Friends are always asking me what wineries they should visit when they go to Napa, I always tell them the same thing. “That depends on you”. Are you new to wine? Have you ever been there before? What type of wine do you like? These are just a few of the things that go into deciding what wineries to visit. Some of these go hand in hand with each other, so your answer to any of these may result in different outcomes.
If you’re new to wine then you will probably want to go to some of the bigger production tasting rooms on your first trip. These are wines which are readily available at your local supermarket. These types of wineries are good for the new or casual wine drinkers because they typically have a wide variety of wines to taste, thus allowing you to get a feel for which varietal (the grape from which the wine is made) best suits your palette.
Another appealing thing about visiting this type of winery is that you get a larger selection for your tasting fee (around $10). The tasting fee is the wineries way of covering the costs of the staff and wine should you not chose to buy any wine from them. Some of the wineries will waive the tasting fee if you make a minimum purchase, usually one or two bottles. Others may give you commemorative glasses in lieu of waiving the fee. Also, these are typically priced more appropriately for the beginner’s wallet. Usually at the larger production wineries you will find wines in the $15 – $40 range.
A few examples (in Napa) are Markham Vineyards, Rubicon Estate (aka Niebaum-Coppla) and Sterling Vineyards. Again, these are only a few of the examples. If you are looking for a nice place to have lunch and wine tasting try V. Sattui Winery. Looking for a map of the Napa Valley wineries?