NAPA INSIDER WHERE TO STAY

Meadowood (meadowood. com) is a relaxed yet exclusive resort set in the foothills of the valley, with spa, tennis courts, pool and newly upgraded golf course. The tasting menu at the threeMichelin-starred restaurant uses ingredients supplied by the property’s own vegetable garden. Doubles from $750.

The Carneros Inn (carneros resort.com), nearer the town of Napa, offers a simpler aesthetic, but again there are plenty of entertainments and activities on tap – deli, spa, fitness centre – and food is to the fore. Doubles from $475.

There are a handful of more modest bed and breakfast options dotted around the valley, often in grand old manor houses, but even these are relatively expensive. Cheaper options are in Napa town, starting with the Napa River Inn (napariverinn. com). Set at the quieter end of town, its heritage as a 19th-century mill is evident in a certain chintzy charm. Daily wine tastings, free bike hire and a vinotherapythemed spa lend appeal. Doubles from $299. vinous heritage. The pristine town of St Helena – home to a campus of the vast Culinary Institute of America – is all independent grocery stores, casual coffee shops and cool cocktail bars. Farmstead (longmeadow ranch.com) is a casual eatery that does a mean brick-cooked chicken and puts on live music nights. It offers tours of its Long Meadow Ranch, where visitors can see how its fruit, vegetables, honey and beef are produced. Even more casual are the legendary burgers and shakes at the institution that is Gott’s Roadside (gotts.com).

Twenty minutes down the road is the equally charming Yountville. This town is home to Thomas Keller’s three-Michelinstarred shrine the French Laundry (thomaskeller. com/tfl) and his bistro, Bouchon (thomaskeller. com/bouchon yountville).

Also here is television chef Michael Chiarello’s farm-to-table Italian restaurant, Bottega (bottega napavalley.com).