Three Tips: Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley

Three Tips
Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley

Posted on Horn Fans by 1990txgirl...

Napa:

1) Take a little detour to Hwy 12 before you get to the town of Napa and start the day at Domaine Carneros. It's peaceful, the grounds are lovely and a glass of bubbly is a fine start to any day.
2) Don't miss the Silverado Trail; too many visitors tend to stay on the main highway.
3) Don't hesitate to share tastings with your travel companion. There's no reason you should pay $10-20 per person, especially if you don't know anything about the wine.

Sonoma:

1) Stay in Healdsburg. It's the convergence of the Alexander Valley, Dry Creek Valley and the Russian River Valley appellations, a great "home base" for northern Sonoma County.
2) Ask the locals for recommendations, for both wineries and restaurants. If you like the wine at one place, ask them which wineries they like. If we hadn't asked, we probably would have passed by Unti Vineyards and Rochioli, both great discoveries.
3) Explore, explore, explore. Sonoma County is much more spread out than Napa Valley so you won't see winery after winery strung along one main road. Pick an area that interests you; pick a winery or two that interest you. Then head in that direction and see where the day takes you.