Free Planning Guide for a Trip to Napa Valley (Life After Coronavirus)

We made it. Now let’s go drink wine!

Post coronavirus guide to Napa

I’m going to jump ahead a bit. I mean, right now we’re all in the middle of a huge world wide pandemic, a lot of us are quarantined in our homes, the stock market is dropping, life pretty much has stopped. But I see a day when it’s all over, when things turn back to normal, and when that day comes I want you to celebrate life with your friends, with your family, heck, with strangers. And I want you to do this in Napa or Sonoma because, well, I love it here.

Step by Step Guide to Plan a Trip to Napa or Sonoma

Let’s talk about that - Napa or Sonoma. People can get very opinionated on this but I’ll give it to you straight. If you have never been to Wine Country then make it Napa first. Napa is home to many of the big names you see in your market, from Beringer to Sterling. It’s home to some of the most beautiful wineries in the world, like the historic Inglenook (insanely beautiful) or the full scale castle, Castillo di Amorosa. It’s also home to many, many small boutique wineries tucked away from the crowds. The main criticism of Napa is that it’s “too commercial” or “too busy”, but that’s not necessarily so.

Sonoma, on the other hand, is less ornate, less “developed”, and many suggest it’s a bit more down to Earth. I like Sonoma a lot, but if Napa is Disneyland then Sonoma is Knott’s Berry Farm. It’s good, in fact it’s great, but do Napa first. If you have three days you can do two in Napa, one in Sonoma.

Overwhelmed? Not to worry, just email me for free advice.

Step One: Get a Hotel

Hotels in wine country are notoriously expensive so book early. And let me get this out of the way - If you book through me I get a very small commission. Like just about every small business, the Coronavirus has nearly killed my business so I really appreciate it if you can support me by booking with me. At the top of the page are links to hotels where you can check rates, availability, and make reservations. If you are not sure about a hotel, ask me! I built this site based on offering free and honest advice and I’ll tell you the truth about a hotel and its location so you get exactly what you are looking for, whether a budget motel or a 5 star resort.

Location matters in Napa as you want a hotel close to restaurants. Right now you might look at Googlemaps and say “but the restaurant I want to go to is only 15 minutes from my hotel”. Trust me, after drinking wine all day you want a restaurant you can walk to or is only minutes away. Start with downtown Napa and if you can afford it, Yountville. Calistoga is at the northern tip and has some less expensive options as well as some high end resorts, but the food scene is more robust in downtown and Yountville.

Viansa Winery

Step Two: Build a Winery Itinerary

Figure you can go to 4 to 5 wineries a day. A good plan is to hit up one of the big name wineries right at 10, a second at 11, visit a winery that allows a picnic at 12, and then another at 2 and then 3. Here’s an example:

Stop 1: Sterling Vineyards: Ride their tram to the top of the mountain, do their self guided tour, check out the views. Sterling gets packed by midday but at 10AM it’s nice and peaceful. And don’t forget, I have a FREE $10 OFF CODE for every Sterling experience. Just email me and I’ll send it to you.

Stop 2: Clos Pegase: You need reservations for this one, located right across the street from Sterling. This pretty much eliminates drive time, a good strategy if you want to see a lot of wineries. This is a seated tasting, fancier than Sterling, but not snooty or anything. Highly recommended.

Stop 3: Picnic Time! You have a few options here. If you want to stay on the “big name” path go to Beringer. They have an awesome picnic area on their lushly landscaped grounds. Or if you want someplace a bit off the beaten path, go to Dutch Henry where it’s fun, funky, and very low key. They have picnic tables for you as well as a bocce ball court. You can also hit up V. Sattui which has a full deli onsite, or Charles Krug which has a nice charcuterie dining section as well as pizzas on the lawn during season. Remember, if they sell food you cannot bring in your own.

Stop 4: Lunch will drag on, it’s a fact in Napa, so make the next stop nice and casual. I really like Grgich Hills during the week. Mike Grgich is legend - rewatch Bottle Shock to see where he fits into Napa history. His winery is like a 70’s throwback, very cool and old school.

