Alpha Omega Winery, 707-963-9999 Beaulieu Vineyard, 707-257-5749 Chateau Montelena, home of the Chardonnay that defeated France's best in the famous 1976 Paris Trial, remains a reference producer. The Chardonnay is as energetic and age-worthy as ever, but there's much more to it here, including the phenomenal taxis and Zinfandels, the beautiful gardens, and the 19th century castle itself. Cliff Lede Vineyard, 707-944-8642 Domaine Carneros, 800-716-BRUT (278). Local tour agencies offer private wine tours, group tours, and transportation, making it easy for travelers to make the most of Napa Valley wine routes.
The most popular circuit goes to Hog Island Oyster Farm, Cowgirl Creamery and Brickmaiden Breads, but custom tours may include tasting honey sparkling wine at Heidrun Meadery or certified organic white and red wines at McEvoy Ranch. Past guests are enthusiastic about the friendly guides, the excellent road trip atmosphere, and the carefully selected selection including an Italian wine cellar for lunch. Sit back in your saddle as you stroll through pastoral meadows, flowing streams and row after row of fragrant grape vines, pausing from time to time to hook your horse in the acclaimed cellars you pass by. You'll walk four to six miles before settling in for lunch in a city wine tasting room or having a picnic on the grounds of a family-owned wine estate.
These are the wine tasting tours that you had no idea you could book, but that you should write now that you know. Visiting Napa Valley without stopping at Robert Mondavi Winery's mission-style estate in Oakville is missing an important part of American wine history. Large tracts of the beautiful California countryside are dedicated to wine production, with boutique and renowned wineries producing some of the most famous varieties in the world. BV, one of the oldest producers in the valley, offers tours of the original winery building, which dates back to 1885. Book a ticket on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad in Ohio for a two-hour wine tasting called Grape Escape.
Explore the rolling countryside of the Monticello Wine Route on one- or two-hour guided horseback riding tours run by the Indian Summer Guide Service. Western wine tours are designed to provide a fun introduction to Sonoma wines and easy transportation in this case, courtesy of the shiny revamped VW vans with elegant seating corners ready for your social media moment. Plus, there are literally thousands of California wineries and vineyards to choose from 3,600 per count. Sustainable Wine Tours specializes in day trips to explore the Santa Ynez Valley, one of the five wine-growing areas of the Santa Barbara wine region.
Once back on dry land, sample four wines ranging from refreshing iced wines to the estate's exclusive Baco Noir, a medium-bodied red wine made with a hybrid grape.
