Wine Country with Kids

Touring wine country is not much fun for children. After all, watching one's parents drink is not a great spectator sport. A great compromise is to devote part of the day to a child-friendly activity and the balance to visiting wine country.

Blue Heron has long offered a tour called Red Trees and Red Wine, which combines a visit to Muir Woods with a tour of the town of Sonoma and the Carneros wine region. During this full-day tour, we start with a visit to Muir Woods, home to the coastal redwoods - the tallest trees in the world. Afterward, we head up to the Carneros wine region for an afternoon of winetasting. The charming town of Sonoma, with its Mexican-era plaza and old mission, is a great place to stop for lunch. A visit to Mission San Francisco de Solano, the last of the 21 missions built in California, can be included.

Another fun day for families is to start with a tour of the Jelly Belly Factory to learn how these delicious candies are made. Then its off to Carneros or the southern Napa Valley for lunch and an afternoon of winetasting. This tour allows every family member to come home with treats they will enjoy.

If you would like to take one of these tours, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Taking a Winery Tour

If you have never taken a tour of a winery, I recommend doing so when you visit wine country. Most of the tours focus on the winemaking process; although, a few focus on other areas such as biodynamic farming and the history of the winery. Once you have done one tour, you are probably set for life unless you are really into making wine. After all, one can only see so many stainless steel fermentation tanks and oak barrels.

Many wineries do not offer tours. Still more offer tours only by appointment. If you arrive in the Napa or Sonoma Valleys or Carneros without having scheduled a tour, here are a few options for you:

Sonoma Valley:

Benziger offers one of the more unique wine country tours. You can visit their biodynamic vineyards in a tractor-pulled tram and then walk through their production facilities. The schedule varies, but tours are usually offered hourly if not more frequently. The tour lasts about one hour and includes tasting some of their wines.

Sebastiani's Historical Tour covers the history of Sebastiani as well as the winemaking process. Tours are usually offered at 11:00, 1:00, and 3:00; however, they may be cancelled due to special events so call before you arrive to make sure the tour is being offered. The tour lasts 40 minutes.

Carneros:

Artesa provides free tours of their production facilities at 11:00 and 2:00. There is no charge for the 45 minute tour.

Napa Valley:

Mondavi offers hourly tours that include tastes of some of their current releases. The tour is advertised as 75 minutes in length but frequently takes longer. During the summer and fall, more frequent tours may be offered. Children are allowed only on the noon tour.

Rutherford Hill's tours include a visit to their caves and tastings of some of their current releases. Tours are offered at 11:30, 1:30, and 3:30. During the busy summer and fall seasons, arrive early to make sure you get a ticket.

Mumm Napa has free hourly tours of their production facilities and photography gallery. You can just show up at the winery a few minutes before the start of the tour.

Beringer offers an array of tours. Some tours require advance reservations. For other tours, you just buy a ticket when you arrive at the winery. Most focus on some aspect of the history of Beringer, the oldest continuously operated winery in the Napa Valley.

Other wineries offer quality tours. If you have taken one, post a comment. If you would like to take a private wine country tour that includes a winery tour, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

The Tasting Room Experience

Just because a winery produces good wine does not mean you will have a good time in their tasting room. Schug Carneros Estate Winery has been producing excellent Pinot Noir and other wines since 1980. However, I seldom take guests into the tasting room because of the attitude of one of their regular staffers. He never engages visitors and can be quite off putting.

Yesterday, I was showing Pinot lovers around Carneros and decided to take a chance and visit Schug. What a difference! The three staff were friendly and the one serving my guests was very funny and attentive. This quality customer service coupled with the good wine made for an enjoyable experience for my guests.

I learned that the staff member lacking customer service skills does not work on Sundays and Mondays, so I'll put Schug back on my list of wineries to visit but just on the two days he's not there.

This one person I am criticizing is not the only tasting room staff member who does not have adequate customer service skills. I was recently at Chateau Montelena where a friendly staffer took good care of my guests. However, her colleague left a lot to be desired. I was the only visitor in the tasting room when others walked in the front door. The sole staff member in the room was doing some paperwork and never looked up to great the people after they walked in. If I was in their group, I would have walked out the door after standing around for a few minutes with no one even saying, "Hello," to them.

Wineries need to remember that many visitors have never been to a tasting room. They may be a little intimidated or not know how tastings are conducted. A warm greeting will go a long way to making their visit a pleasant one.

If you would like to take a private wine country tour where you will meet friendly tasting room staff, please call me at (866) 326-4237 or e-mail me by clicking here.

Sandwiches and Salads on Sonoma Plaza

If you are winetasting in Carneros or Sonoma Valley and just want a quick sandwich or salad for lunch, the Sunflower Caffe on Sonoma Plaza is the place to go. (The sign on the restaurant says, "Caffe," but all the internet listings say, "Cafe.") Using the freshest of ingredients, this pleasant bistro prepares a variety of light meals. On summer weekends, the Sunflower also offers sandwiches with freshly barbecued meats.

