchase a variety of other wines recommended with each course. The steak sounded so appetizing, we all had that for dinner and weren't disappointed.
A couple of things I would do differently: take the wine train on the first day, as the view was redundant after two days of back and forth to hotel. For a higher fee, you can sit in the Dome Car which has a glass ceiling. When we made the reservations online, it really wasn't clear how to do this so we opted for the regular seating in the air conditioned car versus the open air window car. We had decided to take the late seating because we wanted to enjoy the scenery over a cocktail before it got dark. Although the steak was good, the side dishes were a little cold and seemed to have been prepared in advance.
On the first night we had discovered a wine which everyone liked. On our final day Polly set up the GPS to take us to Hess Winery. I have to say this was my favorite of the 8-9 we visited. The building and grounds were beautiful. We took the 30 minute tour and our guide was delightful. Although we've visited countless wineries in France, she explained the entire process in laymen’s terms.
Hess offered four choices from a list of about 20 wines. Also for $5 you could taste their premium $125 bottle. This is a good way to find out if these boutique wines are worth the price. We decided this one was worth the price.
We decided not to wait for suggested deli lunch at the V. Sattui Winery, known for wining winery of the year, but did peruse the shop and grounds. We followed that with a wonderful lunch at Tra Vigne where Don had braised rabbit and Peter had hand-pulled mozzarella made to order that was over the top.Just up the road we decided to stroll the downtown area of St. Helena. There are a number of boutiques, cafes and art galleries. We found Napa Valley Vintage Home offering excellent ideas and knickknacks for dinner parties. Of course I soon gravitated to Woodhouse Chocolates for a few sweets.
Then we went to Hall Winery which was recommended by a friend. We mentioned this and they didn't charge us a tasting fee.
It was after this tasting that I hit the wine wall and had had enough.
That night we had a simple dinner in the revitalized downtown Napa area and I had ginger ale.
The next morning we packed the car and started off toward Bodega Bay via the Russian River Valley. To be continued…
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