Adventures in Sweets

Day trips or weekend excursions to the wine country can be a great way to escape the hustle and bustle of urban life or an opportunity to take in beautiful landscapes without having to strap on your hiking boots. The old adage that the wine always tastes better the closer you are to the source could not be more accurate. Below you’ll find my best advice for planning your next trip in any of California’s wine regions!

Pick the Region. For most people, Napa immediately comes to mind when planning a trip to California’s wine country. While Napa has a rich wine history and famous Michelin star restaurants, its notoriety also means that it is one of the most expensive and visited in the state. If your heart is set on Napa, go for it! If your budget or travel plans don’t allow for it, there are some incredible alternatives that offer many of the same opportunities.

If you are in Northern California (roughly the Bay Area or Sacramento), consider checking out Sonoma, Lodi, Livermore, Mendocino or Monterey County. If your trip is going to take you to the Central Coast of California (Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara), Monterey County, Paso Robles and Santa Barbara are close by. Finally, if you are in Southern California (LA to San Diego), hit up Temecula Valley.

​A quick reminder that Google maps is your best friend and make sure to map out your destination points. California is a big state!

Consider Transportation. Wine tasting means you will be tasting wine (duh!). First and foremost, do not drink and drive. You might think that you are just having a couple of sips here and there, but they do add up. If someone in your group is the designated driver, that’s ideal. Buy them lots of gifts, treat them to lunch, etc. 

​Depending on the region, some vineyards are a little more remote, so you might not always be able to rely on ridesharing. You could look into hiring a driver for the day or, in some cases, your best bet might be a wine tour – they do all the planning and transportation for you. It might seem like it is a little more expensive and they may already have a designated list of wineries, but the benefit of having sober, reliable transportation is invaluable.

Plan Your Day. With numerous wineries, it can feel a little overwhelming to decide exactly where you want to spend your time. In my early days of wine tasting, the goal was to get to as many wineries as possible. Now, I prioritize quality time at each tasting room rather than quantity. This means that in a day, two to three wineries is a reasonable goal.

As someone who enjoys the planning process and is one of the most indecisive people in the moment, I prefer to scope out the wineries I will be visiting in advance. I usually start with the wineries that offer food with their tasting because chances are I’m going to need lunch and reservations will be necessary. Once I have that difficult decision behind me, I then look at a combination of reviews, wines offered for tasting, price of tasting, location, and whether there are any special tours (wine caves, ATV vineyard tours, etc.) or events on the day I plan to be there. Do check to see if reservations are required as more tasting rooms are adopting a reservation only policy in this quasi-post-COVID world. Also, some wineries are strictly 21 and over and some will allow dogs, while others will not, so make sure to confirm if you have kids or furry four-leggers joining you.

If planning isn’t your jam, you can shortcut the process by pulling up a map and finding a cluster of wineries in the area and making a game time decision when you get there. Alternatively, see my transportation recommendation above and hop on a tour!