Spin the Bottle
Small in size but big in scope, this Californian region ticks all the boxes: superb wines, destination restaurants and bucolic scenes.
Your guide to the exciting wine region of Napa Valley, California
almoSt two hours north-east of San Francisco, the diminutive Napa Valley is only eight kilometres at its widest part and contributes a mere four per cent to California’s wine-grape harvest. Yet when it comes to mixing wine and leisure, it has an outsized reputation. It may have something to do with the region’s rollcall of Michelin-starred restaurants – six, including The French Laundry (thomaskeller.com) – or simply the fact that its wineries offer so much more than swirling and sipping.
Those who are fascinated by the process participate in seasonal grape stomping at estates such as Grgich Hills (grgich.com) and Schweiger Vineyards (schweiger vineyards.com), while art aficionados head to The Hess Collection (hesscollection.com), where a multistorey contemporary gallery is housed in a 1903 stone building set amid rolling vineyards. Classic-car buffs admire the automobile collection of the winery’s former owner at Far Niente (farniente.com), while nature-lovers take in the panoramic view from hilltop winery Silverado Vineyards (silveradovineyards.com).
Trace the valley’s undulating topography on the 48-kilometre Silverado Trail – a two-lane road linking the towns of Napa and Calistoga since the 19th century – to appreciate that this verdant region is more than the sum of its wineries. Here, Northern California is at its bucolic best, with weather-beaten farmhouses and oakdotted hillsides soaking up the bright Pacific sunshine – another excellent reason to visit the valley and sample its exquisite cabernet sauvignon, merlot and zinfandel.