Tips for a trip to Napa Valley wine country

When the weather starts to warm up, but it’s not yet so humid that you feel like you’re walking around in the armpit of a hairy man in a Turkish bath, a weeklong jaunt through Napa Valley wine country is just the ticket. And, let’s face it, the chance to drink some wine, especially if it’s free, can’t hurt.

There are more than 300 wineries in Napa, so it’s a good idea to pick a few that really interest you for sampling. Then base the trip on hopping from one charming town to the next, starting with Napa and ending in Calistoga (with Yountville and St. Helena between). You can fly into San Francisco, rent an RV, towable or car there and drive up – it takes about an hour on either Interstate 80 or U.S. 101. There are several campgrounds and RV parks situated around the towns.

A few tips to make your visit more enjoyable:

Visit the vineyards before May, after November or midweek – The crowds pick up in the summer and steadily increase through the “crush,” or harvest, which is late August-October. Otherwise, be prepared to stand behind hordes of people in the tasting room saying things like, “It has a lot of ’67 Chevy exhaust with a hint of woodchuck fur, don’t you think?”

Find out which tasting rooms charge – The fees vary from $2-$25, and some wineries, bless their hearts, still don’t charge. Some places include a souvenir glass, and a few offer snacks. Most put the fee toward a bottle purchase. Check online for two-for-one tasting deals, which can save quite a bit.

Have some kind of strategy – The first time I visited years ago, I inadvertently learned something crucially different from each winery. From Mondavi, I became schooled in the fascinating multi-layered vastness of a gigantic commercial operation. At Beringer, I discovered the point of tasting in flights; at Grgich, I learned about the science of making wine, and at Rubicon, I learned something of the soul of the process. For subsequent visits, I researched the vineyards ahead so that I would always come away with a deeper understanding of wine-making.

Check out the farmers’ markets – It’s one of the best ways to eat on the road, and there’s one nearly every day of the week somewhere along the route. The Napa Downtown Farmers’ Market runs May-October on Tuesdays-Saturdays. On Wednesdays, it’s the Yountville market June-September, and Fridays it’s St. Helena’s turn May-October, as well as the Napa Chef’s Market May-August. The Calistoga Farmers’ Market is on Saturdays.

Stay sober enough to make good choices – If at the end of the day, you find that you have seven cases of white zinfandel, you have only yourself to blame. You’ll know who’s about to make that really bad purchase – it’s the guy who’s going on and on about the “great legsh” on some cabernet at the counter. Also keep in mind that the great deals at the wineries are the fabulous wines that are only available there – meaning, they’re usually produced in limited quantities and not distributed – and the bottles that are discounted big by the case.

And, finally, you’re going to need to stop driving for a period of time while you do this; that’s all there is to it. The local police force keeps a pretty close eye on things. Designate a driver or rent a taxi or limo service, get someone to watch the kids, and then go taste some wine!

Visit the Napa valley site for more information.

The roadtripster is the handle of a longtime Coloradan who travels the country by any means possible, sometimes in an RV, sometimes car camping or in the backcountry, with kids and without.