Sonoma or Napa?

[Skiblets]

The Mrs and I heading to wine country in august. I enjoy bigger reds. She enjoys lighter reds and whites. First time heading there and will stay for three full days. Thanks in advance

 

[8893]

Yes.

Both great; if I had to choose one, I would probably choose Sonoma.

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

Just went out there in October for 8 days. Both are great.

Sonoma is less uppity and the vineyards are more spread out. Napa is a little bit more formal and everything is close together basically on either route 29 or the Silverado Trail. You can drive between them in roughly an hour. Take Trinity Road in between if you like adventure and aren't driving a manual.

Both expensive. If you don't have tasting reservations and dinner reservations you need to do that this week.

Sonoma Recs:

• The Girl and The Fig: highly recommend. The duck confit was excellent.
• Tasca Tasca: Portuguese Tapas. On the above average side but affordable. Very casual food
• El Molino Centrale: A Must in Sonoma. Unbelievable Mexican food. Very casual and outdoors only.
• Sunflower cafe: great breakfast spot!

• Iron Horse Vineyards if you like bubbly. Great Brut's here.

Napa Recs:

• Farmstead: Highly highly recommend. This place is excellent, and they do just about everything right.
• Market: A local spot in Saint Helena. Really enjoyed it here. A casual vibe but just really nice food and great service
• Bottega: Chef Michael Chiarellos place in Yountville. Excellent Italian food. I highly recommend it.

• Paraduxx: Great red blends, a fun tasting and well worth it.
• Caymus: A classic tasting. Given the size you feel a little bit like a cog in the machine, but it was a good tasting nonetheless. What’s great about Caymus is they waive your tasting fee with an equivalent purchase in wine. So effectively if you have 2 $50 tastings, they’ll waive the tasting fees if you buy $100 in wine. Great value.
• Judds Hill: A small vineyard just outside of downtown Napa. Really enjoyed the tasting, and the sommelier was fantastic. Provided a great education, and didn’t rush us whatsoever. Wine was good, not spectacular but I highly recommend because of the experience.

 

[HooperScooper]

We stayed in Healdsburg, which is in Sonoma. There must be 50 wineries within a few miles of the town. Lots of good wine and plenty of each of what you and your wife like. My brother lives in San Francisco and he said to stay away from Napa because it was too snooty with rich people from all over. It's much bigger with more to do, but Healdsburg was a nice small town with good restaurants. If you decide to go there let me know and I can give you more information on places to stay, wineries to visit and restaurants in Healdsburg.

 

[Palatine]

You'll enjoy it either way. Both are fun. I was a huge Cakebread fan and the Napa winery was nothing to write home about (late 1990s) but the wine was great. Napa seems to have more of everything. But we stayed at the Fairmont in Sonoma on another trip and had a wonderful time. I know that's no help.

 

[NJHusky]

I know that's no help.

U just wanted us to know you’ve been to both.

 

[Waquoit]

Our go-to Napa restaurant didn't survive COVID, so I got nuthin'.

But to piggyback on the thread, anyone have a rec for a wine-related overnight between SF and LA? Paso Robles, maybe?

 

[HuskyHawk]

The Mrs and I heading to wine country in august. I enjoy bigger reds. She enjoys lighter reds and whites. First time heading there and will stay for three full days. Thanks in advance

That really depends. Napa is like DisneyWorld for wine. It's all there, fairly tightly packed together. But along with that comes lines, crowds, traffic etc. It is possible to visit some very nice Napa wineries that are less that way. Silverado Trail isn't as crowded as the main road (29).

Sonoma has some wonderful wineries, mostly more spread out. So more driving, but it's quite pretty and less crowded. Sonoma town is nice. Some of the "mountain" wineries in between Sonoma and Napa are very good, and those too would tend to draw fewer crowds. Mayacamaus and Hess for example. Hess has a modern art gallery if you like that kind of thing.

 

[8893]

But to piggyback on the thread, anyone have a rec for a wine-related overnight between SF and LA? Paso Robles, maybe?

We stayed in and liked San Luis Obsipo; hit some Santa Maria Valley wineries on the way there and Paso Robles on the way out; and then to Hearst Castle before heading up to Monterey for the aquarium, Big Sur and some more good wines...

 

[DaveHuskiesFan]

Our go-to Napa restaurant didn't survive COVID, so I got nuthin'.

But to piggyback on the thread, anyone have a rec for a wine-related overnight between SF and LA? Paso Robles, maybe?

If you like Sauvignon Blanc, Monterey / Carmel By The Sea has a fantastic climate for growing those grapes and therefore puts out some really good Sauv Blancs. That whole area (Big Sur) is also a great to visit if you've never been.

