Napa Valley Wine Tour: Day Trip
California Travel Itinerary & Guide
Guest Post From:
1 Day in Napa Valley, California, USA
Explore the beautiful Napa Valley in Northern California. Take the valley by party bus and quench your thirst at some of Napa’s finest wineries. We know there are plenty to choose from, but here are some of our favorites!
Day 1:
Explored Napa Valley wine country by party bus and visited three beautiful wineries: Charles Krug, Rutherford Hill and Beringer.
Glen Ellen Airbnb
There was a group of 12 of us and we stayed in a beautiful Airbnb home in Glen Ellen which included a pool, hot tub, and breathtaking views of the surrounding vineyards. There was also a spacious kitchen that we used to cook multiple meals over the the weekend. The home slept all of us comfortably with 4 bedrooms. We stayed Friday night to Sunday afternoon (with wine tasting on Saturday).
True Elegance Limousine
We used True Elegance Limousine in March 2017 and I could not be more pleased with the service provided! Rented for 8 hours to cruise Napa Valley and hit some wineries.
My friends and I (12 ppl total) rented a Mercedes party bus. Tom was our driver and he was THE MAN! Big kudos to Tom! He made our day pleasant and memorable. He was very punctual (30 min early actually). He made sure everyone was comfortable on the bus.
On the way to the wineries, a couple of the girls got car sick, as we took the windy roads down into Napa Valley. On the way back home, Tom saved the day and took us an alternate route, although it put us over our rental time. However, Tom did not penalize us for that. His number one priority was to make sure everyone was comfortable and having fun. He got us to each winery in a timely manner.
The bus itself was the perfect set-up! Enough seating for 12 people with plenty of storage space and bluetooth hook-up to play your tunes. A bottle of champage and water were included!
I HIGHLY recommend True Elegance Limousine. It was a great experience at the fairest price! True Elegance is the total package! I will definitely be using this service again very very soon.
Charles Krug Winery
First off, a shout out to Michele and Megan for setting up a reservation for our party of 12! They were both extremely helpful and friendly.
Nothing but good things to say about Charles Krug! One of my favorite wineries! The tasting room and grounds are spectacular! Such a great atmosphere and the service was excellent. Our server was very knowledgeable and helpful. And the pricing is fair! I look forward to visiting again very soon!
$20 classic tasting flight; 5 wines (very fair) and delicious wines!
My friends and I left with handfuls of bottles and a few of us even became wine club members!
Charles Krug is doing something right!!
Rutherford Hill Winery
Hands down, one of my favorite wineries and experiences in Napa Valley! A group of 12 of us visited. I called in advance to get a reservation set-up. I spoke with Jan. She was more than helpful! Major kudos to her!
We arrived and met with Jim, who was our guide. He put some wine in our hands and immediately toured us around the grounds. There were many pit stops for photos! He lead us into the wine caves and eventually into a private tasting room for our party, where we met Jan. Just as much of a sweetheart in person as she is over the phone. We were actually celebrating a friends birthday and Jan set-up a very thoughtful tasting menu with a birthday shout out to my friend. She also made sure to provide us with delicious snacks as we finished our tasting flight in our private cave tasting room. Both Jan and Jim are extremely friendly and knowledgeable. I cannot say enough good things about them!
After tasting about 5-6 wines and purchasing 13 bottles (plus some spaghetti sauce), we ended up picnicking on the grounds. It was a perfect set-up with an awesome view of the valley!
Thank you Jan and Jim for making our day special and one that we will NEVER forget.
We cannot wait to come back and visit again soon.
Beringer Vineyards
Not impressed… Beautiful property and that’s about it. Way overpriced for the little wine that you get… $40 for 3 small pours. It’s wineries like this one that make people say Napa is overrated.
Far better tasting options and wine down the road.
Our server, however, was a pleasure! I am blanking on her name at the moment. She was a young brunette girl from San Diego. Kudos to her for making us feel welcomed!
Markham Vineyards
Didn’t visit Markham on this particular day, but I have in the past and I felt like I should include it with this bunch. It is right next door to Charles Krug and definitely worth a stop in! It is a beautiful set up and offers some really great tasting wines! The prices are fair and the wine will not disappoint! I really wish we stopped in here on our trip. Next time we will for sure!
Tips and Tricks:
– I highly recommend reaching out to each winery in advance and letting them know you are stopping by. Sometimes, like in our case, they will set you up quite nicely! And the wineries definitely appreciate the advance notice, especially if it is a large group.
– Plan on spending at least 1-2 hours at each winery; don’t rush! Take in the beautiful grounds each has to offer and learn the story behind all the great wines and vineyards.
– Packing a picnic lunch is a great idea! Every winery has picnic grounds available for use by their guests. Purchase a bottle of wine after tasting, sit down and enjoy good company and good food! My group was lucky enough to get a lunch set-up for us at Rutherford Hill Winery.
– And lastly, ALWAYS have someone be the designated driver. Or better yet, hire the same limo company we used and let them do all the driving for you so you can drink all the wine without any worries!