Touring The Napa Valley With Skyline Wine Tours Book your affordable luxury Napa Valley Wine Tour with Skyline Wine Tours (http://www.skylinewinetours.com) and see what the beauty of Wine Country in the private luxury you deserve. Before you take off for the day and hit the vineyards, place your order for your wine country picnic basket from Private Executive Chef Karen M Hadley (http://www.chefkarennapavalley.com; 707-257-8384).
With hundreds of great vineyards and wineries to choose from, there s no perfect lineup. But Skyline Wine Tours can take you to the following which offer personality, memorable wines and a departure from the more generic tasting bars. (Fortify against bad wine humor: Forgive us cabernet, for we shall zin, they say over at Chateau Potelle.) Large wineries often suffer in the character department, but not Quintessa (1601 Silverado Trail, Rutherford; 707-967-1601; http://www.quintessa.com). From the graceful crescent facade to the fascinating tours of its production facilities, this 280-acre estate makes a great first stop and it produces wonderful Bordeaux-style wines. At the other end of the winemaking spectrum is the Green Truck Cellars (Stags Leap District; 707-649-1200; http://www.greentruckcellars.com), a one-man-one-truck pinot noir operation; call in advance, and the owner, Kent Fortner, might offer a highly personalized tour. From there Skyline Wine Tours (http://www.skylinewinetours) can take you to Casa Nuestra (3451 Silverado Trail North, St. Helena; 866-844-9463; http://www.casanuestra.com) which offers another take on old California informality just ask the goats out front that
clamor for snacks, emboldened by having a blend named after them (Two Goats Red). And for drop-dead gorgeous scenery, swing by Frog s Leap (8815 Conn Creek Road, Rutherford; 800-959-4704; http://www.frogsleap.com) and its five acres of lush gardens, orchards, beehives, chickens, photovoltaic cells and everything else that makes this among Napa s more forward-thinking operations. Appointments are required for tastings at each of these vineyards, and fees are $10 to $35.
For a non-tipsy perspective on wine, let the professional and courteous drivers of Skyline Wine Tours drive you up the winding, woodsy road to the ivy-covered Hess Collection (4411 Redwood Road, Napa; 707-255-1144; http://www.hesscollection.com), the winery and contemporary art museum built by the Swiss multi-millionaire Donald Hess. Tours of the bright gallery, which are self-guided and free, take you past works by Frank Stella, Robert Motherwell and Francis Bacon. At one point, a window provides a view of the fermentation tanks the suggestion that wine equals art is not lost. Judge for yourself: the tasting room, just off the lobby, specializes in mountain cabernets ($10 for four wines). If by chance you start to feel uncentered from all the wine touring? Stop by Napa s sleek new yoga studio Ubuntu (1140 Main Street; 707-251-5656;
http://www.ubuntunapa.com) for an anusara or vinyasa yoga class ($18). Or, if that s your stomach growling, Ubuntu also has a great vegetarian restaurant. The mushroom pizza is topped with a terrific local crescenza cheese ($14), and you just might bend over backward for the marinated beets and Asian pears ($9), some of which come from the restaurant s own biodynamic gardens. As it gets closer to the diner hour, let Skyline Wine Tours (http://www.skylinewinetours.com) take you to the memorable fare and setting of Angèle in the city of Napa (540 Main Street; 707-252- 8115; http://www.angelerestaurant.com), a converted boathouse on the Napa River where locals and tourists come to get away from the tourists. French brasserie classics like roasted cod ($22) and braised lamb shank ($26) are served under a beamed ceiling and warm lighting. Regulars can be spotted ordering the off-menu burger with blue cheese ($13). Needless to say, the wine list is varied and extensive.
The city of Napa rolls up its sidewalks after dark, but there s lots of great evening activities to be had until morning! We ll help you plan an evening so memorable, you ll wish morning never came so soon! What are you waiting for? Book your Napa Wine Tour TODAY online (http://www.skylinewinetours.com/book-your-wine-tour.html) or call 707-260-4994 and enjoy Napa s premier affordable luxury wine tour!