This is so wonderful! I like the planning tips you recommend in this video like making reservations and researching which wineries you want to visit in Napa Valley! A lot of times you don’t have the time to see and taste everything. Be sure and determine exactly how you want to spend your time. Now, I'll try to put your advices to practice, and believe it will help me! I love this! John, thank you for taking the time to put this together!
My wife and I just took a trip in March. She’s a teacher so it was her spring break. It was pretty dead so we were able to pretty much get in anywhere. The weather was nice and cool. Only bummer is the vines were still pruned back so you don’t get that full “wine country” scenery, but it’s still beautiful. Hotel prices are also way cheaper this time of year. We stayed in Napa, but I see your point in staying central. But the nice thing about Napa is there’s a little bit of nightlife. The rest of the valley is pretty sleepy in the evening. We thoroughly enjoyed the Oxbow area. I’m also a huge craft beer nerd so there’s a lot of that down there as well. Fieldworks brewing is fantastic. Also there’s an awesome bar called The Fink with live music and cool speakeasy vibes. Nice place to unwind after a long day.
Thanks very much for weighing in! Sounds like you had a terrific visit! Completely agree with you about the reduced expense in the off-season as well as the reduced traffic.
A really useful guide to visiting & enjoying Napa Valley, California, John! Thank you for sharing these tips! It will greatly help my planning to go to Napa Valley. Cheers!
All very good tips! It's easy to get overwhelmed in Napa, especially if you've never been before. It's important to pace yourself and as you said, don't book too many places on the same day. The location tip is important, too, because even though the area is not that big geographically, it can still take an hour to get to one end of the valley to the other because of heavy traffic and roads that are at times only two lanes. Cheers!
Great tips! I remember I had a full day I'm Napa valley during my 1st visit and we visited 6 wineries that day - needless to say we were pretty well pickled by the end of the day
Fab video full of really useful advice, John! I've never visited Napa Valley, but if I do it sounds like I would love visiting in the fall or off season! Thanks for sharing your tips! These are awesome! Cheers John!
These were all great tips, John!! Thank you again for sharing your wealth of knowledge. So many of your tips rang true for me from my days of frequent visits to Virginia wine country! I too enjoy the visits that afford opportunities to see the production area and learn about their methodology. I hope to be visiting Napa Valley soon and put your strategies into play!
Hey thanks for the heads up on Last Bottle!! Just got in on the Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Steinhauer Vineyard Howell Mountain Napa Valley 2017 for $69!!! ($170 on Beringer's website). Heck of a find! Free shipping when you buy 2.
John, that was really useful-I was in SF for school with lots of Napa trips, and I really like the thought you’ve put into this. Especially the running up and down from Napa to Calistoga, I think I make that mistake every trip. Also love the 3 wineries a day tip with some downtime. Great 👍🍷
Thank you! I learned a lot of these things the hard way my first couple times, but everything went much more smoothly after that. Very glad it was useful! 👍🍷
Excellent tips, John. I agree it’s better to visit no more than 2-3 wineries a day! I think my list is already way too long! Everything you said makes perfect sense! I will refer back to this video as I’m currently planning my itinerary. It’s a job in itself! 😅! Oh, I like the idea of sparkling wines before the bold reds! Thank you John for another phenomenal video!
Thanks so much Gena! Yes the sparkling wines go down pretty easily first thing in the morning! Much easier than a 16% ABV Cabernet! So glad that the video was useful! Hope you have a fantastic trip!
I would still pass. It was a vintage filled with drought and heat spikes. And there were fires and plenty of smoke blowing around even before the glass fire.
Even though I am a veteran of Napa I did too much last visit and booked my self 4 tastings and a dinner…..we had to end our dinner at 3 rd course and leave… My wife and I got drunk! I should have watched your video before we went there. Do you have any suggestions regarding 2020 Napa wines? I am afraid of smoke affecting wines!
Very nice! As in Napa, it takes a long time to move around. The visits are also very long and typically lengthy tours of the whole facility. There is much less wine tasted since most producers have only a couple wines. I stayed at the Caudalie resort and it was fantastic. There is a Michelin restaurant on site and Smith Haut Lafite is next door. I also recommend driving the D2 from St. Estephe down to Margaux. You see many of the famous Chateaux that way.
@@sanjaypatelmd4669 You will have plenty of time then. I would divide the time between left bank, right bank and perhaps a day in Sauternes. On the left bank, I would do a day in each of the 5 communes. On the right I would do Pomerol and Saint Emilion. You have plenty of time!
@@AttorneySomm Next time when I come to Dallas for wine dinner ( usually hosted by Goldman Sachs) love to invite you if you have time. Last time we had Ann Colgin came and did wine testing.
