Here's a sneak peek from this week's episode. I'm Scott. And I'm Melissa. And we're
the Sunshine Travelers.
Our passion is travel and sharing our experiences with those who enjoy it as much as we do, or those who want to learn more about travel, or even those that just want to live vicariously through our travel stories. No matter where you fall along that journey, get ready to hear about our firsthand experiences as we visit some of the most interesting and amazing places on earth. Today, we take you on a trip to one of the places in the U.S. that we enjoy returning to from time to time. Welcome to the wine region of California. In this episode, we'll share some of our favorite wineries that we have visited, some of the wonderful places that we have stayed, and a few great places to eat while you're in the region. Whether you're seeking the perfect wine or just a breathtaking scenery, pack a bag and join us as we travel to Napa Valley and Sonoma, California. I know this is going to be a passionate topic for many people listening in today. It often seems that you're either in the Napa camp or the Sonoma camp when it comes to California wines. We visited both and think that each one has a lot to offer. Personally speaking, I like Sonoma better than Napa. What do you think, Melissa?
I do think that we have enjoyed Sonoma more. We talk a lot about sometimes when we take these trips, like not necessarily having to plan ahead. And I think when you go to Napa, like you do have to plan ahead, right? You have to make your reservations. You have to know I'm going here at this time. And we've been able to do Sonoma just a little bit more laid back. Just, you can go from one to the other and then I don't
think it's always been that way in Napa. I think that's just something that even since we started going to Napa, something that has become a requirement.
Yeah, I think it's just gotten just so popular and especially when a lot of people will go on the weekends. So maybe it's not necessarily quite that way, you know, during the week. But I would definitely say to anybody planning a trip and they're going to the Napa and we'll talk more specifically about what areas Napa means and what areas Sonoma means. But I would definitely like see do I need to make a reservation because you hate to go somewhere and this is the one place that you want to go. And, you know, they're like, no, we can't. We can't do that. So we'll talk about the differences of the experiences that we've had there
too. Yeah. And I think as we go through, you're going to hear some of the reasons why we prefer Sonoma over Napa. But at the end of the day, both of them are really great places. And we're going to share with you what we, what we've done and where we've stayed and some of the places that we've eaten that make these places just phenomenal.
And I definitely think that you need to you need to have the experience of both. Right. So we'll talk about the different ways we've done this trip and then then you can decide. But I definitely think that you need to see the differences between the two.
Well, let's talk about the different ways then that you
can see Napa and Sonoma. So there's really three different ways. And we have had the we've been able to experience all of them. So the first one is really like with a group, or like with a tour. And so that's whether We actually did it because we were there with a group, but you can also book like a wine tour where if you don't have a big enough group, right, it's like a wine bus. Or in Sonoma, they actually have like a wine trolley that picks up at several different places in the morning and then it would take you to certain wineries and then bring you back. And then in Napa, from Napa, there's actually a wine train that you can book and probably everything in between. So this would be to where, you know, it's, you're joining a tour that's already planned out. And so they're going to say, you know, we go to X, Y, and Z and we stop here for lunch, that kind of thing. And that could be a great way to do it. Right. You have no idea. I think that there's honestly something like 500 different wineries out there. Wow. And when
you go and talk to people, you're probably going to hear about the same ones over and over again.
