The Napa Valley To Do List

Today, my husband and I are leaving for California (yay for vacation!) to celebrate his big 3-0. So, I thought I would post a list of Napa Valley to do's. The places I will mention have become tradition in our families and are absolute musts when we visit. We are huge winos so some of these vineyards are pricey and we will often share tastings to make the trip more affordable.

Vineyards
1. Stags Leap Wine Cellar: That is where this picture was taken and as you can see the scenery is just breathtaking. You can receive a tour of the grounds with your tasting if you book ahead of time and wander around aimlessly with a glass of wine. Sounds like heaven. (reservations recommended)

2. Black Stallion: Their wine is outrageously good and if your not on a budget, try the Bucephalus pairing. (reservations not necessary)

3. Frogs Leap: Very affordable and located in the heart of the Rutherford district. They are an organic, self sustaining, and amazing wine! Their pairing includes fruit and cheese plate. Some of my best memories there were frolicking through their garden eating their tomatoes and drinking wine. (reservations not necessary)

4. Silver Oak Cellars: Their food and wine pairing is out of control good but only offered on weekdays. (reservations required)

5. Louis M. Martini: We asked for the wine tasting in the basement cellar and it was soooooo cool. (reservations required for cellar tasting but not regular tasting)

Food
1. Sweetie Pies Bakery: My husband will laugh when I list this first because I am absolutely obsessed with this bakery. They serve breakfast and have pastries cooking all day. The smell will permeate the whole downtown area and I could sit there for hours just smelling the aromas of fresh baked AM buns. YES you must try the AM bun.

2. Celadon: Great food if you want to eat downtown but make sure to make a reservation because it's always busy.

3. Rutherford Grill: Perfect lunch place or in the case of my father-in-law, lunch, dinner, and then lunch again:) We usually end up there more than once because the food is awesome! I suggest visiting vineyards in Rutherford or Yountville and then lunch here because they are very close.

4. Gott's Roadside Napa: This place is the quintsential burger/shake shop. The seating is all outdoors and you order up and then your name is called. The line is always long but moves quickly. Burgers, shakes, fries it's all amazing and glutinous, but hey, you're on vacation!

Well thats a pretty good dent in the list. The greatest thing about Napa Valley is you always leave knowing you have not discovered everything and the adventure will continue on your next visit. Happy travels to anyone who reads this and I would love to hear about your experiences at these places or anything you found during your travels.

Party Nicole