One of the many benefits of living in the Bay Area is being close to Wine Country. An hour or two North of San Francisco, I frequent the area often, exploring the fantastic wineries and indulging in the wonderful restaurants.
Breakfast
No one should be wine tasting on an empty stomach! Boon Fly Cafe located at the Carneros Inn draws long wait times for a table in the morning for good reason. Nothing can compare to the "Four Boon Fly Donuts and a Cuppa Joe" and the "Green Eggs and Ham" to start your morning out right. They also have a nice porch swing outside to relax on while you wait for a table =).
Wineries
After indulging in some breakfast food, it is time to start exploring some of the many wineries! There are hundreds of wineries, each employing unique philosophies and practices to produce the finest end product. A particularly fun winery to start off at is Domaine Carneros. Located 5 minutes away from Boon Fly Cafe, this winery's main building is designed to look like french château with a sweeping terrace, large winding stairs, and fountains. The winery is famous for their sparkling wines, for which they offer a small flight for sampling along with cheeses and charcuterie. The terrace provides scenic views of the surrounding vineyard and is a great place for photos and getting a little tipsy.
Another winery worth exploring is the Kenzo Estate. A relatively new winery, the property is a sight to behold with state-of-the-art equipment and incredible attention to detail. The reservation-only private tours offer a glimpse into the thought and detail that went into making their wine from the crushing, storing, and blending of their grapes. It is interesting to learn some of the initial struggles and difficulty that new wineries have with developing great wines. The tour begins with a sampling of their chardonnay and ends with a sampling of their three red wines blends. Although the wines are relatively young and require some more refinement as many vines require 10+ years before they are truly providing the best flavor, the tour and tasting experience is definitely worth the price of admission.
More recently, I was able to tour Hanzell Vineyards in Sonoma. Hanzell Vineyard's winery tour and tasting is also spectacular, providing insight on how a renown winery maintains its quality and edge throughout the many years it is in operation. The property is beautiful with scenic views of the valley atop a small hill. As one of the oldest and well established wineries in the Sonoma Country area, the winery has spent years perfecting their yield and cultivating tactics to ensure the best tasting wines. The property's wine cave, library, and tasting room has beautiful antiquated charm blending old and new. The library is particularly special as the interior was made entirely from redwood and had bookshelves full of Hanzell Pinot Noir bottles listed from the 1960's to present day. Reservations are hard to get so plan ahead!
Food
Food and wine go hand-in-hand. Fortunately, many of top restaurants in the Bay Area reside in Wine Country. The restaurants in the area offer an amazing wine selection delivered directly from the vineyards. My recommendation is to buy a bottle or two as you are tasting and pay the corkage fee as restaurants tend to charge 3 to 4 times the retail price. Be sure to buy a few bottles to take home as well!
Morimoto in downtown Napa is worth visiting for one dish: the toro tartare. The appetizer is beautifully presented, containing two clear flat plates: one with chopped toro and the otherwith dried seaweed paste, wasabi, crème fraîche, chives, avocado, rice cracker crisps and soy sauce. Two tiny metal spatulas are provided to mix the toro with the variety of toppings. The restaurant serves a variety of Japanese fusion cuisine and has an outdoor seating area along the boardwalk.
For a more secluded dining experience, étoile is unique in that it is the only fine dining restaurant on an actual vineyard property. As a result, the venue and experience feels private with tall trees and fruit trees surrounding the restaurant. étoile offers a wide selection of French-inspired Californian cuisine and is a wonderful way to end a day of wine tasting.
Another fantastic dinner spot is Olive and Vine in Glen Ellen. The beautiful open kitchen and rustic Italian cuisine features seasonal fruits and vegetables from the area. Unpretentious and homey, this restaurant is worth visiting for a quiet dinner in the Sonoma area.
Not all of Napa is relegated to fine dining! One of the best casual lunch spots is Ad-Hoc Addendum. This takeout style restaurant features completely outdoor seating with plentiful picnic benches and tables. On the menu is Ad-Hoc's most popular item: Fried Chicken. As getting reservations for Ad-hoc is incredibly difficult, this option provides a fun inviting atmosphere to enjoy a nice picnic outside in their private garden.
The famous bakery Bouchon is also a great place to grab a quick bite and a few sweets. The line can appear to be daunting at first but moves remarkably quick. Besides the giant macarons, be sure to try the different tarts and breads they offer. Great gifts to bring back home.
R&R
Beyond food and wine, Wine Country is also great place to shop, hike, and relax. One of my favorite activities of late is getting massages to work out all the knots from sitting and working on a computer all day. The Spa at Auberge du Soleil is one of the best spas that I have ever been. Part of the luxurious Auberge Du Soleil hotel, The Spa is usually only available for hotel guests, but is also available for day use if they are not too busy. The outdoor areas contains cold, warm, and hot plunge pools as well as steam and sauna rooms. The spa is also co-ed in the pool area which is perfect for couples and sunbathing. I spent an entire day at this spa and am looking for another opportunity to go back as soon as possible.
I have only just scratched the surface of what the Wine Country has to offer. Living in the San Francisco, there's no better escape from city life. Hoping to visit the sweeping vistas, wonderful restaurants, and warm weather soon!