Yeah, because some of them are going to be like ones that you have heard of, right? Where you can go to your local grocery store and you can buy these bottles. And then some of them, if you don't buy the bottle when you're there, like you're not going to get that or have it shipped to you, right? If you're in their wine club or something like that, you're not going to get that bottle. So it's just like little, big, commercial, all kinds of different things. And then so then the second way is to hire a private driver. So like you and whoever you're going with. And so then you hire that person. And then you work with them to say, OK, we want to go here. We want to do this many in a day. We want to do Napa. We want to do Sonoma. And you could do that for one day. You could do that for multiple days, they probably do have a, you know, per day, obviously, like a number of hours that you hire them for. And so then you get a lot more input, right, if you have certain places you want to go. And the great thing about that is then especially if you're going to Napa, they're going to be making the reservations for you. So we have a recommendation. We had our wine driver, Steve. His name is Steve Batore. He actually owns his own business, Fine Wine Tours. And so I'll put a link to that so that you can find him. And so then the third way is then you could just rent a car, right? So you're probably going to be flying into either San Francisco, you might be flying into Sonoma, wherever, renting a car, and then you're just doing this on your own. And so then obviously that if you're doing that, like you're obviously going to have to think about, okay, can you drive, you know, who's going to, who's going to, you know, be in charge of driving and then making your own reservations or kind of making your own plans and, and that kind of thing. And so in terms of cost, like obviously the least expensive way is going to be to like rent your car, well, have your rental car. and then do that on your own, right? And then the next least expensive way is going to be to join a tour or do the wine train. And then obviously doing it private is going to be the most expensive. And of course, depending on how many people you have, right? So if you went with a large group, that could be individually just as cheap as doing or cost-wise be the same as like joining a tour. But if you just have like couple or a couple couples, something like that, doing the private trip, it's obviously going to be the most expensive. So
taking that into account as well. And just a reminder, when you do these tours, whether it be the bus tour or if it's the, you know, personal driver that you hire, don't forget to factor in that you need to tip the tour guides or the drivers. And so that's something that you should factor into that as well.
That's true. And so advantages, disadvantages, I think I've kind of touched on that. But obviously with the group trip, you're not going to really get to plan, right? So you're just going to tag along with wherever they're going or the trolley or the train. It's kind of more scheduled, right? So if you just want to go and you want to have the experience and you don't have to worry about driving, but you don't really care where you're going, that would be a great option, right? And then, of course, the advantage to having the private person is that you get a say into it and you don't have to make the reservations or anything like that, right? So it's a lot more laid back. And then like when we had Steve, he was like, oh, he's like, okay, come on. Like we need, we know if you're sitting there chatting and you know, we need to get to the next one. And so you just have somebody who's kind of like, okay, here's onto the next thing as well. But of course that's going to be your most expensive. And then, but of course the advantage then of you doing it on your own, is you kind of just control your schedule, where you go, but you do have to worry about, okay, you know, making the reservations or getting to the next place and then just, you know, having somebody who doesn't have too much wine, right? Who's going to be doing the driving. But again, that's going to be probably your least expensive. Way to go. So it just really depends on what experience that you are looking for and then who's going and then, you know, what you want to put into it. We've done all three. They're completely different and we have completely
enjoyed all three. Yeah, I agree. And so let's talk about when we say Napa and Sonoma, that actually encompasses a few different areas.
Yeah, so Napa, so there's actually, so there is a downtown Napa, there is a town called Napa, and then there's that Napa Valley, right? So you're going to have that town of Napa, and then that whole Napa Valley is going to have towns, St. Helena, Rutherford, Yantville. And so it's like a highway, and then you're going to see the different wineries on the sides of that highway. And then as you get, I guess, further north and up into that mountain, right, some of them may be up little mountain roads and stuff like that. And then Sonoma, you're gonna be talking about towns. We have the town of Sonoma. And then you're gonna be talking about the towns like Glen Ellyn and Kenwood, and then you go on up, and it's really called the Russian River Valley. Now, here is the distinction between those two, is that it's not like you can go to one in Napa and then, like, cross over to go over to Sonoma, right? So, almost think of them as, I guess, almost think of it as, like, like two parallel lines right because there's like a mountain in between where all these vineyards are and there's a mountain between and so you either have to well I guess you always cross really on that south end right so the town of Sonoma and you cross over and and go to you know where the Napa part would be so so if you're gonna do like on your own right think about okay we're going to do Napa one day we're going to do Sonoma one day and if you had the driver and that's what we did with Steve right we focused on like ones in Napa and ones in Sonoma because it's not like you can cross back and forth and you also have to take into account right so we're going to talk about where to stay but if you're staying in Napa right getting over to Sonoma takes a while and then vice versa as well. So really thinking about, OK, where are these located and finding ones in close in between, because it's not easy to cross over from that Napa area to the Sonoma
area. I agree. And so, you know, when you talk about staying in different places, you might want to choose to stay like part of your time in Napa and part of your time in Sonoma, just because at the end of the day, you don't want that long drive back to where you're staying.
