First of Many Trips to the Napa Valley!!!

We arrived in Napa on November 6! The closer we got to Napa the more beautiful the drive. The colours of the roadside vineyards were so vibrant.

The weather was not great during our stay…rained most days and quite cool, but we’re in Napa, so the weather didn’t deter us from enjoying it immensely! We also realized that there are pros and cons to travelling to popular destinations, like Napa, during the off season. It’s wonderful in the sense that there are no lines, no crowds; however, we didn’t experience that high energy atmosphere that one expects in such a popular destination. In Napa, as in other places, businesses are having huge staffing problems, which means a lot of the restaurants, shops and downtown wineries were only open from Wednesday to Saturday, which was also a bit of a bummer since we were there from late Sunday to Friday. The RV park was a perfect location, 10 minute walk to the riverwalk and gorgeous downtown Napa.

Monday was our first full day and, not knowing that not much would be open, we ventured out to check things out!! Crazy enough our first tastings ended up being margaritas at a cool Mexican restaurant (C. Casa) at the Oxbow Public Market. They were very tasty and very strong!!! Barry was such a trooper and helped me finish mine! Such a good husband!! Look how handsome he is!

Napa is a very walkable town with many streets lined with really unique shops, and tons of breweries, wine bars and restaurants. The streets are beautifully landscaped, even in November!

The ladies at the Visitors Centre highly recommended the Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ as a great place to eat, so we had to check it out. Expectations were high…not sure it lived up to them, but it was good. The ladies also gave us a map of the 2 wine routes and told us a bit about their favorites. We already knew we wanted to go to Beringer, which is one of Barry’s favorite wines so we were excited that their recommendations were on the same route.

V. Sattui Winery!

On Tuesday we headed out for wine tasting. Barry was driving so he couldn’t indulge too much! The next time, and there will definitely be a next time, we will hire a driver. The first stop was V. Sattui Winery. V. Sattui Winery is a family-owned property founded in 1885 and located on a 38-acre vineyard in the center of the Napa Valley. V. Sattui wines are sustainably farmed (some from its own organic vineyards) and makes more than 60 different wines. What made this winey stand out is the cheese shop and deli that is located on the property! Over 200 selections of fresh cheese! We stocked up. The wine was great and the cheese was fantastic! Such beautiful property.

Next, Beringer Winery!

When we walked in we were greeted with a glass of wine of our choice to enjoy during our self-guided tour. Of course, we picked the Knights Valley Cab Sav. It has always been one of Barry's favorites and now it's one of mine. Beringer Vineyard was founded in 1876 and is the oldest continuously operating winery in the Napa Valley with an interesting history. In 1875 Jack and Frederick Beringer, natives of Germany, purchased 215 acres in St. Helena for $14,500 and built the Beringer Estates.

The winery has many underground wine tunnels hundreds of feet in length, and we were able to explore all of them. the tunnels maintain a temperature of 58 degrees F (14.44 C), which is considered necessary in the maturing and aging of fine wines. We were the only ones in the tunnels...definitely one of the pros for the off season!!

After Frederick and Jacob's passing in 1901 and 1915, respectively, Jacob's children took over ownership of the Beringer Winery. While most wineries shut their doors at the beginning of Prohibition in 1920, Beringer continued to operate during Prohibition under a federal license that allowed them to make wine for religious purposes. Of course, Beringer went beyond selling sacramental wine to churches, which is the story behind the “Whisper Sister” label. This is how Beringer is the oldest continuously operating winery in the Napa Valley. We had an absolutely fantastic time!

Next Freemark Abbey!

Leaving Beringer, we saw signs for Freemark Abbey, which is one of my absolute favorites. Years ago, while attending a networking event, I ordered a glass of Freemark Merlot. Of course, the wine-list didn't have pricing, but how much could it be! I enjoyed it so much, I wanted to share a sip with my girlfriend Maureen. Well, she loved it too, and then it began. We drank a lot that night. And then we got the bill. $21.00 a glass it was!! We still laugh about it! Barry and I do buy a bottle on special occasions, so of course we had to go to the winery! Just as I thought, still love Freemark Abbey Merlot!!! Anne was wonderful and gave us a little extra. Thanks Anne!!

Next, Castello di Amorosa!

For the next day we had booked a formal wine-tasting and tour at Castello di Amorosa. Before the tour, we were left to explore this castle on our own.

We didn't know at the time but the found of the winery from yesterday, V. Sattui Winery, Dario Sattui, was the founder and mastermind behind the Castello di Amorosa castle! This place is mind-blowing!!! Okay, really cool backstory: Dario Sattui had a crazy passion for medieval European architecture. Inspired by stories of the old country from his Italian great-grandfather and other relatives, he made it a hobby to study old castles, lodges and monasteries during his many visits to Europe. In 1993, when he semi-retired from V. Sattui, he began to explore this fascination in a new way, voing to bring a slice of Italy to Napa by building a modest but authentic medieval monastery on his property in Calistoga where he intended to live and grow grapes for V. Sattui. Dario began construction in 1994, and it took 15 years to complete. Although he intended to build an 8,500 squire foot building without cellars, the project gradually morphed into 121,000 square feet with 107 rooms, 4 underground levels and 4 above-ground levels. He used only old handmade materials and built the castle using the same methods and materials that would have been used 700-800 years ago. It has a moat, drawbridge, five towers, high defensive ramparts, courtyards, loggias, a chapel, stables, an armory and even a torture chamber!! The tour itself was beyond words!!

Our tour guide was incredible! We were able to taste wine directly from the barrel (cab sav., 2021 vintage) which was not ready for consumer consumption. Then during the formal wine-tasting we enjoyed the same wine, from the same vineyard, but a 2018 vintage. It was really interesting.

All our wines were paired with incredible cheeses. Such an incredible day!! You really should check out the pictures from Napa by clicking this link...some really great pics!

Napa, we love you and we will be back, and we'll be bringing Maureen, Kemis, Diane and Ron with us!!! We had intended to enjoy Napa as a group, but unfortunately it didn't work out this time, but it will happen!!