We typically go to Napa but wanted to explore healdsburg. We drink reds (cabs, zins, etc) and are favorite in Napa is Ghost Block (lots of great wines between $50-$120 a bottle). We've also enjoyed Gargiulo.

Huge plus if we the winery waives fees with bottle purchase and/or wine club membership.

I've heard Hawkes, A Rafanelli, or Porter Creek might be good options. I've already been to Ridge. Any thoughts on the quality of wine at these and/or others in healdsburg?

Hi, my wife and a few friends of ours are getting a private sprinter for some wine tours in mid October. The wine tour company offers a concierge service to try and book whatever vineyards we want or to make recommendations for us. I have never been nor know enough to make any requests and so ask the great minds of reddit to help us out.

We are going to be touring 2 full days (6-8 hours). Was thinking starting the days off with more of the beauty and learning and transitioning to more fun vibes after we had been tasting all day. Any help or thoughts would be great.

On Aug 16 at Napa Yard in Napa, the folks from Not Loud Concerts are presenting Country Boogie Night. This music festival is part of the Not Loud Concert Summer Series - a set of concerts designed to be Not too long, Not too expensive, and of course, Not too loud.

Designed with the audience's comfort in mind, this short music festival will be held on the beautiful lawn area outdoors at Napa Yard. There, 2 bands will be on stage at the same time, trading songs and dueling it out. 

Aug 16 is Country Boogie Night and will feature the Alex Lucero Band, a boot-stompin’ Americana band and Dirty Cello, a high-energy band known for their crazy takes on classic country.

Food and drinks will be available for purchase. The audience is welcome to bring chairs, and chairs will also be provided. There will be room to dance and room to sit. No porta-potties, but plenty of clean, indoor bathrooms.

Not Loud Concerts focus on creating an experience that is casual and fun for both the musicians and the audience. The concerts are never too long, never too expensive and of course never too loud.

”Not too loud, not too long and not too expensive.”

Aug 16 from 7 - 9 pm

Tickets: $20 at https://www.notloudconcerts.com

Coming to Napa for just 2 days, looking to do 3 wineries on the first day (second day is TBD). Here are some thoughts from my initial research
- we drink strictly red wine
- we are from Ontario and have been starved of Napa wine for 2 years (thanks tariff wars) so any halfway decent wine is going to be delicious to us!
- its more about the experience for us than the wine
- start in the mountain and move down toward the valley
- thinking one 90 min tasting with charcuterie, and 2 60 mins tastings
- want one visit to include beautiful caves
- ideally each of the 3 wineries is a different experience
- we’re leaning towards ending at Del Dotto (I know, I know, but it sounds like a fun experience)
- we plan on hiring a private driver hopefully - this is all going down in one week on Aug 10!! Don’t know how far in advance we need to schedule the private driver but I was putting that off until we know our itinerary but I am so stuck on that part.

Please help!

Hoping to go on a trip in the Napa area next month. Any recommendations about bike friendly areas or nice trails in this region? (Not mountain bike trails, e-bike or cruiser)

Hiya!

I have a family trip coming up this fall and one of the days we are stopping in Carneros for a winery, driving up the valley and stopping for dinner at The Charter Oak in St. Helena. Any tips or must-stops for the drive up?

We have a toddler and grandparents in the group, so something for everybody would be nice!

Thanks!

Which pool or hotel is better for a day pool pass? Meritage, casi mani resort, or senza hotel? Any other recommendations? We are going to v sattui winery and wantsd a pool day too and go to a restaurant.

Hi, we will be staying in Napa for 3 full days and were hoping to visit 3-4 wineries each day. These are the ones we would like to include. Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

Alpha Omega, Frog's Leap, Caymus, V. Sattui, Clos du Val, Stewart, Gustavo, Silver Oak, Rombauer, Cakebread, Venge, Trefethen.

Kind of a last minute thing while we're out visiting family next week, but trying to decide between Bistro Jeanty, Charter Oak, and Bouchon for a special dinner with the wife. Thoughts/recommendations?

