Visit to Napa and Sonoma

[GreginND]

Hi Everyone,

I'm going to spend two days in CA at the end of next week. I am planning to spend one day in Sonoma and one day in Napa. It's been almost 20 years since I lived in the Bay Area and I've only been back to Napa a couple of times since. I'm sure a lot has changed. And with my entry into the business, I am looking for some advice on smaller production wineries that I can maybe talk business with and get some inside information on how things operate out there. So, if anyone has suggestions on wineries that I shouldn't miss for this reason, I would love to hear about them. I'm open to any suggestions right now. I know the shear number of wineries has increased tremendously since I've spent time there and it's hard to figure out which to arrange meetings with from the web.

Thanks for your help.

 

[cmason1957]

Are you open to going just anther County North? Mendocino County has several wineries that are very good to visit in Hopland. Brutacoa is one I really like and I think someone would probably talk business with you. In Sonoma County most of the wineries tended to have a tasting room off-site from the winery. Lots of really good wine out there that is for sure.

 

[GreginND]

Thanks for the suggestions. Mendocino may be an option.

 

[DoctorCAD]

You might want to head down to Livermore. I got invited into the back of quite a few small wineries when I mentioned home wine making. Heck, got to help a winery make their decision on a blend with some barrel tasting while the usual crowd got to pay their $5 for 6 samples in the tasting room. Lots of friendly folks in that area. Oh and Wente is fantastic.

 

[Boatboy24]

Are there many (if any) places that are family friendly/laid back? I may be out that way over the summer.

 

[DoctorCAD]

Napa is not family friendly, but Livermore is a much more lsid back area. Since they all serve alcohol, not really a kid-friendly environment.

 

[GreginND]

Yes, I think I will forgo Napa and Sonoma and spend time in Livermore and maybe the Santa Cruz mountains.

 

[REDRUM]

I feel weird trying to give advice about US wine regions as an Australian on a forum full of Americans - but my partner & I spent a few days in the area a couple of years ago. Really enjoyed Sonoma, hated Napa. In Sonoma Valley we were able to find a couple of small, less pretentious cellar-doors and chat to the winemaker himself, in Napa it basically seemed like a great big tourist conveyor-belt where you get sold the winery's story and ushered through a standardized tasting (which you have to pay for). If you don't want to spend big on wine they don't want to know you. Also, obviously, the further out from the city you go, the less wanky and more down to earth it gets, so further out in Sonoma County things were much more laid back.
Didn't do any wine stuff in Mendocino but it was a lovely area too..