Don't drink; Napa Valley worth visiting? (San Francisco, Walnut Creek: school, live, restaurants)

[cre8lite]

this might help

Calistoga | Hot Springs | Calistoga Hotels in the Napa Valley | Wineries

[bobby_guz_man]

1) Mud baths in Calistoga/Yountville

2) Castello di Amoroso -- this ALONE is worth your trip to Napa

3) Riverfront area and Oxbow Market

4) Touring the wineries. You don't need to do wine tasting to appreciate how beautiful these wineries are. Mondavi and Sattui are my favorites.

5) You can rent bikes and bike along the roads. They're beautiful, enjoy them!

I've been to Napa a few times, and I only did the wine tasting once. I'm not a wine person so I don't really care to try as I can't tell the difference anyhow.

Whenever my father goes along with us, we always end up buying a full box, as he's a fan of Sattui (he's been swearing by them for the last 20 years or so)

Interestingly, it always seem like we're the only ones that BUY the wine, instead of just TASTING them

[clongirl]

Originally Posted by bobby_guz_man

1) Mud baths in Calistoga/Yountville

2) Castello di Amoroso -- this ALONE is worth your trip to Napa

3) Riverfront area and Oxbow Market

4) Touring the wineries. You don't need to do wine tasting to appreciate how beautiful these wineries are. Mondavi and Sattui are my favorites.

5) You can rent bikes and bike along the roads. They're beautiful, enjoy them!

I've been to Napa a few times, and I only did the wine tasting once. I'm not a wine person so I don't really care to try as I can't tell the difference anyhow.

Whenever my father goes along with us, we always end up buying a full box, as he's a fan of Sattui (he's been swearing by them for the last 20 years or so)

Interestingly, it always seem like we're the only ones that BUY the wine, instead of just TASTING them

What is Castello di Amoroso? Sounds interesting so far. Is it a Restaurant? Hotel? I'm intrigued.

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by clongirl

What is Castello di Amoroso? Sounds interesting so far. Is it a Restaurant? Hotel? I'm intrigued.

It's a nice winery that looks like a castle. They have food and wine pairings, but once again, if you don't want to drink, it will seem overpriced.

[bobby_guz_man]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

It's a nice winery that looks like a castle. They have food and wine pairings, but once again, if you don't want to drink, it will seem overpriced.

I would say it's the other way...it's a full-fledged castle that happens to have a winery inside The castle itself is the attraction, not the small winery inside. If you really like the wines there, it's better to go to the actual source, Sattui winery (the owner of Sattui is the person who built the castle over a period of some 7-8 years).

It's only $11 to walk most of the castle itself. It's not bad at all to me Let me repeat, it's an ACTUAL freakin castle built practically 100% with materials from the Tuscany region; this is not some Disney crap

If you want to tour the barrel storage room, it's $40 or something like that. I'll just stick with the $11 tour.

[clongirl]

I'll have to check it out next time I'm in the area....Sounds kinda fun

[bobby_guz_man]

It is, definitely go for it!

[thecooler]

Another beautiful winery to check out is Francis Ford Coppola's. Its castle-like with beautiful grounds (I believe it used to be the old Inglenook winery) and on the 2nd floor is movie memorabilia.

Also I think no one has mentioned for weekend getaways - Sonoma county (which I prefer over Napa). Healdsburg is a really charming town with a walkable downtown and lots of cute shops and its a bit of an art town, so lots of scuptures scattered around, its very quaint. Of course Russian river is there, and you're close to Petaluma and Sebastopol which are nice stops too. Also Bodega bay is not very far either for some views and good seafood (where the Birds was filmed).

[ttocs99]

Originally Posted by bmw335xi

Not worth it if you don't appreciate wine. You are better off going to Monterey and Carmel By The Sea. Downtown Napa has a lot of "for lease" signs... seeing the homes of my favorite wines were great, but other than that it is nothing special.

Carmel is beautiful, what a wonderful downtown. Blew my mind when I walked to the corner, and there's the ocean.

Moderator cut: link removed, linking to competitor sites is not allowed

Just beautiful. Monterey is nice as well. I would say you could still go to Napa just to soak up the beauty of the area. Sonoma might be a good area to visit as well. Sonoma Plaza is awesome, you can go to one of the oldest missions the San Francisco de Solano, the Plaza has some great restaurants and shops, and a great park. No need to be a wine drinker. Though to me, sitting in Maya Restaurant at Sonoma Plaza having some Mexican food and a glass of wine, is one of my versions of Heaven on Earth.

[ttocs99]

Great questions by countofmc, I have one and figured I might as well ask in the same thread. Do wine tours, such as bus tours, allow kids ? I'm traveling to SF July 14-20 with my Mom, Sister, Brother in Law, and my 13 year old Nephew. My Mom and sister want to go to Napa, and we are debating whether to take a tour, which I like because then I can sample wines without worrying about driving, or driving (and one of us has to not drink). IF 13 year olds are allowed on tours, we will probably do that. The one tour I love, stops at V. Sattui for a wine tasting and a picnic lunch.