Wine Country for Beer Drinkers

Catherine and Matt Visit
Originally uploaded by residenttourist.

I'll admit it. I've become a wine country super-tourist. We've been in the Bay Area for two years and have visited wine country at least a dozen times. It's my favorite thing to do. Period. Sure, there are beautiful beaches, wonderful hiking trails and great biking spots in the Bay Area. But give me a tasting room, a flight of wine and the warm Sonoma air and I'm happy. It also helps that Mr. Resident Tourist always does the driving.

We weren't always wine country connoisseurs (not to be confused with wine connoisseurs- we definitely aren't that). The first time in Napa was terrifying. After all, we're sit-in-front-of-the-tv beer drinkers, not swirl- sip-spit-and-discuss wine drinkers. So, for our fellow beer drinkers, here are some of our tips and tricks to wine country:

1. DO NOT BE AFRAID. This took awhile for us to learn, but is by far the most important lesson. Be bold. The wineries love new people and many of them are used to all-tourists, all-the-time. So, admit your status as a wine-tasting virgin. They will be gentle, I promise.

2. SPLIT A TASTING.... especially if you're with the driver. Wineries tend to charge a pretty hefty tasting fee in Napa. My philosophy is this: if you split your tasting with another person, you can go to that many more wineries before you get completely sloshed and fall asleep in the car!

3. CHAT IT UP. Talk with the person pouring your wine. Ask questions - even the silly ones. Ask for suggestions for other wineries. Sometimes they will even give you coupons for free wine tastings at other wineries. To me, that's better than GOLD. Chatting it up can also get you an extra pour of wine "just to finish the bottle."

4. TAKE THE BACK ROADS. If you have your heart set on Napa, spend as much time as possible on Silverado Trail. It runs parallel to Highway 29 to the East. Take any side road to get to it. The wineries are smaller, not as busy and overall less commercial.

5. BE PREPARED TO PAY. Many wineries charge for tastings. In Napa, I love Franciscan winery (on Highway 29) because they apply your tasting fee to the purchase of a bottle of wine. And they have great wine. Too bad more wineries haven't adopted that method...

6. GO TO SONOMA. Don't get me wrong. I loved Napa... until I visited Sonoma. There really isn't any comparison. Sonoma is filled with small, family-run wineries. Many don't charge for tastings and oftentimes the winemaker is the one pouring the tasting. Then it's REALLY time to ask questions. The roads are less crowded, the scenery is just as beautiful and the wine tastes better. We're officially hooked.*

Our Favorite Places in Napa include: Franciscan, Whitehall Lane (try the chocolate sauce or the dessert wine), Cliff Lede (worth it for the sparkling wines, not for the regular wines) and Mumm Napa Valley (a great place to sit outside).

Bottoms Up!

* More fun in Sonoma... coming soon!