Napa Valley
with
Gael Arthur

The ultimate American Wine Country
destination,

            
            NAPA 






                                                              

                                                                               Robert Holmes/California Tourism.

NAPA - no, not the cabbage, the auto parts company or even the acronym for the North American Parapsychologists’ Association,  but   Napa Valley, California – the ultimate American Wine Country destination, where the number of wineries has increased even faster than the price of a bottle of their finest. 

Drive up Highway 29 between Napa and St. Helena and count the elaborate wrought iron gates, festooned with brightly coloured balloons inviting you to a "Tasting Today." Throw all your plans out the window and try to divide your time between wineries (touring, tasting, wandering), eating (restaurants and picnics), shopping (outlet centres, cookware emporia, book stores), pampering (spas abound!) and just taking in the scenery.

It doesn’t really matter when you visit Napa – in February, it may be a bit cool and even rainy, but the brilliant yellow of the mustard blooming in between the rows of heavily pruned gnarly vines, bordered by flowering cherry trees and wild flowers give the Valley a lush feeling. You can literally smell the vegetation coming out of its brief winter dormancy.

Although September is one of the most beautiful times to visit, with the vines as glorious as the maple trees of Eastern Canada, the tourists are overwhelming and it’s almost impossible to find an affordable hotel room. Whatever season you choose, try to make it during the middle of the week – some of your favourite wineries may not be accepting visitors, but at least you won’t run into road rage in the parking lots.

The 30 mile length of the Napa Valley is served by two main roads – Highway 29, home of Chandon, Mondavi and Beringer, along with countless smaller operations nestled in between, like the much lauded Lokoya or the little known Peju Province with its exquisite gardens. The Silverado Trail straddles the eastern side of the Valley – it is rapidly filling up with wineries as well, but still seems less crowded and commercial. Watch for the cyclists on this road, who are clearly not of the commuting variety. There are several places to rent bikes for the day – the terrain is not difficult, unless you tackle the Oakville Grade (tough enough in a car, and treacherous if it’s raining). 

The smarter cyclists will stick to the Jacob’s ladder crisscrossing of roads that span the Valley floor. Names like Zinfandel and Lodi Lanes cry out to be explored.

Robert Holmes/California Tourism.

One of the biggest advantages Napa Valley offers is the ease of combining wine tasting and touring with other activities. One of my favourite wineries is Hess Collection Winery, located way off the beaten path on Redwood Road. The original buildings date to 1903, but inside the former Christian Brothers stone walls lies a high tech winery and a superb collection of modern art. The winery’s owner, Donald Hess, is as serious about his art as he is his wine (both Hess Collection Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon hit the Wine Spectator’s top 100 for 2000 – you get the picture). The art is beautifully displayed, and even if your tastes run to Monet’s water lilies, take the time to wander through the Frank Stellas and Richard Rauschenbergs. The faceless Francis Bacon draws me back every time I visit. This winery also offers a worthwhile twelve-minute film and a self-guided tour of the highlights. The tasting room seems a bit out of proportion, but is probably geared to busloads of tourists, bellying up to the bar. In addition to the California wines, you can often taste wines from sister wineries in Argentina, South Africa and Italy.
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 Napa wine train .
Robert Holmes/California

The day after your bicycle rental, plan on visiting one winery in the morning, have a special lunch, then sign into one of the Calistoga spas for a  soak in a mineral rich, slimy, primordial mud bath. While some people get caught up in the hygiene aspect of sinking into mud someone else has already soaked in, the standards are considerably higher than the swimming pool full of kids back at the hotel. A mud bath, followed by a massage, followed by a glass or two of bubble on the terrace at Mumm Napa Valley: The perfect prelude to another great dinner, or an open air concert (some of the wineries have jazz on the lawn, and other great informal events – check ahead; they sell out early).

The final thing to remember about visiting Napa is to leave enough time to get to the airport and drop off the rental car. If Napa is your only California destination, see if you can fly into Oakland or Sacramento and avoid the worst of the Bay area traffic.