After placing your order at the counter, you will be given your drink and a number. Find a table and then wait for your meal to be brought to you. You can lunch inside on a rainy day, but on warm days you will want to sit out back in their sunny garden or at one of the tables in front facing the plaza.

The cafe is also a good spot to stop for coffee, espresso, and/or pastry.

Sunflower Caffe is located on the west side of Sonoma Plaza at 421 First Street West.

If you would like to take a private wine country tour in Sonoma County that includes lunch at the Sunflower Caffe, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Harvest is Just Around the Corner

The first grapes are going through verasion - the process by which grapes change color from green to red or green to yellow/green. The newspapers have printed their first articles with predictions for this year's harvest. Experts say that workers will begin picking the first grapes, those for sparkling wines, in the first or second week of August. These same experts predict that this year's harvest will exceed last year's but not match the record harvest of 2005.

Harvest is the most popular time of year for tourists to visit wine country. There is much activity in the wineries and good smells are in the air. Visitors can see the grapes hanging from the vines and taste the sweetness of wine grapes. Many wineries let visitors taste grape juice and/or newly fermented wine.

If you are planning to visit wine country between August and early November, some planning can help ensure that you have a fun visit. Hotel reservations, particularly in the Napa Valley, are likely to be scarce. Some hotels are probably already sold out on many dates. So book your lodging as early as you can.

Try to avoid visiting on a Saturday. Throughout the year Saturday is always the most popular days for folks to visit wine country. During harvest, plan for the wineries to be packed on Saturdays, especially in Napa. If you must visit on a Saturday, visit a wine region other than the Napa Valley. The Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valleys in northern Sonoma County are always less crowded than the Napa and Sonoma Valleys.

Visit wineries that are open to the public only by advance appointment. These wineries control the number of visitors, so you will have a more personal tasting experience. Even during harvest, you won't experience the crowds at these wineries. However, the most popular wineries that require appointments are fully booked more than a month in advance. If you would like to visit Far Niente, Schramsberg, Jarvis, Nickel and Nickel, and other well-known wineries that are open only by appointment, make your reservations now. Some of my favorite Napa wineries that require an appointment are Hall Rutherford, Bell Wine Cellars, Havens, and Sullivan. In the Alexander Valley, Jordan requires an appointment and provides a nice tour and tasting.

If you do not want to fight the crowds during harvest, have Blue Heron Custom Tours and Travel plan your visit or take you on a private, wine country tour. For more information, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Picnic Supplies in Carneros

Carneros is a wine region that spans southern Napa and Sonoma Counties. It is the only wine region (American Viticulture Area (AVA)) in California that is in two counties. Being closer to the Bay, Carneros is cooler than the Napa and Sonoma Valleys and, thus, produces quality cool weather grapes such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

A drive through the rolling hills of Carneros is among the loveliest in Northern California. However, Route 121 -- the principal road in Carneros -- does not pass thorough any towns. Nevertheless there are two places that produce excellent sandwiches and salads for picnics. The Blue Tree Cafe in the Cornerstone Gardens serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. You can eat in the cafe or carry out sandwiches and salads to take to a nearby winery. Cornerstone Gardens is a walk-through garden with interesting landscaping and sculpture, as well as home to a few stores and galleries. It is located on Route 121, just north of the Schellville Airport and south of the intersection with Route 116.

The Fig Pantry in Sonoma is a short drive from Carneros. Located at the intersection of 8th Street East and Napa Street, the Fig Pantry has a coffee bar, wine store, charcuterie, and deli. You can easily pick up superbly prepared sandwiches and salads as well as cheeses and meats to make your own sandwiches. Then take your picnic supplies back to Carneros or to one of the wineries near the town of Sonoma. The Fig Pantry is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

If you would like to take a private wine country tour that includes a picnic lunch in Carneros or Sonoma, please feel free to call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Winetasting for Non-Drinkers

Sometimes my tour groups include one or two people who do not drink. Since watching others taste wine is not much fun, I try to visit wineries that would also be enjoyable for the non-drinkers.

Wineries that are interesting to visit for both tasters and obstainers are those with art galleries. The Hess Collection, on Mount Veeder in the Napa Valley, has a large gallery of contemporary art. Three floors of modern art will give the nondrinkers plenty to do while their friends taste Hess' wines in the pretty tasting room. Mumm Napa Valley, producer or quality sparkling wines, has a photography gallery with a regular exhibit of works by Anselm Adams as well as rotating exhibits. Turnbull Wine Cellars, also in the Napa Valley, produces excellent Cabernet Sauvignon and other wines and has a gallery of excellent black and white photographs. Imagery Estate Winery, in the Sonoma Valley, has an on-going exhibit of the original works of art used for their wine labels. Lastly, Clos Pegase Estate Winery, in the northern end of the Napa Valley, has a sculpture garden with works by some of the twentieth century's best known sculptors.

