[Watwood]

Future wife wants to go there for our honeymoon. Flying into San Fransisco. If you've been, what wineries do you recommend, locations etc. Looking forward to hitting up the redwoods as well. I told her I'd go along as long as we got to hit up LA for a day and I got my picture taken in front of Craig & Smokey's house.



Holla!

[JayKay335i]

Geographic thread at its best.

[NYCGP]

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

Geographic thread at its best.

What? Why post something like this in the California regional section? It's not like that would get you answers from people who are familiar with the area, would it?

[JayKay335i]

Originally Posted by NYCGP

What? Why post something like this in the California regional section? It's not like that would get you answers from people who are familiar with the area, would it?

Refer to other geographical thread in OT.


OP, take your wife somewhere awesome. Leave the US. Go to fiji or tahiti or wfasdgadsfg or some shit. You can go to Cali anytime. Tell her youll take her there for your anniversary or some shit.

[Watwood]

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

Geographic thread at its best.

Originally Posted by JayKay335i

OP, take your wife somewhere awesome. Leave the US. Go to fiji or tahiti or wfasdgadsfg or some shit. You can go to Cali anytime. Tell her youll take her there for your anniversary or some shit.

JayKay, as much as I enjoy reading your invaluable opinion in every thread throughout OT, she's the one that suggested wine country.

Perhaps I overestimated this forum, but for the ones that have been, let me know any suggestions you have.

[JayKay335i]

I understand what your saying. I have been. And I'm suggesting you resuggest going out of the country as I would describe wine country as more of a weekend getaway than a honeymoon.

[Feyd]

Just so you are aware you aren't going to make LA for a day unless you want to spend 12 hours (round trip by car) to get there from Napa.

[FStop7]

By wine country I assume you mean Napa. There is also the Paso Robles wine country located further south, a couple of hours north of LA.

I've never been to Napa, only Sonoma. But I've been to Paso Robles a few times and it's gorgeous there.

[Kroy]

Originally Posted by Feyd

Just so you are aware you aren't going to make LA for a day unless you want to spend 12 hours (round trip by car) to get there from Napa.

this. just stay up north, no point in coming to LA for 1 day unless you're staying for more than a weekend. like feyd said, 6 hours drive each way to/from LA/SF. you'll enjoy SF a lot more too if it's just a short trip.

i guess you can fly out to SF and fly back home from LA or vice versa. just rent a car and drop it off at another branch. that's the only way i can see making visiting both cities work.

you can also try asking in regional section. a lot of members in norcal, would be to your benefit to ask them.

[MadDog]

Try here for starters: Napa Valley

The site has lots of links for lodging and wineries. Calistoga is a nice, quaint town.

[Joonsup]

ive been to napa a few times with past gfs who were into that. It's not too far from San Francisco, so if you stayed in the city, you could make it into a day trip. Since I'm not into wine all that much, I can't tell you which specific wineries to stop at as there are many to choose from. If you posted in the CA section I'm sure you'd get a lot more responses. There's already multiples threads on there from people asking what to do in SF so a quick search would bring up many threads to give you ideas. If I were you I'd post a new thread asking what's there to do in Napa and where to go. Good luck

[GOLFFRR]

last time i checked, the town i live in Solvang/Santa Ynez Valley is the new wine country napa is old school lol. But for real whatever you guys decide im sure you will have a great time!

[scollins]

I'd stop by the following in the Napa valley if you can:
Mondavi (I like the architecture here, Discovery Tour or Signature to avoid crowds)
Opus One (very cool barrel room)
Beringer (get a tour of the caves!)
Sterling Vineyards (they have a tram!)

I have fond memories of Mondavi, only because we got a private tour and lunch with Robert and Margarit Mondavi.

Beyond that, a vineyard is a vineyard for the most part.

As for stopping and tasting wines, just let your instincts be the guide. They all have tasting rooms, some free some with a fee. My wife and I really liked St. Supery wines.

[xsb00st]

These are my favorites in Napa:
- Mondavi Vineyards (a beautiful winery and great tours)
- Cakebread (Great wine and winery tour, need to make a reservation)
- Rubicon Estates (another great winery owned by Francis Ford Coppola)
- Sterling (you have to ride up a gondola to the actual tasting room)
- Del Dotto Caves (great wine tasting straight from the barrels, need a reservation and costs around $50/person but is worth it)
- Frogs Leap (if you're into the whole green/organic wine. free tasting and tour)
- Opus One (reservations needed, fantastic wine)

If you have a Visa Signature card, you can get free tastings in the Sonoma area as well: http://usa.visa.com/personal/visa-si...a-wineries.jsp

Definitely try to have happy hour drinks or dinner at Auberge de Soleil in Napa. The view of the sunset from their balcony is amazing. The food is great too.