Yeah, that's absolutely true. And especially if you have, you know, if you've hired a private person, right, because then you're spending, you know, two hours, like it's, it's probably an hour to go from one to the other. And then that way you could have some different experience, right? A different hotel, because there's so many great places to stay from, I don't know if they're really budget hotels out there, but like from your, like your lower end, what it would be cheaper all the way to like super luxury five-star resorts. And then of course, Airbnbs and you know, vacation rentals and all that kind of stuff too, and everything in between. But yes, I think that that would be a great way for you to have like a couple of different experiences while you're there too. If that, if that's a possibility. Well, let's
talk about what a few of those options are.
So, we're going to say, okay, here's where we have stayed, right? So, because I don't want to, you know, recommend places that we don't know about. So, the first time that we got to go out there, we got to stay at the Canaris Resort and Spa. So, this one is interesting. It actually has a Napa address, but it's really out in the Napa Valley, but it's between Napa and Sonoma. And so when you look at that map, I guess imagine it being, I was trying to think how to describe it. Imagine it being like a U, really, because you're not going to cross over. I mean, I think you could cross over at that north part. We haven't ever done that, but imagine it being a U. So the Canaris Resort is going to be in the bottom of that U, right? And so the Napa Valley is on the right-hand side, and then your Sonoma is on the left-hand side. And so that's kind of in between. So that might actually be a great place to say, and that is definitely a resort. Beautiful, like almost the first time we went there. Okay, so I have to tell this really funny story. We had just gotten our dog, Lottie, and she's eight now. Okay, so that tells you how long it's been. And she was a puppy. And you were having to travel for work a lot. And so if anybody else has had a puppy, like, you know, how exhausting and time-consuming and frustrating that can be, right? As you get them to the potty train, like you're just constantly having to, having to do that. And so we had gotten our daughter and, um, was coming to stay with our, with our son and stuff like that and to help with the dog. And I was just exhausted. And I literally got there and was just like, I have died and gone to heaven. And I think it was just a combination, right? It was, I think it was also early in the year too, like February, March. So it was obviously like more mild weather out there too than we were in experiences at home. And it's just beautiful, just because that was the first time we had been out there. Like what I would imagine almost like Tuscany being like, and just the hillsides. And I had this beautiful pool. And I just remember just sitting there and just being like, because I was just so exhausted. So anyway, it is absolutely beautiful. And it's got these little cottages that you stay in. So it's just super cozy with fireplaces and they come in and light the fireplace and bathtubs and had a little patio type thing. So that is absolutely beautiful. It is going to be on your more expensive end, but there are like, you know, there's food and drink options there and places where you could actually, you know, you could pick up food and stuff like that to take with you. So highly recommend that. Beautiful, beautiful property.
Yeah. One thing that I really liked about it was they're like little tiny houses and they're split in half. You know, I guess kind of think a town home almost, but it looks like just a little small cottage. And then when you go inside, you had a nice, you know, bedroom, open seating area, like Melissa said, the fireplace in there, and then a really high end bathroom en suite, but in the other half would be something, you know, just like it on the other side. But the way that they're set up is they just look like, you know, a little single tiny house or something like that. And, you know, just very high end and very luxurious. So we would definitely recommend this place if you're looking for luxury travel, just be prepared. I think anything out there in this area is going to be, somewhat expensive to stay in, but this one would probably be up in the higher realm of what you would stay at. Where else? So
the last trip, we actually stayed in downtown Napa. So that was really the first time for us to actually even go to the town of Napa. We'll talk about some wineries that we had been to in that area, but we stayed at the White House Inn in Napa Valley. So this is an old historic house. that has been turned into a hotel and, you know, renovated. And so that was absolutely gorgeous too. We had a nice, our room was super big and we had a really nice bathroom and we had a balcony that looked out to the front and the property was just gorgeous. They had a great, you know, a really nice pool and you could walk from there to the downtown Napa. So it was convenient to, you could walk to some restaurants, for dinner. So that would be the difference, right? At Canaris Inn, you are, if you, you know, don't have a car, don't want to drive out somewhere else, like you're limited to then what's on the property there. But at that, you can, you could walk, you know, downtown and then walk around the neighborhood and stuff like that. So I felt like that one was absolutely beautiful.
