Day Trip to Napa Valley

Niebaum-Coppola was the second winery we visited. It offers a tour (costing about $25), but we opted not to take it. Nevertheless, you can enjoy most of the fantastic facilities, minus a tour of the cellars and through the vineyards, on your own at no charge.

The winery is a beautiful castle-like structure that was purchased by Francis Ford Coppola, along, of course, with the vineyards. Unique to NC is the movie memorabilia, including props from The Godfather, Dracula, and Tucker, and artifacts from early movie-making. Coppola's Oscars are also on display, as well as items relating to the history of the winery before it belonged to Coppola. There is an opportunity to sample (for a charge) the products of Coppola's vineyards and plenty of outdoor seating.

V. Sattui is the most family-friendly and accommodating winery in Napa Valley. It might be because all their vintages are sold from the premises or by mail. Sattui boasts a very large deli/shop where you can pick up the makings of your picnic, as well as a bottle of the fruit of the vine to wash it down with. Outside are numerous shaded tables to enjoy your repast. Soft drinks and water are also available. We also appreciated the no-charge wine bar, where you can sample to your heart's content V. Sattui's vintages. Our friendly host first asked us what we liked (sweet) and then made suggestions, pouring out several samples for us to try. We purchased two bottles of their great 2004 Muscat. You can also take a look at some exhibitions of wine cellars and presses.

Domaine Carneros is the first major winery you see on the drive from San Francisco to Napa.It was our first stop. The facility is designed to look like a French chateau. It is breathtakingly beautiful and offers many great photo opportunites. Rows of Pinot Noir vines frame the entrance. We had the good fortune to arrive just as the harvest was begining and were offered samples of the grape itself. They were surprising small, and very sweet. Ordinarly table grapes are a pale comparison. Domaine Carneros offers a video/multi-media/walking tour of their facilites which produce "sparkling" wine, aka champagne. Visitors can pick up small, free souvenirs like corks stamped with the Domanine Carneros Ramshead logo. Glasses of their products, along with cheeses (for a small charge), are offered. We sat outside on their wrought-iron chairs, enjoying the high vantage-point view of Napa, when one of their employees graciously offered us tastings of dessert wines they make with leftover grapes. Delicious. This lady also kindly answered all of our dumb questions, including, "How much is agricultural land valued at here?" Answer: about $330,000 an acre. Our ag (onions and cabbage),for comparison, goes for about $1,500.