Harvest time in the land of vineyards
Yountville in California’s Napa valley is surrounded by rolling vineyards, and visitors get the chance to buy recent vintage at source.
IF vineyards at harvest time call to you – grapes plump on the vines, leaves turning red and gold – consider a visit to Yountville, in the heart of California’s famed Napa Valley.
A country village by this city gal’s standards, Yountville is tiny: about 12 blocks long and four blocks wide, an island lapped by rolling vineyards.
Washington Street, the main drag, bisects the town, where 3,480 residents count themselves lucky to be making a living from tourism and the wineries that attract connoisseurs from near and far.
Somewhat of a novice regarding Northern California’s secret hideaways, I headed there recently, expecting to wander along winding lanes through picturesque hills and valleys, fixing the glorious fall colours for future recall. To add purpose to pleasure, I also hoped to stop wherever a friendly sign announced “Tasting Room”, suggesting a winery tour and a chance to buy a recent vintage at the source, a taste of Napa sunshine to warm a chilly evening back home.
In due time, I arrived – with friends in tow – to discover that while some might call Yountville a village, it’s a village on steroids, a city in miniature, depending on your definition. Nearly everything a wine-searcher could want is right there, from lodging to dining, a 10-minute walk from end to end.
“You don’t need a car at all,” said the bell boy at the Vintage Inn, who was leaning against the reception desk smiling, sharing a joke with the clerk while they awaited early arrivals. “Just park it over there beyond the flower beds. You can walk everywhere,” he told us, piling our suitcases onto a rolling cart and disappearing out the rear towards a distant fountain.
So walk we did, passing a half dozen tasting rooms (suburban outposts of distant wineries), fashion emporiums, art galleries, Napa Style (a must-see kitchen and comestibles shop on the Vintage Estate), a flourishing vegetable garden and the Villagio Inn & Spa, next door.
More notable than any of these, however, is Yountville’s culinary scene, famous for cornering at least five (or maybe six) Michelin stars. From Bouchon, the bistro and bakery, to the French Laundry (three stars between just the two), and from Redd Wood (pasta and pizza), Bodega (steaks and Italian specialties) to Bistro Jeanty (pure French), they offer a bountiful cornucopia of fine (and expensive) dining surprises.
Our travel credo being, as some guidebook wag described it, “a peaceful night makes the next day bright”, we booked rooms in the Vintage Inn, built in 1985 on the Vintage Estate’s 23 centrally located acres. There are other lodging choices here in Yountville. But the Vintage Inn met our first criteria: a central location. It also won points with a large swimming pool and hot tub, both open into the evening for an after-dinner soak. The deal-maker was a no-charge breakfast (included in the room price): a buffet with fruit, cereals, sliced meats, bread, cheese, tomatoes and a chef-manned omelette station.
When an initial inspection of the proposed digs revealed a second-floor room with king bed, puffy quilt, shamefully large tub, two balconies, a fireplace and kitchenette nook, we registered. As for the wine project, we tasted and bought two Cabernets at a tasting room across the street. But what to do about exploring Napa Valley’s quaint country roads? Enter the concierge.
“Most of these wineries don’t allow drop-in customers,” said Christina Richardson, presid- ing over a desk in the hotel’s lounge. “You have to have appointments,” she explained. “And you can’t visit Far Niente at all.” Far Niente, my former boss’s favourite wine, was the only label I could think of.
“But,” she added, with a conspiratorial smile, “I just might be able to make a reservation for you at Nickel & Nickel. They’re the owners of Far Niente. Let me call them. I’ve been going to lots of tastings lately,” she confessed. “It’s my chance to learn about wine.”
Handing us a map of the 199 wineries in the Napa Valley – most I’d never heard of – she explained that better wineries not only