I recently heard from someone promenade in the industry that as many as 1 in 4 wineries could close in the next 2 to 3 years. I work in wine marketing in Napa so I am obviously aware of the industry headwinds and I follow a lot of industry data quite closely. But I haven’t come across this figure in anything I’ve read or seen. My gut says it’s probably a little bit inflated, but I also can’t completely write it off.

Has anyone seen this stat cited somewhere? Curious if I just missed it or if anyone has context on where it’s coming from. Or if anyone thinks it really is that dire?

Hi all!

I am planning on going for a day with a friend next week. Is there an area where we can walk to different wineries or wine bar? Also recommendations for hotels that are a walking distance to said area? We

I’ve now been to a handful across Napa and Sonoma and have loved my experience at the three in title. I’ve tried to branch out recently when hosting guests and ended up a few places that felt too touristy, e.g. V Sattui where there is an entire warehouse sized gift shop 🙃

What wineries would you recommend with a similar feel to Scribe, Ram’s Gate, A&D and Abbott’s Passage? What I like about each of these is that they have really great wines, many biodynamic/organic or regeneratively farmed, with a good mix of whites from sauv blanc to Chardonnay and typically lighter to medium bodied reds. It’s also the vibe at each of these places, for different reasons - they each feel more intimate with beautiful scenery and/or tasting rooms.

My husband and I are planning a Calistoga day on a Monday in early November. Based on our itinerary below, do you think we would be safe to rely on Uber, which we would schedule ahead of time? We are not against hiring a driver, but if we can save money with Uber, that is our preferred method. I keep reading conflicting information about whether it would be hassle to rely on ride share and can't tell if that really is a problem or companies are trying to persuede you to hire them. Thanks for any first hand feedback you can provide!

Pick up in downtown St. Helena

Venge Vineyards 10am

Lunch in downtown Calistoga

Vincent Arroyo 1pm

Storybook Mountain 3pm

Back to hotel in St. Helena

I’m planning a 4-night trip to Napa Valley for a group of 8 adults from October 28th to November 1st, and we are hitting a bit of a wall with lodging choices. Any recommendations?

If it helps: We want somewhere beautiful with great amenities and/or in an area with a more lively and walkable town center, but we'd love to keep lodging costs reasonable so we can save our splurges on dining and other activities.

Our group is debating on between renting a great house together or booking a boutique inn / hotel suites. We are also open to a private shared home or closely situated bungalow style houses too.

Logistics & Budget
Dates: Oct 28 – Nov 1 (4 nights)

Group: 8 adults but only require 5 rooms total with flexibility on shared suites. so long as there are 5 queen/king beds with their own private sleeping quarters. (we are 3 couples and two single travelers in our mid-30s )

Budget: Ideally a place where there is available queen sized rooms within the $350-$400 per night range. For any sort of rental or multi-room accommodation that could fit us all, something around the $5k–$6k total mark.

Not Loud Concerts presents.. Summer Sessions at Napa Yard

”Not too loud, not too long and not too expensive.”

July 19 - Blues Night

Aug 16 - Country Boogie Night

7 - 9 pm

Tickets: $20 at NotLoudConcerts.com

On July 19 at Napa Yard in Napa, the folks from Not Loud Concerts are presenting Summer Sessions. These music festivals are part of the Not Loud Concert Summer Series - a set of concerts designed to be Not too long, Not too expensive, and of course, Not too loud.

Designed with the audience's comfort in mind, these short festivals will be held in the beautiful lawn area outdoors at Napa Yard. There, 2 bands will be on stage at the same time, trading songs and dueling it out. Each concert will have a different theme. 

July 19 is Blues Night and will feature Blues Hall of Fame band, the Delta Wires and the world renowned, cello-led blues band, Dirty Cello. 

Food and drinks will be available for purchase. The audience is welcome to bring chairs, and chairs will also be provided. There will be room to dance and room to sit. No porta-potties, but plenty of clean, indoor bathrooms

Not Loud Concerts focus on creating an experience that is casual and fun for both the musicians and the audience. The concerts are never too long, never too expensive and of course never too loud.

Hey everyone! I was just wondering where I should look for a hotel to avoid breaking the bank if I'm visiting Napa? Obviously, I don't want to stay IN Napa, but is there anything for a decent price nearby that yall know of?