Yeah, the location was perfect. It was down in a little historic area and just walking around in that town, you know, was great. We went with our friends, Lee and Lori, and Lori is a designer. And so like design elements are very important. Like the visual aspects of things are very important to her because that's what she does. And so walking around in that neighborhood and seeing those old homes and You know, just the beautiful architectures. That was fun in and of itself. Yeah. And so like, like Scott
mentioned, might be fun to then, you know, stay in some different places, you know, have those different experiences. Obviously, if you're like at an Airbnb or vacation rental, you know, that's a little bit more difficult because you have, you know, minimum nights, but for the hotel, that might be a great way to have some different experiences in the same trip. I
do think though, that if you're going to stay in downtown Napa, there's probably quite a few Airbnb options though, for you to stay at and choose, choose from. Yeah. And if you do
have, you know, multiple people that you're going with, that could definitely be a less expensive option. And then if you wanted to have food and things like that makes it a little bit more convenient as well.
And so then what about in Sonoma? Yeah, so then
in Sonoma, we've actually stayed at the same place a couple of times just because it is, it was Starwood property and now it's a Marriott property with that changeover. So the two times that we stayed there, we were actually able to use either like points or free nights, which made it super affordable. And that's the lodge at Sonoma, which is one of their autograph collection hotels. And it's actually, I was just looking it up to check to see, you know, are these places still open and stuff like that. And they have actually completely done a complete renovation, I guess, as they, you know, changed over the property and stuff like that when it became Marriott. But that is a great location, especially if you're going to want to spend a lot of your time in that Sonoma area. And it's very close to the downtown area of Sonoma as well. And so we just found it super convenient to a lot of those wineries that we like to go to. And then, like I said, if you are Marriott loyal, it just made a really good option for us. Yeah,
I don't remember it being particularly close to downtown Sonoma, like walking distance close, but we drove into downtown Sonoma. There's like a square I remember and you know, a lot of the things to do and see in downtown Sonoma right there on that square. And so you can just park the car, walk around, visit the different shops that are there, go to the, you know, different restaurants or plenty of wine bars and stuff like that. They're on the square in Sonoma. Matter of fact, if you don't want to go to the wineries, most of the wineries have some type of tasting room right there in downtown Sonoma.
Yeah. And that was one thing that I was going to mention. So that is another option as well is that the towns have those. Um, and so that, that would be an option too, if you really, you don't care anything about, you know, going out to the winery and you just actually, you know, you just want to taste the wine, that would be a great way to do that. Or these wine shops that then you can have like all kinds of options. Oh
my, I feel like it's our job to encourage you to go visit these wineries and these vineyards. Absolutely breathtakingly beautiful places.
Yes. I mean, I think I wanted to mention that, but I don't think that's something that we would particularly do. Right. Because that's definitely part of the experience to see the different wineries. And like I mentioned, you know, from little bitty ones to these big commercial wineries and just seeing the difference. And a lot of them have, you know, if the weather is great, you know, sit outside and have your tasting or just get a glass of wine or whatever it is that you, you know, are wanting to wanting to do. So. I definitely would recommend visiting the wineries.
I have to say, though, you could go down to the Publix just down the street and they do wine tastings over there. Save yourself a trip. Save yourself the money, the hotel, all that stuff, and just go to Publix and they do wine tastings in the afternoons.
