Introduction

I started wine tasting in the Napa Valley in 1967. Napa Valley was a quiet place then. There were few tasting rooms and a much smaller population, especially on Highway 29. In my late teens (never carded) I developed a deep love for the robust Napa and nearby Alexander Valley Cabernets that are still the kings of the Napa Valley wineries.

There are over 400 licensed wineries in the region but less than half of those are regularly open to the public. Those are the wineries we focus on. Some wineries are never open to the public and some are open by appointment only for large groups. We try to include wineries that are by-appointment but are open pretty much any time you call. We will soon add the wineries in the surrounding mountains that met our criteria but we have about 140 to get you started. Most of those are small family-owned wineries surviving in the shadows of the famous big ones.

- Jim Preston

Must See Napa Valley Wineries - an introduction to the region.

Napa Valley south of St. Helena

• Darioush
  • Architecture and interior - The tasting room is a modernistic palace inspired by an ancient Persian palace. Wow!
  • Experience - Traditional Persian hospitality. A little more formal than we are used to in tasting rooms but excellent.
  • Ambiance - Rich and fascinating.
  • Landscaping - Extensive landscaping with reflection pools and columns.
• Trefethen
  • Architecture and interior - Historic winery with a an old European design. One of Napa's most interesting and beautiful wineries.
  • Landscaping - Nice courtyard seating area and a huge cork oak tree.
  • Ambiance - Old world winery ambiance. Somewhat dark and intimate inside. Unusual tasting room.
• Peju
  • Architecture and interior - Charming French Chateau.
  • Landscaping - Outstanding landscaping with intriguing art.
• V Sattui
  • Picnics and deli - This is the most popular winery picnic site in Napa Valley and probably California. The deli is famous. Do your winery lunch here if you can find room.
  • Architecture - Terrific old world design.
  • Landscaping - The main attraction are the huge oaks.

Napa Valley north of St. Helena

• Duckhorn - by appointment
  • Landscaping - Take a hike around the tasting room. One of the finest winery flower gardens in California.
  • Architecture and interior - Beautifully renovated old farmhouse tasting room.
  • Wine tasting - Wine flights served at tables.
• Rombauer
  • Landscaping - Art and flowers in a deep forested hilltop
  • Picnics - Tables set in the forest for solitude.
  • Wine - Famous for their Chardonnay.
• Castello di Amorosa The Castle
  • Architecture and interior - A stunning replica of a huge ancient castle with a medieval market, chickens, and wine tasting in the halls.
  • Ambiance - Amazing medieval ambiance but much cleaner.
  • View - One of the better views of the upper Napa Valley.
• Clos Pegase
  • Landscaping - Famous for the art.
  • Architecture - Modern and unusual.
  • Picnic - Several tables in the courtyard available in artsy surroundings.

Off-The-Beaten-Track Napa Valley Wineries

• Hess Collection
  • Architecture and interior - The historic Christian Brothers winery with the addition of a huge modern art collection.
  • Location - A beautiful mountain drive and setting well away from the main traffic in the valley.
• Andretti
  • Architecture and interior - Tuscan with courtyard.
  • Landscaping - Beautiful grounds.
  • Experience - Tasting inside and on the back patio. Home-like atmosphere.
• Saddleback
  • Ambiance - On nice days wine is served at the shaded picnic tables. Working winery.
• Corison
  • Ambiance - Tasting in the barrel room in a little working winery.
  • Setting - A seldom visited winery among the giants of the wine industry on Highway 29.
  • Wine - Kathy Corison is very respected for her Cabernet.
• Dutch Henry
  • Ambiance - Tasting in the barrel room. Rarely crowded. Working winery experience.
  • Setting - Nicely wooded with a small vineyard.
• Bennett Lane
  • Ambiance and experience - Quiet, affordable, and very nice staff.
• Graeser
  • Ambiance - Hidden mountain winery in a beautiful secluded setting and an
  • Architecture - A wonderfully restored old schoolhouse tasting room.
  • Picnic - Perfect for a quiet picnic, several sites on the property.

Napa Valley and the surrounding mountains have more quiet by-appointment only wineries than probably all other California wine regions combined. Check our maps and seek the ones with the yellow wine barrel markers. Many of the wineries off the main roads are less visited. Our personal favorite for really kick-back - Rancho de las Flores. Vintner Ralph Wermuth is one of the last old-timers left and he'll pour for you.

Romantic Napa Valley Wineries

A special ambiance for long quiet conversations and enjoying love. Usually we have a secluded outdoor scene in mind. There are many so we'll select a few to get you started.

• Silverado - incredible view up the valley from the patio. One of the best in California wine regions.
• Greaser - secluded old schoolhouse tasting room in the mountains with several locations to take a bottle of wine and ...
• Rutherford Hill - big views of the valley from the picnic area in the oak forest.
• St. Clement - picnic tables in wonderfully landscaped grounds of an old Victorian home and tasting room.
• Andretti - Italian courtyard with a quiet back patio area for relaxing with wine.
• Rombauer - picnic tables hidden in the dark forest.
• There are many wonderful by-appointment only tasting rooms in estate style settings. We'll add these as we get time, and lots of money. The wine is expensive but you are in essence renting a couple of hours of estate time to dream about.

Notes

Your tastes change frequently. Do wine ratings, gold medals, etc. really matter?

We have hundreds of winery interview videos in winery profiles. We shoot these at winery events because that is the cheapest way to gather content. It would be nice to go to each tasting room but this gets very expensive quickly. See our Compare Winery Features search engine for which wineries have videos in your target region.

We are adding our Discover California Wine Regions videos to the Recommended Wineries by Region pages.

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