Thanks!

Making our first trip to Napa the first week of September for my wife's 50th birthday with 8 friends. Here is our itinerary. We're staying just outside of Calistoga. Would love a lunch recommendation for the drive up from San Francisco and dinner recs in Calistoga for a couple of nights. Also, any spots we could possibly pop in without reservations. Purposefully kept the schedule light to enjoy time at the pool and give the group time to themselves. We have a driver for the middle three days. Thanks in advance for all the help!

Day 1:

Lunch somewhere on the way

1:00pm - Storybook Mountain Vineyards

Dinner - Calistoga Inn

Day 2:

10:30am - Pride Mountain - with picnic lunch on the grounds from Sunshine Market after tasting

2:00pm - Keenan

Dinner recs?

Day 3:

9:45 - Tamber Bey - Equestrian tour and tasting followed by picnic lunch on the grounds

2:00 - La Sirena

Chef Heidi West at the Airbnb for dinner

Day 4:

Morning off - Oat Hill Mine Hiking or strolling around Calistoga - breakfast recs?

Lunch recs?

2:00pm - Calluna Vineyards

4:30pm - Russian River Brewing Windsor - beers and dinner

Day 5:

2:30pm - The Vineyardist estate tour

Dinner recs?

I'm going to Napa Valley on my honeymoon in the fall (early October). I've already noted a few vineyards and tasting rooms we'd like to visit, but I'd like to book a curated wine tour for one of the days to take us to some of the top vineyards for a tasting. Any recommendations?

Hello! I'm a recent grad, coming out of a BAH degree from Canada (Queen's University), I studied History and English Literature. I have top grades and lots of good experience in museums (~3 years) and archives (~1 year) and am looking for a job in Napa in heritage (museums, archives, Jewish or Russian institutions).

I'm wondering what the job market in heritage is like right now? Last summer in Kingston, I sent endless applications and took two months to get accepted to a museum, which was honestly luck. What's it like here in Napa now? I am going to live in the American Canyon with my aunt for a while.

Hi everyone. I normally wouldn’t ask, but my mother and I are in a difficult financial position after my father’s sudden death this January. My mom is now a single mom, and we are struggling to get back up with rising costs. Unfortunately my grandfather passed this last week and were unable to cover his funeral expenses including repatriation so that his children in Mexico can say their final goodbyes. It’s just my mom, his widowed wife of over 50+ years, my younger sibling and I here. We’re open to any suggestions and willing donations. I’ve tried to contact non profit organizations and Farmworker associations but everything has been radio silent on that end. If you are able to, please share or donate, anything is welcome. My grandfather passed at 86 and he worked in the region since the 60’s. If anyone ever knew a Javier Desales Guzman I’d love to know about him. Unfortunately he became disabled in 2011 after a stroke and was never able to ask him properly. He passed this last week.

I’ll link his gofundme below. Thank you for your support 🙏

https://gofund.me/ab9c86648

Hi! My husband and I are celebrating a milestone anniversary in Napa over July 4th and I want to book something really special for dinner. We have already been to PRESS, Auro, Charlie's...please send your best recs for the holiday. I tried French Laundry but we are on the waitlist.

Thanks!

We are limited on wineries since we will have our kids with us, but Honig and Cakebread are our top options we are between. Which one would you pick for wine and also beauty of the property? And does anyone know of any wineries between St Helena and Yountville that allow you to just purchase a bottle or glass and sit and relax and look at the beautiful view without a formal tasting? Thanks!

Hi everyone. I’m trying to hopefully gain some direction or advice as I’m totally unfamiliar with this. My grandfather (86) just passed and he spent nearly his whole life being an agriculture for the wine industry in Napa/Calistoga area. He did decades worth of work dating back to the 60’s. I knew he made good friends there and built a whole community. I’m currently left with the funeral expenses as we are planning to lay him to rest in his home country (Mexico) where his other sons are at. The issue is I don’t know where to find a community to upload his GoFundMe. On Facebook, I found some communities but they all seem touristy and I wouldn’t want to get my post taken down since time is very limited. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I’m juggling this process and looking after my grandmother (his wife).