{ Wine Wednesday } Napa Style Part I

A few months ago, in early Fall, we took a trip to Wine Country Napa Valley.  Calling the trip merely "amazing" would have to be an understatement. From the breathtaking scenery, to the mouth watering restaurants and astounding wine selection, the trip was stimulating to all the senses. We checked into the beautiful, Calistoga Ranch Resort and the adventures began…

Calistoga Ranch

We only had a few days to take in all of Napa Valley so we decided to go to the top five wineries and immerse ourselves in as much as we could. Here is our list of the Fab 5: Domaine Carneros, Miner, Rombauer, San Clement, and Frank Family…{the last three to come next week}.

Winery # 1: Domaine Carneros

Domaine Carneros has built an exceptional reputation on sparkling wines, their Brut Vintage and luxury cuvee Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs in particular. So take a seat on the gorgeous terrace overlooking their organic certified Estate vineyard, order yourself the Grande Tasting along with the Sparkling Cheese Plate and voila...bon apetit! 

{ Also, here’s a good little tip to know before heading to Napa… unless the Champagne we know and love comes exclusively from the Champagne region of France, it may only be referred to as sparkling wine… }

Winery # 2: Miner

Miner was hands down the best winery experience of our weekend! It is important to note that the Miner Family Vineyard is well known for a powerhouse collection of red wines.  So, I don’t care if you prefer whites, it is a must to sample the reds! The Red Superstars are: The Oracle and the Miner Cabernet Sauvignon. With our glasses filled we headed to the Miner Cave for a private tour. As we walked through the aged, iron clad, wooden doors we stepped into a room that housed a massive wooden table. I’m not sure if it’s possible, but I’m pretty set on spending my next Thanksgiving dinner in that room! Anyway, we then made our way down the stairs into the massive cave. Imagine row after row of wine stained barrels cradling the delicious aging wines. Our tour guide let us sample several wines straight from the barrel and pointed out the differences between new, old, cabernet and Shiraz. Sadly the tour came to an end… but it was finally time to eat { our favorite part }.

Oxbow Market for some snacks

The second we stepped into this market it was love at first sight! Imagine a food court, but instead of your typical Chinese food and sandwich stands, it’s filled with various epicure food shops, gourmet street food, small restaurants, a wine bar, artisan cheese bar, Hog Island oysters, coffee, tea, gelato, and the list goes on! And for all you gluten-free foodies, they have a gluten free selection also.  If your in the area, we hope you try these gems of Napa. 

There are many more wineries, delicious restaurants, and shopping spots that we will fill you in on ... so stay tuned for next week's Wine Wednesday post! We would love to know your thoughts and favorites of Napa, so let us know your suggestions, cheese pairings, and fave wines!!  Cheers. x