Where to Stay:

Napa Valley Lodge

Located in Yountville, this hotel is lovely, without falling into the exorbitant category of Auberge du Soleil or Meadowwoods. A perfect location, at 2230 Madison, in Yountville. 
Tel: 707 944-2468. http://www.napavalley.com/lodging/inns/nvlodge/nvlodge.html

Elm House Inn

About half the price, without the mimosas by the pool at breakfast. The breakfast in the lobby is more than adequate and you can spend the extra $100 or so on a nice lunch. Only 17 rooms, so book early. Tel: 707 255-1831

Calistoga Spa Hot Springs – accommodation is basic, but the spa is excellent. 1006 Washington Street, Calistoga. 
707 942-6269  http://www.calistogaspa.com

Where to Eat:

If you have your heart set on a particular restaurant, make sure you phone a couple of weeks in advance – although some of my most memorable meals have been in the great restaurants in between Napa and St. Helena, they all seem to be full a lot of the time. If you can’t get into The French Laundry, Pinot Blanc, Brix, Bouchon, Domaine Chandon or Bistro Jeanty, don’t hesitate to try one of the lesser-known places, or ask a local. People are very friendly and generally know where you can get a good meal without putting a lien on the rental car.

Places I have eaten with good luck include:

Down in Carneros, an out of the way place that definitely caters to locals, Villa Romano offers good quality Italian food. The home-made ravioli are killer, and the smoked duck risotto perfect, not to sticky, lots of meat, lots of flavour. A wine list to be proud of, many obscure wines, reasonable prices. Located off Highway 12, at 1011 Soscol Ferry Road. 
Tel: (707) 252-4533.

Mustards – It doesn’t seem to have changed at all since I first ate here in 1983, but then again, why mess with success? The food is good, the service friendly but not gushing, and watching the mix of tourists and locals is entertaining. The daily specials are a good bet. 7399 St. Helena Hwy (Highway 29). 
Tel: (707) 944-2424.

For a perfect lunch on the terrace (with enough shade to keep you from sweltering in the summer), Piatti offers not only excellent Italian fare, but also the Napa experience – watching the locals here is enough to make you pick up the real estate brochures and wonder about green cards. Located in Yountville, at 6490 Washington Street. Tel: (707) 996-3148.

If you are craving one of those incredible big hunks of meat, the Rutherford Grill is the only choice. Part of a chain, they have a formula that is hard to beat: Prime rib with garlic mashed potatoes or a whole roast chicken, good service, lots of enthusiasm – the place is comfortable with big leather booths, a good wine list with lots of choices by the glass. No reservations, but they give you a beeper for you can sit outside and mingle with the locals while you wait for a table. 1180 Rutherford Cross Road (at Hwy 29). Tel: (707) 963-1793.

Another chain, this time "starting" here – Napa Valley Grille – has a good wine list, nice ambience and good wait staff to support the California menu. Highway 29 at Madison, Yountville. Tel: (707) 944-8686. http://www.calcafe.com/napavalleygrille/yountville/index.html

Shopping:

Both Outlet centres (one in Napa, you can see it from the highway; the other at the edge of St. Helena, also just of Highway 29) have stores worth browsing in, and, if you hit a clearance or have non-standard size feet, there are great deals, even with the conversion rate. Interesting shopping streets include the main drags of both Calistoga and St. Helena. For food, Oakville Grocery (www.oakvillegrocery.com) is the original – a truly cosmopolitan deli section, with most cheeses imaginable, foie gras from Sonoma, five or six different salads, take away that tastes home made, a superb selection of wines (including a good range of chilled whites and bubbles). The condiments rival their new neighbour just up the road, Dean and Deluca (www.deandeluca.com), of New York fame. The new guy on the block definitely has the architectural advantage (the building and parking lot are huge by comparison) and it’s almost impossible to walk out without buying some sort of kitchen implement, or a few tins of herbs or spices. But the Oakville Grocery, now on the National Registry of Historic Places, feels like an old-time store, with strange condiments from all over the world crammed onto shelves down narrow aisles.

Web Links:

Great General Starting Point: www.napavalley.com

For a list of spas and resorts: www.napavalley.com/napavalley/lodging/resorts.html

Wineries:

The list is endless – if in doubt pick your favourite winery and add a dot-com – chances are they have a web site. A lot of them will ship wine to you as well, if you have the good fortune of living in a reciprocating state.

Beringer:                            www.beringer.com

Domaine Chandon:         http://www.chandon.com

Hess Collection:             http://www.hesscollection.com    

Lokoya :                          http://www.lokoya.com

Robert Mondavi:            http://www.robertmondavi.com

Mumm Napa Valley:      http://www.mumm.com

Peju Province:                http:// www.peju.com