Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → Napa Valley → Napa Wineries

Location: Napa Valley, California

Red Tape/Notes: call or check the winery websites to schedule tours – you may have a substantial wait (or not be able to go at all) if you try to get a spot when you show up, and Intrepid Travelers have no time for waiting. We have 43 other activities on the schedule for today.

What’s Nearby?: Napa Cycling

The point of this post is not to offer suggestions about the best wine or wineries in Napa, nor to give any indication that you should do these establishments in place of others. Many (all?) Napa wineries are delightful and I’ve been to many of them. The two I’m going to mention here are special because to me they’re about the experience as much as they are the wine. These are fun even if you don’t do wine, and that’s always a good thing.

Schramsberg

Sparkling wine. Caves (okay “caves”…but still). How can you go wrong? You can’t. Take the tour, enjoy the history, and revel in the bubbles.

Castello di Amorosa

When you have lots of money and want to have a castle in Napa, you get it. No, it’s not “real”. If you’re a history snob and can’t cope with re-creations, don’t go here. Otherwise, I think it’s definitely worth a visit. They’ve done a nice job with the place, put a ton of effort into importing actual historical pieces, and it’s way more interesting to walk around in than most places. I honestly don’t recall if the wine was any good. They do offer a chocolate pairing option, though, and I remember enjoying the chocolate.

Epic Travel → North America → The West Coast → Northern California → Napa Valley → Napa Wineries