I visited the Sebastiani and Kenwood wineries in Sonoma County, about 45 minutes north of San Francisco. The wine tasting was fabulous, and I have a new favorite wine now that I wouldn't ordinarily have tried (Kenwood Sauvignon Blanc).

Napa Valley was magnificent-looking. All the rolling hills of beautifully taken care of vineyards was a pleasure to see. We had a great time visiting several wonderful wineries. Both my fiance and I enjoy cabernet, and this one vineyard called Peju had a wonderful cabernet and a very friendly staff. All in all, it was a wonderful day outside of San Francisco.

Not to be missed if you’re in San Francisco is Napa Valley, synonymous with wine.

Though we are not into wines, we definitely will not pass up any chance to get some good photos and Napa is definitely one!

We started a little after 8am, and after a 15-minute Starbuck’s boost, were on our way. This was no package tour, so we had all the time to stop and take the sights on the way. The ride was a breeze, considering it was a Saturday when most Napa trips are taken both by tourists and locals alike.

In less than an hour, we were at Yountville where one can find the Napa Valley Tourist Bureau. Great stop if you want a map to all the wineries and not lose precious time checking each and every winery you see on your way. Afterall, there are probably so many that you can waste a day and not get to see some of "THE" wineries. The map is NOT free though. If I remember correctly, it was about $2-3. I also grabbed some really beautiful Napa photo refrigerator magnets, postcards and notecards from the same tourist office.

Napa Valley Tourist Bureau
6488 Washington St.
Yountville, CA

We had difficulty finding it just by following the Tourist Info sign from the main Interstate, so just in case, it is in front of the Villagio Resort and Spa on Washington St.

Given enough time, Yountville itself presented such beauty even in the area around the Tourist Bureau Office. We would have wanted to sample the food in the café-like palces we saw but looking at the winery map we had gotten hold of, we decided to get going.

As soon as we left Yountville and took the road to all the wineries, it was then that the weekend traffic made itself felt (and seen) as it was nearly a 2-lane highway all the way to Calistoga except for some doubling of lanes in the center of towns like Oakville.

There are 25 wineries listed/shown on the map and we after asking for recommendations on which ones to visit we were on our way. We thought three wineries would just be enough with the time we had, and so we had the following picked out.

* Domaine Chandon
* Beringer Vineyards
* (Robert) Mondavi Wineries
(Please see separate journals for above wineries.)

Four to five wineries may be possible to squeeze in a day trip if unlike us, you will not spend so much time taking photographs of the beauty all around. Better yet, plan an overnight stay in Napa and make it a two-day sojourn--our game plan for our next visit.

Route CA-29 runs through Napa Valley and is an hour away from San Francisco. We spent a day visiting several vineyards along this route while enjoying the views along the way to Calistoga (for mud baths - separate review). Along the way, we stopped at Frog's Leap Vineyard, V. Sattui Vineyard, and Beringer Vineyard for informative wine tours and tastings. Frog's Leap is a good vineyard for beginners to learn about wine making. Do make reservations, though, before arriving, as tours are limited. Fans of V. Sattui wines should visit this vineyard, as their award-winning wines are sold exclusively at the winery. Beringer Vineyards is a worthwhile visit as the oldest continuously operating winery in Napa Valley and the first to offer public tours. Any fan of wine should try to make a trip out to Napa/Sonoma Valley while visiting SF as an opportunity not to be missed.

We took a tour of the Robert Mondavi vineyard in Oakville, CA. Centered around some of the best grapes in the world, including those from Tokolon, Mondavi has built a gorgeous winery. The entire facility is right there in the vineyard so the grapes never have to travel more than a couple hundred yards from the vine to the barrel to the bottle.

After briefly waling by the vines you entire the winery at the same point as the freshly picked gapes. The tour walks you through the entire process, detailing more than you every expected to know about wine making. At the end there's a tasting with some tips on serving and appreciating wine. Of course they drop you off in the gift shop when it's all done and you've had enough wine to start feeling good about buying a lot more, but for ten dollars it's totally worth it.

The location is gorgeous and so is the facility - definitely worth a stop along the valley, plus it's across the street from Opus One!