Travel: California

As they recover from the devastating wildfires of late 2017, California’s wine communities want the world to know that the best thing you can do to help is to come and visit. Take the road less travelled, advises Stephen Brook, and make the most of Napa w

Enjoy Napa at leisure on the Silverado Trail, says Stephen Brook

FOR AN EXERCISE in frustration, there’s little to beat attempting a left turn onto Highway 29, the main road that traverses Napa Valley. Nose-to-tail traffic – mostly tourists visiting the wineries that line the highway – ploughs past, but if you’re lucky, someone may eventually allow you to nudge your way onto the road.

A better option, especially on weekends and in high season, is to concentrate on the wineries along the Silverado Trail that runs from Napa up to Calistoga in the north of the valley. It’s named after an abandoned mining village, celebrated in the 19th century by Robert Louis Stevenson. You won’t find the same proliferation of wineries as on Highway 29, but at least you can drive in and out of them. The Trail hugs the eastern flank of the valley, with hardly any traffic lights to impede the flow. It also has cycle lanes for those who wish to combine hedonistic winery visits with gentle exercise.

Napa Valley has changed enormously since my first visits 40 years ago. Back then wineries were keen to attract visitors. Today it feels as if most wineries would just as soon you stayed away. All wineries of any stature charge tasting fees, though couples could split one pour between them. Most wineries will refund the fee if you buy a bottle or two after your visit.

Wineries that once welcomed visitors now offer them locked gates more reminiscent of the Médoc. Others require an appointment but will, for a price, give you a tour followed by a seated tasting. In the list that follows, I have tried to include a range of visiting options.

You can understand the problem for the wineries. On a busy day, they can pour dozens of bottles, and bearing the costs when only a few visitors will reach for their credit cards is no longer economically feasible. Nor are they enchanted by the charabancs and stretch limos depositing tourists with no real interest in wine, even if they can take a fee off them. Huge tasting fees – $46 is the average in Napa Valley – will deter freeloaders and attract those prepared to pay for a bespoke visit.

Despite commercialisation, Napa remains an irresistible draw. Many wineries along the Trail are set in an exquisite landscape, so visitors feel amply rewarded by having the chance to sip a great Cabernet in a shady garden or landscaped terrace. The Trail is also close to some of Napa’s finest resorts and restaurants, such as the Auberge du Soleil, Meadowood, and The French Laundry and Bouchon in Yountville.

The wineries below are listed from north to south, and are a mere selection of those worth visiting if time permits.

‘Many wineries along the Trail are set in an exquisite landscape, so visitors feel amply rewarded’