Planning Your Napa Trip: The Art of Winery Hopping

In the Art of Travel, Alain de Botton reflects on how the idea of travel to an exotic locale is often more romantic and enchanting than the actual trip. His point is a good one – how many vacations have you taken where the arduous car ride, the bumpy flight, the long line at the museum, the map juggling in the street, or the prices in the gift shops left you frazzled and perhaps wondering if it was all worth it. Now, of course it’s “all worth it” because seeing the world is better than not seeing it, and exploring new spaces is part of bringing joy and color to life. Trips, visits and vacations can be fabulous. You just have to know what you’re doing.

Take a trip to California wine country for instance. The wine growing regions north of San Francisco are sunlit, plush and gorgeous, and they’re an obligatory destination for any wine lover who wants to experience the joy of wine tasting direct from the source. The area is a popular tourist destination though, particularly in the summer, and the resulting crowds, traffic and grating banter can sometimes suck the joy out of the experience. If you’ve decided it’s time to schedule a visit, how do you ensure that your trek through the valley will result in fun and adventure rather than frustration and disappointment? You plan ahead.

First, choose a valley. You don’t have to do the Napa Valley. In fact, if you’re not absolutely wed, you might try veering to the northwest and hitting the Russian River Valley, Alexander Valley or Dry Creek Valley instead. Each of these alter regions has its share of high quality, lesser known wineries, and your visits will likely be more personal and informative than time spent in a glass encrusted gallery space that happens to also house a tasting facility. Plus, you’ll probably pay a lot less in tasting fees.