Stop 5: Prime Solum: I like to end the day at a seated tasting with food and Prime Solum is a good choice. Not many people know about this one, it’s actually owned by Bill Hill who once owned Wm. Hill Estates. He sold the big winery and now does small production, high end wines. His daughter Elana runs the tasting room and her husband makes the gourmet bites. Reservations required, it’s a great way to wrap up the day.

Before I Forget, Get a Wine Pass

The Priority Wine Pass will get you Two For One’s all over Napa, including the wineries listed above. Yes, I get paid when you buy a pass but it’s really more about saving you money so it’s a nice win-win, right? You only need one pass per couple and if you buy it with my code below you get $20 off the retail price - it will be $39.99. Is it worth it? Well, you save $35 at Sterling alone and then save anywhere from $25 to $60 at every winery stop thereafter. So yes, worth it. Definitely.

Step 3: Hire a Driver

You don’t want to drive. I mean, you didn’t survive the Coronavirus to spend the night in jail for drinking and driving. So you need a driver. You can use Uber or Lyft but there are some serious downsides to using them as your only transportation - mainly the wait times but also the cost. You main options are to hire someone to drive your rental, or hire a personal driver who will pick you up in their vehicle. Figure someone driving your rental will cost you $45 an hour. Someone driving you in their vehicle is about $350 for 6 hours. Add tip to both of those, 15% to 20%. I know, it’s a lot but just factor it into the cost of your trip.

Not all drivers are equal, especially the ones who drive your rental. I know of a few drivers who can legally drive your rental so email me and I’ll connect you. I also work with Nick, the owner of SF Bay Trinity Tours, to drive my groups, as well as Vine Country Transportation to drive my large corporate or wedding events. Basically, just reach out to me and I’ll connect you. Email link below.

Nick + Wally’s Wine Tours - Still Around? You Bet!

Right before the you know what hit the fan my buddy Nick and I got together to figure out if there was a better way to plan a trip to Napa. We came up with Nick + Wally’s Wine Tours, a simplified way to plan your trip. Some people like to pick their own wineries, no problem. Others want us to pick them. no problem. And what everyone wanted was a cheaper price than piecing it together yourself. That’s what we were all about, helping couples to bachelorette parties (our favorite!) to corporate events. Anyway, we are still here and still open for business. All you need to do is reach out and you can chat with me personally to figure this all out.

What About Platypus Tours?

If you want to avoid doing any planning, just hop on the Platypus Tour but TELL THEM LOCAL WALLY AND NAPA TOURIST GUIDE SENT YOU so they give me the referral fee. I really like what these guys do and their drivers are friendly and knowledgeable. You can’t use the Wine Pass with them however and you can’t pick wineries but it’s a nice alternative if you just don’t want to think about it. Here’s the link to Platupus Tours.

Incredible food everywhere in Napa - these wings are from Redd Wood in Yountville.

Step 4: Make Dinner Reservations

Do not come to Napa without dinner reservations. The French Laundry is Napa’s most famous restaurant, one of the best restaurants in the world. Dinner for two will set you back about $1,000 after wine and reservations are hard to get but if you can swing it you need to do this. Here’s an article I wrote about my experience there with lots of photos and tips. I know, that’s a ton of money but you deserve it after being cooped up in your house eating frozen Trader Joe’s during the Coronavirus.

Other top picks include Mustards Grill (essential, should be #1 on your list), Bistro Jeanty (incredible casual French bistro food), Ad Hoc or Bouchon (Thomas Keller’s more affordable restaurants), Rutherford Grill or R+D Kitchen (yes, they are chains but they are very, very good), among others. Check out my dining guides and my Top 10 Restaurant List.

Step 5: Email Me with Questions!

I love answering your questions about Napa and Sonoma and helping you plan out your trip, whether you’re coming as a couple or planning that bachelorette party blowout. I can connect your with wineries and experiences that only locals and insiders know about and help you plan your trip from start to finish. I don’t charge and all of my advice is honest and unbiased from any advertisers. Reach out to me - I’d love to hear from you even if we’re still stuck in the middle of a pandemic and you just want to dream a bit.