[Bobble]

We go once or twice a year, spend way too much money on wine. The prvious post has some really good suggestions. Del Dotto is great but plan on that being your last stop of the day, If you get the last tour an impromptu party breaks out after. Ask for Ray as your tour guide, guaranteed good info and lots of wine. I would also suggest just staying on the Silverado Trail lots of nice places along there, Cali 29 gets crowded, other side of the valley. If you head north a bit alond Silverado you can get to Chateau Montlana which is a classic old winery at the far nothern end. You can day trip from SF but it will be a long day with the driving, not to mention being careful about drinking. Right the intersection of 39 and 127, theres a Champagne house that's a great first stop if going with someone special, starts the day off well. If you want PM me and I can give you some other recommendations based on the varietals you like or your Wife likes. Sonoma has great places too, a little more laid back but nice. I can give you some suggestions there if you can tell us what she or you like to drink! Also want some restaurant suggestions just say so.

[MisterSkiMask]

It not my idea of a great honeymoon spot, but it is a nice place to visit.

Depending on how much time you plan on being in Napa, and how much you plan on tasting, pick a hand full of the big wineries suggested above some with caves and cool locations etc.

Don't neglect the smaller labels, and no name places. Often times the wine maker or owner will be there pouring a product he or she is proud of and you will get to meet some interesting people and learn something. The will also usually recommend other small wineries to visit that are not a crowded and no where near as expensive to taste at.

[santov]

I don't know shit about wine...

But there's a town just north of Napa area called Calistoga. There's a little place called Dr. Wilkonson's. For $200 you get a cozy room in their hotel, and you and the gf/wife get a mud treatment each which is: 20min in mud which smells like peat moss, 10min in a sparkling tub, 10min or so in a steam room, then you take 20min nap in a dark cubby.

The hotel has one giant hot tub and two swimming pools. It's old school from the 70s, but it's an awesome place to stay. Napa and all the yuppie wineries is about 15min away. Fly into SF, rent a car, and cruise to Calistoga/Napa.

[santov]

I should add they're having a special now, $80 per person and it includes a basic room.

http://www.drwilkinson.com/

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

It not my idea of a great honeymoon spot, but it is a nice place to visit.

This. After your wedding you're going to want to go somewhere and unwind. To me, I need isolation, sand, and sun. Wine country offers none of those but it's your honeymoon. I think you'll be hard pressed to entertain yourselves for more than a few days and as others have said, LA is 7+ hours each way. Many people from the east coast honeymoon in somewhere in the Pacific (Hawaii, French Poly, etc.) and stop in wine country on the way back to break up the long trip. Just something to think about.

I went to Rubicon on one trip and Chandon on another, both just day trips when in SF but both were nice. I did have one of my favorite meals of my life at Tra Vigne in St.Helena which I would naturally suggest.

OP, have you or your fiance traveled much prior to this? (serious question)

[Watwood]

Appreciate all of the replies. As far as traveling, I've been around, but it's not my main passion for sure. I've hit up most of the typical spots in the eastern part of the country, but never spent time out west, besides Vegas. We've both done the Hawaii thing and the other Polynesian Islands are a good suggestion, but if we went that route, why not just hit up the Caribbean Islands?

I will say this about the beach. If there's one thing I've (we've) done (3 times in '10), it's the beach. I understand the islands are more scenic than the Gulf Coast / Atlantic, but lounging on the beach is not my thing, and every double X chromosome I've met turns into a beach'd whale as soon as they reach the sand. "Let's lay out." Gag. I prefer a more active vacation.

I am taking all you are saying into consideration, believe me, I was just assuming between San Fran, the wineries, redwoods, rent a motorcycle, cruise for a day, and just plain touring the area, we could entertain ourselves, but of course, I could be wrong.

[MisterSkiMask]

Originally Posted by Watwood

Appreciate all of the replies. As far as traveling, I've been around, but it's not my main passion for sure. I've hit up most of the typical spots in the eastern part of the country, but never spent time out west, besides Vegas. We've both done the Hawaii thing and the other Polynesian Islands are a good suggestion, but if we went that route, why not just hit up the Caribbean Islands?

I will say this about the beach. If there's one thing I've (we've) done (3 times in '10), it's the beach. I understand the islands are more scenic than the Gulf Coast / Atlantic, but lounging on the beach is not my thing, and every double X chromosome I've met turns into a beach'd whale as soon as they reach the sand. "Let's lay out." Gag. I prefer a more active vacation.

I am taking all you are saying into consideration, believe me, I was just assuming between San Fran, the wineries, redwoods, rent a motorcycle, cruise for a day, and just plain touring the area, we could entertain ourselves, but of course, I could be wrong.

How long do you plan on being out here, and what month?

[Watwood]

Originally Posted by MisterSkiMask

How long do you plan on being out here, and what month?

Week and a half, mid April.