 

[polycom]

It depends on how much money you have...Napa is very expensive Sonoma is just expensive.

 

[storrsroars]

Been to both, don't know if it really matters.

If you haven't done a bunch of tours before, try not to get hammered too early. It's surprising how it seems you're not drinking much, but you leave a cool cellar and step out into 105F heat and wham.

I don't know any of the newer restaurants cited here. Many I was familiar with are gone. But I'll always recommend Mustard's. That place (and its Mongolian pork chop) has stood the test of time, and you're not getting a reservation at TFL at this point.

I would strongly recommend trying to get into Jarvis winery (Healdsburg) if you can. You can get tired of the same old kinds of tours, but not this one. The whole operation was drilled out of a small mountain. The owners were oddballs. Not sure if they still have the his & her bedrooms as part of the tour, but it was definitely one of the weirdest wineries and histories I've ever seen. And the wines are solid - we shipped back 3 cases last visit.

I'd also make a point to hit Chateau Montelena, especially if you like big wines.

 

[dvegas]

Sonoma if you like some green to go with your red or white!

 

[sledog]

Sonoma / Russian River / Dry Creek / Teldeschi. Big reds

 

[mussels]

Sonoma has a farmers market on Tuesday evenings in the middle of the square. My recollection is that they have music and you are allowed to picnic and drink wine on that night. Needless to say the produce is on another level.

Also in Sonoma we rented bikes and you can do a loop that will get you past several wineries. .

 

[UCLJ0211]

Sonoma is more low key and has a more “organic” vibe. I found Napa to be more commercialized and corporate. Enjoyed Sonoma much more- albeit this was about 10 years ago so not sure how much it’s changed.

 

[BigTenFan]

Napa has changed a lot over the past 20 years- many family owned wineries have sold to corporate and hedge fund owners. They tend to charge a lot for tasting and experiences.

Work your way up from Carneros and check out Domaine Carneros and Gloria Ferrer for great Sparkling. Healdsburg is a great place to stay in Sonoma and gives you access to great properties throughout Sonoma

 

[LIuconn]

Not a listed option but have you considered Paso Robles?

 

[8893]

Even though I would stay in Sonoma, I would consider a trip into Napa to spend a couple hours eating and sampling wines at this place:

Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin' BBQ

Our Wine Bar, Smokin' BBQ & Retail Shop is located in the Heart of Downtown Napa. With 40 wines by the glass, 400 wines by the bottle and wine tasting flights.

www.bountyhunterwinebar.com

 

[LIuconn]

Healdsberg is gorgeous as is St Helena and Calistoga
If you need a break from the wine, can always head to Bear Republic Brewing and Russian River Brew (Pliny!) in Santa Rosa.
Also if time permits, check out this:

Hog Island - Marshall Restaurants, Oyster Bars and Oyster Farms

Visit us at our Marshall, California seafood restaurants, oyster bars and oyster farms

hogislandoysters.com

 

[Fishy]

The Mrs and I heading to wine country in august. I enjoy bigger reds. She enjoys lighter reds and whites. First time heading there and will stay for three full days. Thanks in advance

Waste of money.

Two boxes of wine and a stay in the Champagne Tower Suite at Covehaven Resort in the Poconos is the call here, Romeo.

 

[Peacefrog]

You're going to find more ultra-premium big reds in Napa but there are some in Sonoma as well, and as many have noted, Sonoma is more spread out and country-ish so if you detest crowds that might be a deciding factor. If Chardonnay is your white wine of choice then the Carneros region of Sonoma is hard to beat. I typically migrate toward Napa; despite the fact that I don't like crowds, there are many more of my favorite wineries there and I don't have to drive as much between stops which is a good thing when you're drinking.

But really, no reason not to try both.

 

[geordi]

Both are great. I'd probably pick Sonoma as well if I were forced to, but that's based on the day. Napa has some great options. Just be careful. As you go from winery to winery, strange things happen. Last time out there, we found that we had joined an eight and ninth wine club. The packages have to be sent to my office so someone from shipping can sign for them. My staff think I'm a certified wino - which, of course, is true, but I didn't need them to find out.

 

[storrsroars]

Waste of money.

Two boxes of wine and a stay in the Champagne Tower Suite at Covehaven Resort in the Poconos is the call here, Romeo.

There's no clip I can find on YT, but I recall some comedian doing a great routine about how there's nothing less sexy than watching your spouse climb naked up a ladder to get into the champagne tub. Granted, he wasn't talking supermodels, he was talking 10th year anniversary.