Wino Forever
Napa Valley is one of those places where you have to go during a summer. With the 100 degree weather, good food, and beautiful wineries this place is special. Ok, not everyone is about 100 degree weather, and I totally get that, but going from tasting rooms that are cold to the heat outside is refreshing. Side note: this is also a complete excuse to wear shorts and escape the San Francisco fog for a day trip. So now it's time to tell a story about the trip from beginning to end, supplying you with ideas of what you can do on your next trip to Napa.
The day began with a drive over the bridge from San Francisco, but I will not bore you with the details of the drive. Our first stop is the iconic Fremont Diner, seen on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, which is consistently good. Last time I was at the diner was six years ago and I have not forgotten that meal. When my sister suggested we go to Napa, I was immediately focused on going to the Fremont Diner. Lets just say this meal did not disappoint. I got a Chicken-Po Boy sandwich that was spicy. By mixing the chicken with pickles and sauce it kept the chicken flavorful but not mouth burning hot. Overall, this experience was really awesome.
The next part of the day was a quick pit stop at Grgich Hills for a bit of Rosé and Chardonnay. Leaving the heat and heading into the wine tasting room, where the temperature was a cool 60 degrees, was a nice change of pace after lunch. The wine was poured approximately an inch into the glasses so it was a perfect amount to taste each wine without having too much or too little to drink. The only thing about this experience I would change would be to make their tasting room a bit larger so people could spread out a bit more in the space. We had a reservation at Hall Wines at 4 PM, so we had to wrap up this tasting pretty quickly.
Let me just tell you, the Hall is an experience both for wine and for art. The opening to the vineyard is a huge rabbit statue. The virtual tour through their website is really helpful in understanding how the property is set up and will make some of the points I am discussing more clear. So after pulling into the winery and checking in we went on a tour throughout the property with our tour guide Chris. Chris gave us each a glass of Sauv Blanc to take along through the beginning of the tour. Next, Chris went through the history of the property which was really awesome to hear. The current owners of the property, Craig and Kathryn Hall, are very accomplished individuals who have served United States Presidents and been very successful in business ventures both together and separately. Kathryn's family also owns Walt Wines which is not too far from the Hall property. Their love of wine brought them to purchase the property in 2003. After receiving this brief history lesson we wandered into the vineyard to learn about the grapes. When the grapes change color is when you know what type of wine is going to come from that specific type of grape. The process is honestly mesmerizing. We then headed inside to see a video about how they specifically create their wine and then to see where they store their wine. During the video we were each given a glass of Pinot Noir to keep the tasting tour going. Within this portion of the tour we saw three art installations two of which were in the storage rooms.
The first art installation we saw was a light structure formed out of little light bulbs that flashed in a pattern to have a bird fly across the lights. Every seven minutes a dove flies over the lights. The second art installation was a set of different optical illusions that spun and sounded like a railroad car chugging along the tracks. The third art installation was different size blown glass bulbs to showcase how there are six different types of red grapes that form the wine they are best known for. All in all the art was a nice way to enhance the wine experience.
After the tour, we sat in a private tasting room for a tasting of four wines that our tour guide thought best represented Hall wines. Hall wines is known for their red wines primarily so we tasted two different Pinot Noir's and two different Cabernet Sauvignon's. Red wine tends to have a rich body taste and all four of these wines were good yet strong. Along with the wine we had these thin dried bread sticks that tasted delicious. It was a nice addition to all of the wine drinking. The room itself was a piece of art, with large windows that overlooked the property, 6 hanging art pieces, and a large red light fixture. It was a perfect room to taste red wine in Napa Valley. This wine experience was awesome and I would recommend going on guided tours over just heading into a tasting room if you are looking for a level of sophistication within the winery.
After leaving Hall winery we explored the St. Helena community for a while before heading to Gott's Roadside. Ending a wine day with a juicy burger may have been our best idea of the trip. I had a cheeseburger since I am simple about the types of flavors that make a burger special while my sister had a chicken salad and my brother-in-law had a blue cheese burger. We all indulged in an order of sweet potato fries, which were the perfect addition to make the burger just a little bit better than it already was. The restaurant is set up outside with a large metal table and chairs while also providing picnic benches for those who do not want to sit at a high table. This best way to describe Gott's Roadside is a 1950s drive-in that has been converted for a more modern audience while retaining a bit of the past. In the summer months Gott's is open until 10 PM.
Spending a day in Napa Valley is a great way to take a break from city life and have a country moment. With my summer wrapping up in the city I am looking forward to seizing as many moments as possible. Catch the next post by subscribing!