Napa Travel Forum

We plan an early morning depature from Sacramento airport on Sunday, 9/4/05, and need to reach Petaluma before dark. The rest of the day is devoted to touring and tasting. The plan is to drive north from Napa, alternating between Silverado Trail and Rt29, reaching as far north as St Helena. Then, heading east to Rt 12 and down toward Sonoma, then 116 over to Petaluma.

With the warnings I read about weekend traffic jams, I can't get a good sense if this is even reasonable. Can I make this trip in a day on a Holiday weekend?

We're not particularly sophisticated wine drinkers, so a good introduction would be helpful. I've heard Robert Mondavi suggested. Other names include Beringer, Sterling, Leap Frog, V. Sattui, and Niebaum-Coppola.

How long does it take to visit a winery? Does it make sense to take the tour at more than one?

Appreciate any comments and suggestions.

I cannot answer your distance questions but I have toured wineries in New York, Napa, and Australia. They are pretty much the same, I don't really need to know how long they barrel this wine or that. The best one was the private tour at Penfolds my wine rep. set up for me, the shear size of the place was awesome, and the coopers shop where they repaired the barrels was most fun. In Napa we took the tour at Beringer and it was long and boring (sorry) But go to the tasting room, they have some nice wines. Those wineries you have mentioned are good ones, but use your own judgement, see if you like the look of the place. I would allow 1/2 hour for tasting and checking out the cool gift shops at each winery.

We spent more time at the Coppola because of all the movie and family stuff.

As one person mentioned, a winery can be kind of boring. Most of the time not much is happening.

As to wines, I especially like the cabs from Stag's Leap and Stags Leap Winery and Clos du Val.

There is an old mill that is interesting in Napa Valley, N of Napa when you need a break from the tasting.

Traffic will be a crap shoot. It could be OK, it could suck. I wish I could be more helpful. Karl

Yes, you can do that in a day without to much trouble depending on traffic. Get a good map which shows the side streets and if you get stuck in a jam get off Hwy 29 or Silverado Trail. I prefer ST rather than 29 as it is a nicer view and seems to flow better. I only live 50 miles from there and we go there a couple of times per year. I even have a friend who owns a winery in Yountville. It is a small one but well worth the stop. Check www.bellwine.com It is a little out of the way but those are the best. Turnbull is excellent and for the view Sterling (ride the tram) is the best view of the valley and the wine is very good. Constantino is very good. Coppola is OK, kind of Disney if you know what I mean. Mondavi is big, wine is fair.

Here is the route I would take and this might help you avoid some of the traffic. From SMF go west on I-5 toward Woodland (this may seem the wrong way but trust me) watch for Hwy 113 south toward Davis, just before you get to Woodland. Go south on 113 and watch for West Covell Blvd (toward Winters), go west on Covell toward Winters and watch for Hwy 128 toward Lake Berryessa, stay on Hwy 128 (don't take the Hwy 121 turn. Hwy 128 comes into Silverado Trail just south of St. Helena. You can stay on 128 to Hwy 29 (4-5 miles) or turn right on Silverado Trail and go up to St. Helena or keep going north to Calastoga. Then you can come back south on either ST or 29 and see the other places you want to see. Most people go all the way into Sacramento and hit Hwy 80 then go west to Napa, that is way out of the way and not a very interesting ride.

I think it's too ambitious for one day. Factors you might want to consider:

1) You may be tired / jet-lagged from your flight.

2) The drive from Sacramento to Napa on Highway 80 can be a bear. Maybe on a Sunday morning it won't be too bad, but later in the day traffic along that corridor is often stop-and-go. Last Sunday night it took us 2-1/2 hours to make the trip.

3) If you travel up Highway 29 from Napa to St. Helena, you must also retrace your steps and come back down 29 before heading west to Sonoma.

4) Each winery will be giving you the equivalent of 1-2 glasses of wine. Unless you have a designated driver in your party, you may not want to visit a string of wineries in one day and then get behind the wheel. Professional tasters spit out the wine rather than drinking it, but most lay people who have just shelled out $5 for a tasting aren't going to do that. And the California Highway Patrol will be out in force on a holiday weekend.

I would visit one winery close to the city of Napa (skip the drive up-Valley) and another one in Sonoma -- Sebastiani gives a nice tour, and Ravenswood's tasting room staff are very informative. Have a relaxing lunch in Sonoma and poke through the shops on the Plaza, then head on to Petaluma. Less stress, more enjoyment.

I forgot to factor in your "red eye" jet lag if that is a factor. If that is an issue you might want to limit yourself to just a couple of winery stops. Most the ones I have stopped at will give you just a few sips of each blend. You might end up with equal to a small full glass at each place. I am not saying it is OK to drive if you are impared but a couple or four glasses of wine over the course of several hours is not going to put you over the limit. General rule of thumb is 1 oz per hour and you should be OK. I would be more worried about being tired and sleepy if you have been flying all night. Studies show tired drivers are just as dangerous as drunk drivers. If you are looking for a nice place to have lunch or an early dinner before heading over to Petaluma try "Downtown Joe's" in Napa. Price is reasonable, food is great, and location is excellent. From Napa to Petaluma is only about 20 minutes. I agree, holiday weekend the highway patrol will be out in force, but both 29 and ST are slow moving roads and will give you plenty of time to spot them and pull off into a parking lot and let them pass.

I agree with Rixie, and I would skip Napa (did I say that?) in favor of Sonoma. Only because of the date and time factor. 80 is a madhouse traffic jam and once you get to Napa (on a holiday weekend, forget it) the traffic will be bumper to bumper and the tasting rooms will be crowded. Sonoma has equally as good wineries and there is even tasting rooms within a few blocks of the main town square, which is a nice traffic diversion.

Thanks for the feedback. This is great.

I don't expect jet lag to be a problem. And the wine is not that important. I guess it's really about getting a look at the countryside. But don't want to do that sitting in traffic.

Maybe I'll sneak in on 128, as was suggested, head North then west and either come down 101 or 12, avoiding the lower half of 29 between St Helena and Napa.

If you are getting in early and take 128 up to the north end of the valley and come back south you will be some what ahead of everybody else. Most people come in from the south go as far north as they desire then turn around and come back south later in the afternoon. Granted it will be a holiday weekend but there isn't much you can do about that, but just suck it up and go with the flow.

Thanks again James.

We get in around 7:30 the night before, so we'll have a good nights sleep and an early start. In fact, we're staying at the Holiday Inn in Woodland near I5 and 113, so I knew exactly where you were talking about in your first reply.

I don't think I have to come back down 29. I'm thinking of coming across 128, as you suggested, maybe heading a bit south down Silverado Trail for a look, the west to pick up 29 North again I can either head west out of St Helena on Springmountain until I hit 12 and head south down Rt12. Or, go further north to Calistoga, then west on Petrified Forest Rd to 101S into Petaluma, where we spend the night.

Are there any particularly scenic spots I'll miss this way?
Any compelling reason to go as far as Calistoga?

calistoga = hot springs :)

The entire area is great. Don't miss taking the tram at Sterling. It is the best view of the valley. Don't get hung up on the "name" brand wine places, get off the main routes and look for those places you have never heard of.

Excellent answers. I grew up in Napa (still have a home there) and know all of these areas quite well. You folks did a great job of giving the poster the best information possible!