Words by Lotus Abrams
It’s not even 11AM yet, and I’m already elbows-deep in wine—or what will become wine after the fermentation process is complete. It’s all part of the experience at Harvest Crush Camp at the Wine Foundry, a custom winemaking facility in Napa, where I’m learning how to “punch down” the skins of red wine grapes in their juice using a heavy metal tool to aid fermentation. Before this trip, I knew little about the grape-to-bottle transformation that my favorite wines undergo, despite my many visits to wine country over the years. Offered annually during harvest season, this hands-on bootcamp gives aspiring winemakers as well as neophytes like me the chance to participate in the process.
In Napa and Sonoma, opportunities abound for visitors to gain a deeper understanding of—and appreciation for—the beauty, bounty and roots of the region. Go beyond the tasting room with these immersive wine country experiences.
Cover Photo: Courtesy of Meadowcroft Wines / Photo: Courtesy of Clif Family Winery
Discover the perfect pairing
In recent years, many Napa and Sonoma wineries have elevated their tastings by introducing culinary experiences that highlight how wine and food can be enjoyed together. At St. Helena’s stunning new Bella Union Winery, which opened last year, the Jewel Box Tasting pairs the label’s limited-production cabernets and cabernet blends with seasonal dishes in a glass-walled room showcasing sweeping views of Napa Valley. Offerings at nearby Clif Family Winery feature ingredients from the 100-acre Clif Family organic farm, including the Pasta e Vino lunch, paired with the winery’s full-bodied Howell Mountain and Oak Knoll District reds, and a seasonal aperitivo-style pairing experience (a mocktail flight is also available). The lavish Estate Tour & Tasting at Jordan Winery in Healdsburg, offered May through October, includes a scenic tour of the 1,200-acre estate, alfresco library tastings of the winery’s Russian River Valley chardonnay, Alexander Valley cabernet sauvignon and Jordan Cuvée by Champagne AR Lenoble; an estate extra virgin olive oil tasting; and a hilltop lunch prepared using ingredients from the onsite culinary garden.
Other standouts include the five-course, farm-to-table pairing at Kendall-Jackson in Santa Rosa; the seasonal tasting at Ram’s Gate in Sonoma; and Shifting the Lens, the guest chef series at J Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg. For a unique alternative to more formal experiences, try the Comunità wine and Alpine food pairing at the unpretentious Overshine winery in Healdsburg. There, sample rare-to-the-region varietals from the northeastern Italian Alps served with regional cheeses melted on a raclette grill and drizzled over Black Forest ham, tater tots and pickled vegetables.
Photo: Courtesy of Montage Healdsburg
Step back in time
Winemaking got its start in Napa and Sonoma more than 150 years ago, and a visit to Buena Vista in Sonoma, California’s first premium winery founded in 1857, brings the past to life. Sample wine directly from the barrel in the historic caves during the winery’s barrel tasting and tour experience while listening to tales of the winery’s colorful founder, the self-proclaimed “Count of Buena Vista” Agoston Haraszthy, who emigrated from Hungary in 1842. Explore more winemaking history at the free 1881 Napa Museum, located on the second floor of a beautifully restored Victorian house adjacent to Oakville Grocery. There you can peruse the exhibits under an enormous Baccarat crystal chandelier while sampling wines from the self-serve stations on the lower level.
IMMERSIVE OVERNIGHTS Guests at the Montage Healdsburg can enhance their stay with offerings like a honey tasting at the property’s own apiary; yoga or stargazing in the onsite vineyard; a farmers market bike ride; or a treatment at the spa, featuring new Skin Design London facials. Cycling trips with pro rider Pete Stetina, hands-on harvesting with Chef Duskie Estes, and the Ridgetop Olive & Vineyard Adventure (offered in the fall) ATV tour and tasting at Trattore Farms are among the experiences available at the chic Hotel Healdsburg. And the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley can arrange hot air balloon rides, a visit to onsite Elusa Winery, a Calistoga mud treatment at the spa or even an outing in an exotic sports car for overnight guests. The new Knoll Hotel Napa Valley and midcentury gem the Flamingo Resort & Spa in Santa Rosa are two moderately priced, conveniently located alternatives.
Photo: Courtesy of Montage Healdsburg
Go back to school
Want to learn more about how to make wine? In addition to Harvest Crush Camp, the Wine Foundry offers Vineyard Camp during harvest season, inviting participants to learn about grape-growing onsite at a local vineyard. To learn more about blending, sign up at Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena or Meadowcroft Wines at Cornerstone Sonoma for a chance to blend, bottle and label your own wine to take home. Bouchaine in Napa also offers education-driven experiences. Sample wines aged in concrete eggs, large French oak casks, acacia barrels and clay amphorae to learn how the vessel affects aroma and flavor during the Vine to Vessel tasting or find out how fierce raptors help to protect the grapes during the harvest (and have a falcon photo op to boot!) with the Falconry in the Garden experience.
Hit the festival circuit
Festival season extends from springtime through fall in Napa and Sonoma, unlocking access to some of the region’s best wine, food and entertainment—all in one place. Among the standouts are the Healdsburg Wine & Food Experience (May 15 to 18), encompassing celebrity chef-prepared winery luncheons, curated wine seminars, Guy Fieri’s legendary Big Bottle Party at The Matheson, the Vintner’s Plaza Grand Tasting featuring more than 150 wine and spirits makers plus culinary bites, and more. There’s also BottleRock Napa Valley, wine country’s popular music festival held every Memorial Day weekend, and Festival Napa Valley’s Summer Season (July 5 to 20), which includes the Taste of Napa, offering the chance to sample food and drink from more than 90 wineries, breweries, restaurants and culinary artisans, as well as craft beverages.
Photo: Courtesy of Napa Valley Wine Train
Savor the scenery
To appreciate the beauty of the Napa and Sonoma landscape, sometimes it’s best to ditch the car. Ride the rails on one of the Napa Valley Wine Train’s many wine-and-dine experiences; explore Bartholomew Estate Vineyards and Winery on a guided horseback ride with Sonoma Valley Trail Rides; or hop on a bike to cruise a segment of the paved Napa Valley Vine Trail, which, once it’s complete, will stretch 47 miles from Vallejo to Calistoga. If you really want to change your perspective, take to the sky just after dawn on a hot air balloon ride offered by companies like Napa Valley Aloft and enjoy an unmatched opportunity to view the region’s undulating hills, valleys and vineyards from above.
With so many new ways to play in wine country, your biggest dilemma may be how to squeeze it all into one visit—all the more reason to come back.
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