Jay, there is still an upstairs Private Reserve tasting room.
If that is the case, then I would recommend it as a perfect choice for a non-geek. It will make them feel important and special while giving them reasonably good wine to taste.
I would second this suggestion - they usually have a wide range of wines to taste, and as you said, very casual. The dog used to chase up a stack of barrels to grab a ball (golf ball?) that was bounced up there, but I think they had to stop because of her teeth. (I think I am telling the truth.) Anyway, a beautiful location over near Montelena, and always a fun time. And they still have great dogs.
Beringer has an impressive property - that is a good suggestion as well. The location is just outside St. Helena downtown, on Route 29 going north toward Calistoga, but much, much closer to St. Helena.
I LOVE vineyard dogs - they totally make the experience for me. I think that winery owners don’t recognize how the dogs can be of benefit. They just need to be sure they behave well enough to be out of sight when you’ve got non-dog folks there.
Try Dutch Henry on Silverado Trail in Calistoga.Small, very casual, wide array of wines, and always some winery dogs hanging around.
Everyone should go to Montelena at least once. Most people have heard of it - these people are bound to be asked by their friends if they went there. One of the most stunning properties around.
Dear Jim,
If your friends want to stop by the winery (Alpha Omega), we will for sure set up a private tasting and a tour with barrel taste as well.
I would love to meet them and make sure they become wine geeks.
Jean
Just avoid that 2008 Petite Syrah from Stagecoach…it is a wine geek’s kinda wine and not for amateurs. ![[wow.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/7/7d450e9830889c8943b674446a21b7254cad657e.gif "wow"){kind=small}
Darioush is one for non wine geeks. The wines, meh, but the facility is pretty cool. Also Cliff Lede- nice tasting room and patio.
Agree on Mondavi and Darioush (architecture is amazing). There is always the castle: Castello Di Amorosa - pretty neat looking place. Another place that’s less crowded (at least when I went) is Frog’s Leap. Hope this helps and have fun!
-James
If they have time for a tour, Hendry has a tour of the vineyard, winery and tasting that when we visited a few years back was led by George Hendry personally. They don’t charge for the tour so out of courtesy they should plan to buy a couple of bottles- the wines are reasonable though and of course there is no obligation (this is obviously the subject if another long thread).
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I was gonna say. I think maybe they’re recognizing it. These books are dog-eared, as it happens, in half the tasting rooms.
If I’m not totally mistaken I think they require an appointment now. Not hard to get and the experience is still the exact same, and free to boot.
To echo others and offer an alternative. Silverado does have a great view…the Silverado Trail has some nice scenery. Darioush just to see the place. Mondavi does a great tour. Coppola/Rubicon/Inglenook facility is over-the top too but its been a long time and I don’t know if they charge or what the deal is there.
I would avoid Beringer. The last time we were there my Foster/Beringer rep set us up with what I thought would be a better than normal tour. Well we were comped the $25.00 and free reserve tasting. That tour is a joke. You don’t see much of the winery at all. To top it off our “guide” was absolutely smashed…drunk…blitzed… If I would have paid for that tour I would have asked for my money back.
JD
A friend of mine, who enjoys wine but is in no way a wine geek, recently visited Alpha Omega and had a wonderful experience. He said the wines were great and the people were even better, his favorite visit of the trip. I think Beringer would also be a good choice as mentioned before but I would stay away from Darioush IMHO. The wine is not bad and the architecture is cool but it wasn’t really that much of an “experience” to me. I can’t say anything bad about it I just think there are more impressive experiences out there. Hope it works out.
I’m not even sure I would give them too many specific names to visit. A lot of the wineries on 29 and Silverado Trail fit the description of nice tasting rooms for non-wine geeks. Besides, there’s a lot of different wine to taste and learn about. I would tell them to start on Route 29 just north of Napa, drive almost to St Helena, cut over to the Silverado Trail and come back that way. It’s a nice easy route to follow and part of the fun of going for the first time is exploring yourself.
If they’re visiting during a really busy time, such as weekends from now thru Oct., I’d say go up to the Calistoga area then head down Silverado Trail.
Otherwise, some nice stops that would give a good variety, south to north: Artesa, St. Supery, Beringer (tour), Benessere, Schrarmsberg (tour & tasting–appt reqd), Clos Pegase (tour), Ch Montelena.
But, of course, there are dozens of others that would fit the bill.
I rarely drink these anymore as my palate has changed over the years. These were great places to start out and learn about the Valley. Cakebread and V. Sattui.
Mayacamas. Low key. Mountain hillside. Nice wines. Nice folks. Call ahead.
Oh yeah, also tell them to dine at Greystone Restaurant (St. Helena) at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA). Great gourmet affordable food and wonderful wine selection.