@@guitar911rock Great question! Unfortunately Uber is not reliable in Napa. Nor are cabs. The producers should all have various opportunities for different experiences on their websites.
Morning visits and weekdays are less crowded everywhere. But some options to consider are Trefethen, Carter/Envy, Heitz, and Sequoia Grove. Many places are required by ordinance to be appointment only.
Sorry for the delayed response. At this point I pretty much focus on mailing lists where I can control what I purchase. If I lived closer to wine country, I would probably put more emphasis on them if I could visit regularly. The Ridge Monte Bello futures program is an excellent value.
Pronunciation is always difficult. That is especially true for me because I learn a lot by reading. Before videos where I mention French wines, I always have to make sure I learn the pronunciations first (although viewers are quick to point out when I botch them).
Thank you for that addition! Yes, I’m definitely a fan of the producer’s where you can get more personalized attention and have a better experience than the tasting room scene.
The one re limiting lists? Definitely not popular with my friends at the winery, but definitely something that is critical for buyers at some point along their wine collecting path.
This is so wonderful!
I like the planning tips you recommend in this video like making reservations and researching which wineries you want to visit in Napa Valley! A lot of times you don’t have the time to see and taste everything. Be sure and determine exactly how you want to spend your time. Now, I'll try to put your advices to practice, and believe it will help me! I love this! John, thank you for taking the time to put this together!
My pleasure! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for watching and for the kind feedback! Cheers!
My wife and I just took a trip in March. She’s a teacher so it was her spring break. It was pretty dead so we were able to pretty much get in anywhere. The weather was nice and cool. Only bummer is the vines were still pruned back so you don’t get that full “wine country” scenery, but it’s still beautiful. Hotel prices are also way cheaper this time of year. We stayed in Napa, but I see your point in staying central. But the nice thing about Napa is there’s a little bit of nightlife. The rest of the valley is pretty sleepy in the evening. We thoroughly enjoyed the Oxbow area. I’m also a huge craft beer nerd so there’s a lot of that down there as well. Fieldworks brewing is fantastic. Also there’s an awesome bar called The Fink with live music and cool speakeasy vibes. Nice place to unwind after a long day.
Thanks very much for weighing in! Sounds like you had a terrific visit! Completely agree with you about the reduced expense in the off-season as well as the reduced traffic.
A really useful guide to visiting & enjoying Napa Valley, California, John! Thank you for sharing these tips! It will greatly help my planning to go to Napa Valley. Cheers!
Hope you can visit soon, Joy! So glad the tips were useful! Thanks for watching and the kind feedback!
I live driving distance to Napa and all the tips were spot on.
Excellent! Thank you, kindly!
All very good tips! It's easy to get overwhelmed in Napa, especially if you've never been before. It's important to pace yourself and as you said, don't book too many places on the same day. The location tip is important, too, because even though the area is not that big geographically, it can still take an hour to get to one end of the valley to the other because of heavy traffic and roads that are at times only two lanes. Cheers!
Thanks very much! So glad that you agree! Appreciate the kind feedback and thanks for watching!
Great tips! I remember I had a full day I'm Napa valley during my 1st visit and we visited 6 wineries that day - needless to say we were pretty well pickled by the end of the day
Thank you! I definitely learned some of these lessons from experience!
Fab video full of really useful advice, John! I've never visited Napa Valley, but if I do it sounds like I would love visiting in the fall or off season! Thanks for sharing your tips! These are awesome! Cheers John!
Thank you, Joy! Hope you can visit someday! It is a special place! Cheers!
We've been near by Santa Maria, Ca, it was very nice indeed.
Thanks very much! An excellent place to visit.
These were all great tips, John!! Thank you again for sharing your wealth of knowledge. So many of your tips rang true for me from my days of frequent visits to Virginia wine country! I too enjoy the visits that afford opportunities to see the production area and learn about their methodology. I hope to be visiting Napa Valley soon and put your strategies into play!
Thank you Jana! Hope you are able to visit Napa soon! It is a very special place! Glad the tips were useful! Cheers!
Hey thanks for the heads up on Last Bottle!! Just got in on the Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Steinhauer Vineyard Howell Mountain Napa Valley 2017 for $69!!! ($170 on Beringer's website). Heck of a find! Free shipping when you buy 2.
My pleasure! Glad you like it too. They have lots of excellent offers and usually free shipping if you buy even just a few.
Excellent! Yes they have lots of excellent deals! Glad you found it useful! Cheers!
