Best Wineries to Visit This Summer in Napa Valley

Visiting the Napa Valley Wine Region can be an overwhelming celebration of wine tasting - with wineries around every corner welcoming you in to have a sip and spend some money. The problem is which ones are the best to visit this summer? One of my favorite things to do on a beautiful sunny summer day is to visit a couple of my favorite picks and have a sampling of some great wine for a small price. Because many wines can cost from $50-$200 per bottle, spending $5-$20 for a tasting is a great value.

Coming from San Francisco, the drive to Napa is a lovely 90-minute journey. There are many wonderful stops you can make along the way and picture perfect opportunities, so take your time. I always make sure to pick up a sandwich or a nice snack at the Oakville Grocery on Highway 29. Sometimes I just wander the isles trying the tasty samples and checking out the great cheese selection.

My first winery suggestion is Silver Oak Cellars just down the road from the Oakville Grocery. By turning right onto Oakville Crossroad, you are just minutes from one of the most celebrated Cabernet vineyards in the Napa Valley. For $20, you can either walk in and have a tasting of a wonderful selection of Silver Oak wine or call ahead and schedule an hour tour for the same price. Tours are done Monday trough Friday 10 am and 1 pm and on Saturdays at 10 am. Scheduling a tour is well worth it and the wine can't be beat! Taking home a bottle of Silver Oak can run you upwards of $100, so the tasting is well worth it!

As you make your way back past the Oakville Grocery, you are just a mile from my favorite winery - Cakebread Cellars. Cakebread Cellars is located just off of Highway 29, but there isn't a sign, so keep a close eye out for their black mailbox with Cakebread Cellars printed on it. A tours and tasting is by appointment only and are given every 15 minutes from 10 am to 4 pm daily. I will admit I have snuck in on tours in the past without an appointment, but suggest calling ahead to select your time. You are grouped with a small selection of others and taken off to tour the cellars and finish with a great tasting of their wines. Cakebread is known for their Chardonnay, so savor every sip! The tour and tasting can take around 45 minutes; so make sure to plan the rest of your tours accordingly. You can't go wrong with this vineyard! It is one of the first places I take friends and family when they come to visit the Bay Area!

Continuing North on Highway 29 you will wind your way through magnificent Napa Valley. Make a stop at Taylor's in St. Helena to have one of the best burgers in the area, and then make your way through town and just a couple miles north you will find Freemark Abbey. Freemark Abbey produces some great red wines. The vineyard is beautiful and tasting room is set up for a comfortable bar sampling. For about $10 you will get a selection of some of their very tasty wines and enjoy the fantastic winery. I picked up a limited edition wine the last time I was at Freemark Abbey for $50 and think it might have been one of the best reds I have had in years! Freemark Abbey is a very historical winery full of charm and local flavor. No reservations are needed, so walk right in and enjoy!

Duckhorn Winery is located just off Highway 29 past St. Helena on Lodi Lane. The estate is open 10 am to 4 pm daily, and for $25 you can enjoy a tableside tasting. If you would like to make arrangements for a tour and tasting, make sure to call ahead. Tours and tasting start at $35 and are well worth it. They are offered daily at 11 am and 2 pm and offer a small group tour and tasting paired with artesian cheeses. The Napa estate offers great vineyard views and newly updated tasting rooms. Duckhorn specializes in Bordeaux varietals and have been producing for over 25 years.

There are hundreds of wineries to visit in the Napa Valley Wine Region and it's surrounding areas. With a little planning, your visit can be a phenomenal one! Enjoying some wineries and sampling wine can be lots of fun, but sometimes overwhelming. There is no right or wrong way to visit a winery and enjoy a tasting. Make sure to take your time, enjoy the wine - or spit it out if you choose, and buy what tastes good to you. Wine tasting can be an expensive event, so set a limit to what you would like to spend prior to tasting. Don't feel you need to purchase wine after a tour. Most of the wineries let you take your tasting glass home as a souvenir, which is a great way to remember your visit and your time tasting the Napa Valley!

http://www.oakvillegrocery.com/stores/napa_valley.php

http://www.cakebread.com/tours/tours_tastings.cfm

http://www.silveroak.com/estates/tours

http://taylorsautomaticrefresher.com/

http://www.freemarkabbey.com/

http://www.duckhornvineyards.com/visiting_the_winery/