Napa Valley
Here's to a 'grape' time! Napa Valley has always been famously known for producing some of the best wines in the world and I was finally able to experience it all! From one winery to another, each was a completely unforgettable experience.
We started our venture at 'Chateau Montelena Winery' which had a beautiful Japanese pond and a gorgeous castle front! After that, we headed to the place we were staying at called 'Napa Valley Lodge' which was absolutely beautiful and elegant, complete with great amenities! It's located right next to the famous 'Washington St' in Yountville (about 15 min from Napa) which had great restaurants/bakeries including the famous 'French Laundry' and countless tasting rooms! For dinner, we chose to go to 'ZuZu' which had AMAZING tapas and sangria! Located in downtown Napa, you'll get great views around and have a great dinner. If you prefer something more casual or just want to check out another sweet spot, I highly recommend visiting the 'Oxbow Market' which has some great bites to eat and a variety of shops.
The next day, we visited 'Castello di Amorosa' which was absolutely fantastic. Along with learning more about wine, I was able to experience the process of how wine is made and the history behind the inspiration for the castle. We then moved our tastebuds to a winery who had great food called 'V. Satuii Winery' that offered tastings, a deli for great bites to eat, a small market, and shopping! Working against the clock, we moved over to this winery that was very close to where we were staying called 'Silver Trident Tasting Room' that was a very unique experience. On top of the great wines, the experience was very enjoyable because it felt like we were drinking wine in someone's home but COMPLETELY furnished in Ralph Lauren! Yes! Apparently all stores on Washington St are required to have some form of retail aspect rather than just wine tasting and this had to be one of my favorites. For dinner, we walked across the street from our place and had dinner at 'Red Wood' which had great food that was made to order in a very cool space (definitely try their mushroom pizza, and I don't even like mushrooms!)!
On our last day, we started with 'Domaine Chandon' which was absolutely beautiful and relaxing along with a few glasses of sparkling wine. Onto our final winery, we visited the breathtaking 'Artesa' winery that had phenomenal views and a grand entrance. Unlike traditional wineries, this one was extremely modern and offered probably the best chardonay I've had!