John, that was really useful-I was in SF for school with lots of Napa trips, and I really like the thought you’ve put into this. Especially the running up and down from Napa to Calistoga, I think I make that mistake every trip. Also love the 3 wineries a day tip with some downtime. Great 👍🍷
Thank you! I learned a lot of these things the hard way my first couple times, but everything went much more smoothly after that. Very glad it was useful! 👍🍷
Great info for someone like me that has never been. Planning a trip soon. Cheers John 🍷😎
Excellent! Thanks Doug! Hope that you have a fantastic time!
Excellent tips, John. I agree it’s better to visit no more than 2-3 wineries a day! I think my list is already way too long! Everything you said makes perfect sense! I will refer back to this video as I’m currently planning my itinerary. It’s a job in itself! 😅! Oh, I like the idea of sparkling wines before the bold reds! Thank you John for another phenomenal video!
Thanks so much Gena! Yes the sparkling wines go down pretty easily first thing in the morning! Much easier than a 16% ABV Cabernet! So glad that the video was useful! Hope you have a fantastic trip!
@@AttorneySomm Thank you so much, John. Seems so far away, but I need to get planning ASAP, as everyone is flocking to wine country this fall.
Thanks!
My pleasure! Glad it was useful.
I was told by some wineries ( Harlan and Spottswood) they harvested fruit few days prior to fires. Should I trust and buy 2020 allocation?
I would still pass. It was a vintage filled with drought and heat spikes. And there were fires and plenty of smoke blowing around even before the glass fire.
@@AttorneySomm
Thank you.
Even though I am a veteran of Napa I did too much last visit and booked my self 4 tastings and a dinner…..we had to end our dinner at 3 rd course and leave… My wife and I got drunk! I should have watched your video before we went there. Do you have any suggestions regarding 2020 Napa wines? I am afraid of smoke affecting wines!
Yes, it is so easy to get carried away!
are you drinking and driving? Or how are you tackling this aspect?
We typically either hire a driver or take turns. Uber is tough there.
Do you have Bordeaux travel tips? I am visiting June July for 20 days!
Very nice! As in Napa, it takes a long time to move around. The visits are also very long and typically lengthy tours of the whole facility. There is much less wine tasted since most producers have only a couple wines. I stayed at the Caudalie resort and it was fantastic. There is a Michelin restaurant on site and Smith Haut Lafite is next door. I also recommend driving the D2 from St. Estephe down to Margaux. You see many of the famous Chateaux that way.
@@AttorneySomm
We are staying there total 20 days. Including 5 days on RT bank at Hotel Pavie.
@@sanjaypatelmd4669 Ah great! It came through as 2.0.
@@sanjaypatelmd4669 You will have plenty of time then. I would divide the time between left bank, right bank and perhaps a day in Sauternes. On the left bank, I would do a day in each of the 5 communes. On the right I would do Pomerol and Saint Emilion. You have plenty of time!
@@AttorneySomm
Next time when I come to Dallas for wine dinner ( usually hosted by Goldman Sachs) love to invite you if you have time. Last time we had Ann Colgin came and did wine testing.
I hate signing up for wine clubs…. I got carried away and signed up every place we went …. I had to cancel all of them after I got sober….
Yes, they can add up quickly!
if i stay in middle of napa can I take ubers every vineyard? Also how did you book the library tastings?
@@guitar911rock Great question! Unfortunately Uber is not reliable in Napa. Nor are cabs. The producers should all have various opportunities for different experiences on their websites.
@@AttorneySomm how do you get around to wineries? the producers pick you up?
@@guitar911rock In Napa Valley I usually rent a car. They do have drivers for hire too.
Which less crowded wineries do you recommend that you don't need a reservation for?
Morning visits and weekdays are less crowded everywhere. But some options to consider are Trefethen, Carter/Envy, Heitz, and Sequoia Grove. Many places are required by ordinance to be appointment only.
Speaking of wine clubs,,, Do you have one that you particularly enjoy or have enjoyed?
Sorry for the delayed response. At this point I pretty much focus on mailing lists where I can control what I purchase. If I lived closer to wine country, I would probably put more emphasis on them if I could visit regularly. The Ridge Monte Bello futures program is an excellent value.
We are going to Napa together for infotaining trip….Information + Entertaining …. I thought this is an Indian killing English as language
Pronunciation is always difficult. That is especially true for me because I learn a lot by reading. Before videos where I mention French wines, I always have to make sure I learn the pronunciations first (although viewers are quick to point out when I botch them).
Best tip: Stay away from places like Beringer, The Prisoner Wine Club, Kendall-Jackson, etc
Thank you for that addition! Yes, I’m definitely a fan of the producer’s where you can get more personalized attention and have a better experience than the tasting room scene.
Tip #8 could be toxic.
The one re limiting lists? Definitely not popular with my friends at the winery, but definitely something that is critical for buyers at some point along their wine collecting path.