Napa & Sonoma
THE AMERICAS · WINE COUNTRY · CALIFORNIA
Two valleys an hour north of San Francisco that between them produce the wine that made California serious. Napa is polished — cabernet, architecture, tasting fees that would fund a dinner. Sonoma is larger, scruffier and cheaper, with pinot noir near the coast and old-vine zinfandel inland. Book tastings ahead; almost nobody takes walk-ins any more.
The plan
A hot-air balloon at sunrise
Launches from Yountville around 6am, an hour over the valley floor, and champagne when you land. The valley's signature morning.
Three appointments, not six
Two tastings before lunch and one after is a full day. Book direct with the wineries — Frog's Leap, Ridge and Hanzell for character.
The Silverado Trail
The quiet parallel road up the Napa Valley's eastern side, with better views and fewer coaches than Highway 29.
Healdsburg square
Sonoma's best small town — a plaza ringed with tasting rooms, bookshops and two very good restaurants.
Calistoga hot springs and mud
The valley's northern end sits on geothermal water. Indian Springs has been doing mud baths since 1862.
Book before you fly
Winery tastings
Almost every Napa winery is appointment-only now. Book two or three a day, weeks ahead for the famous ones.
The French Laundry
Reservations open two months ahead to the minute and go instantly.
Hot-air balloons
Sunrise launches from Yountville, booked days ahead and cancelled in wind.
Getting there
Fly San Francisco (SFO) or Oakland (OAK)
Both about 90 minutes by road. Oakland is usually the shorter drive to Napa; SFO has more flights.
Fly Santa Rosa (STS)
Right in Sonoma County, with direct flights from a handful of western cities. Small, easy and underused.
Getting around
Do not drive between tastings. Hire a driver for the day, use a wine tour company, or base yourself in a town and walk.
When to go
Best time to go
September and October for harvest — crush is on, the valley smells of fermentation, and it's 27°C.
Cheapest months
January to March, the quiet months: fewer tasting fees, mustard flowering between the vines, and half-price rooms.
Priciest & busiest
August and harvest weekends, when tasting rooms book out and hotels impose two-night minimums.
If you've got one day
Morning
A hot-air balloon at sunrise
Late morning
Three appointments, not six
Lunch
Oxbow Public Market
Afternoon
The Silverado Trail
Evening
Dinner at The French Laundry, then Healdsburg square
If you've got a week
Day 1
Arrive, settle in around Auberge du Soleil, and take it slowly — Oxbow Public Market for dinner.
Day 2
A hot-air balloon at sunrise.
Day 3
Three appointments, not six. Dinner at The French Laundry.
Day 4
Day trip — San Francisco →.
Day 5
The Silverado Trail. Bouchon Bistro at some point.
Day 6
Healdsburg square.
Day 7
Calistoga hot springs and mud. Finish with SingleThread.
Staying longer?
Nearby & day trips
An hour south.
Sonoma Coast
An hour west from Healdsburg to Jenner and a completely empty Pacific.
Point Reyes
Ninety minutes southwest for elk, cliffs and oysters.
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