I developed an appreciation for wine (i.e. became a wine snob) when I lived in Buenos Aires and explored the wine regions of Argentina and Chile.
Upon returning home after two years of travel in Latin America, I was looking forward to the opportunity to experience more of my own country. Last year I learned about the wines produced in Oregon and Washington. This year I had the opportunity to explore a popular wine region in California.
Sonoma and Napa
I spent four days and drove many miles through Sonoma and Napa.
I barely made a dent.
There is simply not enough time nor alcohol tolerance to really explore this area over a long weekend. But I certainly did my best. Here I share my best advice to get the most out of your experience in wine country.
6 tips to survive wine country
#1 – Don’t drink all the wine!
I know you want to. I do too.
But I promise you will regret it by the time you get to the third vineyard.
Taste it. Savor it.
Decide if it’s one of the best wines you’ve ever tasted. If yes, finish the sample. If no, pour it out and get the next one.
Remember the goal is not to drink as much wine as possible. The goal is to enjoy as many of the best wines as possible.
#2 – Snack decadently
As you know, cheese is one of my greatest loves. And since cheese pairs amazingly with wines, you can find lots of great cheese in wine country.
The Oxbow Market in Napa serves up some amazing cheese plates and has a large selection for you to buy something packaged to take with you.
Savoring great food with your wine makes you go slower.
And of course, It also helps soak up the alcohol.
#3 – Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate
I know this is obvious, but it’s easy to forget. Many tasting rooms do not bring you water unless you ask for it. Plan to drink at least one glass of water for every glass of wine (or flight).
Between vineyards drink more water. I always travel with my platypus water bottle.
#4 – Relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings
Breathing in the fresh air and pondering the sweeping vistas help you enjoy the wine more… and slower.
#5 – Learn a little something
Instead of just drinking wine, learn about it. Ask lots of questions. The more you talk, the slower you drink. Plus you will probably enjoy the wine more, picking up the subtle flavors and learning more about the types of wine you enjoy the most.
#6 – Cover some distance
While in the center of town, you can typically visit multiple tasting rooms on foot. However, the real joy of wine country is getting out into the vineyards and experiencing grapes grown in different micro-climates.
I learned there are considerable differences between Napa and Sonoma and the southern, middle, and northern portions of each region. You will learn a lot and experience a wider variety of wines. Plus, you’ll be spacing out the drinking more and enjoying the country drive.
Rent a bike instead of driving … burns calories and less chance of an accident as you move through the wine region.
Penelope recently posted..The Natural Wonders Of Paraguay
This could be challenging in Sonoma and Napa, at least the parts I saw, because the vineyards were so far apart. But I do prefer riding a bike in general, and I really enjoyed exploring vineyards near Mendoza, Argentina this way. I’ll have to check into it the next time I go to Sonoma/ Napa.
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..A taste of Italy in San Francisco
We live here and frequent Napa/Sonoma — we have barely made a dent ourselves! LOL. #1 is a good tip but it’s so hard not to right?! I’ve always wanted to visit wine region in Argentina. Malbec is one of our faves..
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Jealous
Argentina does have some amazing wine regions. Definitely make that happen!
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Portland’s Bridges at Night
I’ve definitely made the mistake of drinking too much wine on a day of vineyard tours… and also highly recommend the snacks! Hope to make it to wine country in California someday
Anna // The Blonde Banana recently posted..Learning to Boulder at Brooklyn Boulders in Somerville
We all have. The important thing is that we learn from it
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..Hand cheese… with music?
Hahahahaha, discovered straight away that my first mistake has always point one.
Sip and spit just isn’t my thing
I won’t sip and spit… that’s just weird. I just try to remember to always pour out the last bit before getting the next taste
Stephanie – The Travel Chica recently posted..How to survive four days in wine country
Well, I do not drink alcohol of any kind so this post is right up my alley!! Thanks for sharing Steph
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For a wine lover like me, post like this matters a lot. This gives me enough ideas on how to buy the perfect and tastiest wines I can add to my collection. Thanks for the advice and tips. I know a lot better now.
Good tips. I’ve heard about places where you can buy wine in bulk (vino sfuso) in Europe but they are not common place in Australia. I’ll be in France in July so I’m sure I’ll find something similar there.But what we do have are ‘clean skins’ – bottles without a proper label (like your suggestion) that are often quite good. They are used as a way for wineries to get rid of excess cheaply.