24 Hours in Napa
Lush Tunic | One Teaspoon Shorts | Be there in a Prosecco Nail Polish | Skinny Braided Belt | Seycehlles Waypoint Bootie | Cuyana Small Carryall Tote | Ralph Lauren Sunglasses | Kendra Scott Sophee Earrings | Daniel Wellington Watch | Kate Spade Bangle
I feel like I have skipped out on my San Francisco trip with ya! We're back at it now, but if you missed my initial posts, I wrote Where to Stay in San Francisco, Where to get Coffee in San Francisco, The Perfect Tourist Outfit, and Top 10 Packing Hacks.
Nick and I went for a long weekend and it was great, but definitely not long enough! We arrived late Thursday night and stayed through late Sunday night. His family was able to join us, too! They didn't arrive until Saturday, so we went to Napa on Friday, for the entire day.
If you know my personality, I like to do as much as possible, so it should come as no surprise how much Nick and I fit in to our day. We were beat by the end of the day BUT it was so worth it. Anyway, here was our line-up:
Mumm Napa. If you're familiar with wine tasting, then you know why we went here first. If you're not, don't worry, I got you! Mumm is a premier sparkling wine house in Napa Valley. (wonder why I didn't call it Champagne? Check out number 4 on this post). In the art of wine tasting, you start with bubbles, so it only made sense to begin here! It's a beautiful building and the patio is just breathtaking. It was so fun to sip on bubbles and watch the sunrise. Plus, all of their decor is just so instagrammable! (see this instagram post and this one too!) Our favorite was the Brut Reserve, so that's what we went home with! Snap Kitchen recently gave me an early wedding present of Brut Reserve RosƩ, so I'm excited to try that one, before summer ends!
B Cellars. I think we spent the most time at this one and for that I am so happy. Why? Because it involved food. Their pairings were out of this world amazing!! We started with a glass of RosƩ and an amazing grapefruity spoonful of something delicious, then had a tour around the property. I'm dying to go back, because they host dinners in their caves, as well! We went home with 2 bottles of their RosƩ and 1 of their Red 24 blends. If you go here, be sure to call ahead and make a reservation.
PlumpJack. What I liked about this one, is that it was kind of off the beaten path. They had a cool tasting room and a nice little patio, too. Their wine associates were super fun to talk to, and we walked away with one of their Cade labels and one of their Adaptation labels.
Duckhorn. Honestly, I could have sat at Duckhorn all day. They have this amazing wrap around veranda, that is just phenomenal. They are known for their Merlot, so if you love that, you gotta get here! It is reservation only, so prepare in advance. We obviously went home with one of their outstanding Merlots.
Cliff Lede Vineyards. We made this one in the nick of time, because they were literally 15 minutes from closing. This one has great patio and their vines are beautiful. They name the sections of vineyard by famous songs, which I loved, since I think in song lyrics.
Walt Wines. Our last stop of the day was Walt, which is actually a tasting room in Sonoma. Nick wanted me to be able to go to at least one there, so this was it. Why? Because they are known for their Pinot Noirs, which is my favorite kind of wine!
So that was what our day in Napa Valley looked like! It may have been my first time there, but it was not my first time wine tasting. I've learned a few things here and there, so here are some of my "do's" and "do not's!"
TIPS:
Bring Protein Bars. Y'all know I get hungry all the time, so this is a no brainer for me, BUT it's actually really good for you to eat protein when you're drinking. It helps keep your blood alcohol levels down. It's not good to drink on an empty stomach. You want to actually enjoy your day! Nick and I actually stopped at Mr. Holmes Bakehouse before, so we had yummy pastries in our belly! You can see them here. I talked about my favorite protein bars here. If I don't have those on hand, I like to get Oatmega Bars from Whole Foods or Snap Kitchen.
Don't drink all the wine. I meannn if you like the glass you're drinking, go for it; however, you don't have to drink all the wine they pour and you definitely shouldn't if you don't enjoy it! Just don't finish your pour or dump it in the designated container.
Do drink water. Start your day with it for sure! You don't want to become extra dehydrated. It will be more fun, I promise!
Make appointments if you can. Call ahead to wineries, even if it's the day of. You never know when there will be a rush. Some, like Duckhorn, you do need to make in advance. It will just make your tasting experience smoother!
Try not to go on a weekend. Weekends are when everyone and their mom goes. Literally. We went on a Friday and had awesome luck! There were people out, but not that many.
Wear comfy shoes. I wore booties and was so glad I did. You're on your feet a lot and you don't want your feet to start hurting. You want to focus on the wine! Also, if you're doing any kind of tour, a lot of them require close toed shoes.
Stop at a roadside stand. We literally had the best cherries and strawberries of our lives. There must be something in the soil!
Leave room in your suitcase. So we kind of forgot to do this and struggled getting our 7 wine bottles packed, but we did it! It's super helpful to bring bubble wrap too! If you want to get all professional, you can actually buy a carry on luggage piece, that is just for wine! This one will do the trick, but this one is super cute!
Side note- If you're one of my Texas readers (or even if you're not) and you're looking to wine taste closer to home, here's my Fredericksburg, TX Travel Guide and Fredericksburg Bachelorette Party posts!
Have you ever been to Napa? Did I leave off any of your favorite places? I recently collaborated with Flora Springs, but have never been to their estate, so that's on my list for next time! We also really want to get to Paso Robles, to see Epoch Estate, but that's a separate trip from Napa. Our next wine trip that we have booked, is in the Willamette Valley, in Oregon, next August. All we have booked is our house, so send recommendations my way, if you have them!
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