Non-drinkers also enjoy visiting architecturally interesting wineries. Sterling Vineyards sits on a knoll overlooking the Napa Valley. Visitors travel to the winery in a gondola and upon arrival are treated to beautiful views of the valley. In the Carneros Region, Artesa Winery is an architecturally stunning building atop a hill. Great views may be had from the entry way to the winery as well as from the deck outside the tasting room. The winery is also home to a resident sculptor and a small museum on the history of Carneros.

If you are planning a trip to San Francisco with a group that contains both folks who enjoy wine as well as those who do not, I'd be happy to plan a Wine Country tour that includes stops at wineries that all will find interesting. To schedule a tour, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.

Winetasting Overlooking The Vineyards

Bouchaine Vineyards in the Carneros Region of Napa County provides a lovely spot to taste some quality wine. On a sunny day, sitting on Bouchaine's deck overlooking the vineyards and tasting excellent Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and other varietals provides the perfect wine country experience. If the weather isn't cooperating, the friendly staff will make sure you still have an enjoyable time at the counter in the tasting room.

If you plan ahead, Bouchaine can provide you with a picnic lunch on the deck. Their "Table for Two" provides a picnic basked with lunch for two adults and a bottle of wine. You may order as many baskets as you need for your group, but must call (800) 654-9463) at least 24 hours in advance to arrange your wine country lunch.

Bouchaine is located a little off the beaten track in Carneros at 1075 Buchli Station Road. Be sure to take a map with you (available on Bouchaine's website) as Buchli Station Road is not well marked and Bouchaine's sign at the intersection of Las Amigas and Buchli Station is easy to miss. Bouchaine is open daily from 10:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. During the winter, their hours are reduced so check before you visit if traveling between November and April.

Better yet, let Blue Heron Custom Tours take you a private tour of Carneros that includes a visit to Bouchaine and other great wineries. To book your custom tour, call me at (866) 326-4237 or e-mail me by clicking here.

Relax and Enjoy California Sparkling Wine

One of my favorite settings in all of wine country is the patio at Domaine Carneros. Life doesn't get much better than sitting outside on a sunny afternoon, gazing out over the vineyards, and drinking sparkling wine.

Domaine Carneros is best known for it's three sparkling wines. (While it is legal to call sparkling wine "Champagne" in the United States, to the rest of the world "Champagne" is sparkling wine produced only in the Champagne region of France.) However, it also produces some pretty good Pinot Noir.

When you visit the winery, I recommend ordering a sampler of the three sparkling wines or three red wines (usually three different Pinot Noirs or two Pinots and a Merlot). Domaine Carneros is one of the few wineries that serves food, so you may want to pair your wine with a cheese or caviar plate.

Domaine Carneros is open later than most wineries -- until 6:00 p.m. -- so it's a perfect spot to end your day of winetasting. The winery also offers a 45-minute tour to explain how sparkling wine is produced. Domaine Carneros is located on Highway 121 in the Carneros Region of Napa County.

If you would like to take a tour that includes a stop at Domaine Carneros, feel free to call me to book our 4.5-hour Taste of Wine Country Tour or our 8-hour tour to the Napa or Sonoma Valley. You can reach me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or by clicking here.

Friendly Tasting Room in Carneros

Carneros is the wine growing region (American Viticulture Area (AVA)) that spans the top of San Francisco Bay. The nearby Bay provides for cooler temperatures; thus, making Carneros (sheep or ram in Spanish) an ideal locale to grow Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Growers have also been experimenting with other varietals, such as Syrah.

Carneros' beautiful rolling hills and proximity to San Francisco (approximately one hour by car) make this a great place to taste wine. One of the friendliest tasting rooms to visit is Nicholson Ranch, a small, family-owned winery that produces about 6,500 cases of Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and a very small amount of Merlot. The land is owned by Socrates Nicholson. (Ellis Island officials Anglicized the family's Greek surname.) Soc's daughter, Ramona, owns the winery. Both are frequently in the tasting room and available to answer your questions.

More likely you'll encounter the regular tasting room staff, which includes Bruce, Bill, Charles, Donna, Mark, and Susan. All are enthusiastic about Nicholson's wines; extremely knowledgeable about wine in general; and, most importantly, welcoming to all visitors.

Nicholson charges $10 for a flight of six wines, which you may keep to yourself or share with your companion. It's fun to compare and contract Nicholson's various Chardonnays, Pinots, and Syrahs. The staff will help you select wines that will appeal to your palate. Nicholson is open daily from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Tours of their caves may be arranged by prior appointment.

If you want to take a private, custom wine country tour that includes a visit to Nicholson Ranch, please call me at (866) 326-4237 (toll free) or e-mail me by clicking here.