Yeah. So that's actually, that's actually a really good segue to one thing that I wanted to talk about. So before you go, like you really have to decide, you know, am I going to see the ones where I drink that one at home because I can get that one at home. And that might be more about, okay, I just want to see what this is like. Like, for example, we have been to the mom, Napa. And so that was really cool because, okay, then you can go by the mom and you, you have a visual. Sparkling
wine. Yes. For anybody that doesn't know mom. And so then you
have a visual of that or I don't know, give me some other examples of this big commercial you consider commercial wineries that are out there. like Robert Mondavi or something like that, right? So you're going to see those. But what I think I would recommend and I think you would recommend too, Scott, is that go to some places that you have never heard of, right? Things that you cannot get at home. Yes, if you want to go see some of those. And so for example, let's talk about Caymus, right? So Caymus is one that is popular and you can get it at home and it's, you know, it's a nice one. That's, that's worth a visit, right? To go see the Caymus vineyards and go have a tasting there. But, you know, do maybe one like that, but then I would say, go to some places that you've not heard of.
Yeah, I agree. Matter of fact, we've found some of our favorite places by just going somewhere that we don't know anything about it, doing a tasting there and then learning more about the wine and visiting it multiple times and seeing that consistency and joining their club and stuff like that and getting the wine shipped to our house and just becoming really lovers of this. But it's stuff that we can't go down to the local store and just buy. Right.
Yeah, that's absolutely true. And so on that first trip, a couple of the other ones that I wanted to point out, one of them is called Cade Winery. And I thought one time that that was like a private winery. I actually looked it up and it shows online on their website that you can make reservations to go. And that one was really cool because it's back in these caves. So that one is further north in on the Napa side. And so then you can go back into the caves for like a little tour and to see stuff and then have your tasting. So those are really a neat place. But we actually found
a place like that up in the Russian River Valley as well of Sonoma. We
did that one is called Thomas George winery. And that was close by a couple of other ones, I think Porter Creek or something like that. So you can find some of those, I think, as you get further North into that. So yeah, Thomas George, that was an, a neat one. I think
the thing that we really liked about Cade, though, was that was where they were sitting there shucking oysters. Would you eat a hundred
oysters? I think so. Yeah. So that when we were with a group had been, you know, arranged for us. And so that was like a special event thing. So yes, I think I ate like a hundred oysters. So the other neat one that we did on that trip, which I think you have to tell your funny story about going to Piju. And so, but Piju is a great one. We've actually ordered a lot of stuff from Piju since then. And I don't know if they do it. Tried to look to see if they do it all the time and I don't know if it's just special events or if they do it like when the weather is a particular But if they ever, if you're there and they do like the outdoor pizzas, like they had these outdoor pizza ovens and stuff like that. So that might be something they do, you know, as the weather is, that was really fantastic. But anyway, I want you to tell your story about the shipping. Well,
it doesn't matter which winery it is. Just be careful, you know, especially if you're in one of these where, you know, a tour bus or you're with a tour group or something like that, where somebody else is driving and maybe you've had, you know, several glasses throughout the day. Just when you get to that last winery and they start talking about shipping for a penny or a dollar or whatever it is, That sounds like a really great idea. You just totally missed how much you paid for a case of wine,
though. That's true. But I do. I laugh because I think that's your like love language to me. It's like, oh, but I bought this for you. So that's very sweet. But anyway, yeah. So we had he's like, OK, well, so we had a case of Peugeot shipped from that one. Yeah.
I mean, heck a penny for shipping. I mean, you couldn't, you couldn't get a chip from anywhere else for a penny.
So that's true. That's true. So then let's talk about some of the ones in Napa that you would have to make reservations for and maybe some of the differences. So one of the ones that we did, or a couple of them that we did, one of them in particular was Round Pond, which is a fantastic one. But you definitely have to make reservations because it's a different kind of experience. It's not like you step up to a bar and then have your tasting. You go up to their rooftop And they they have it where then you have like some like it was like a small yeah, it's our tutory and so it's a very small group, like they only do a few at a time. And so that one's going to be more on the pricier end, fantastic experience, but it's not like in that case, like some of the other ones where you can say, okay, we're going to skip the tasting. And then we're going to go and just have a glass of wine. Just every winery is so different, but this is one in particular where you've got to make that reservation. And so funny enough at this one, we have so many stories as I think back to some of these things. Funny enough, we're going into Round Pond, and I hear somebody on the phone talking, and I turn around and look at them, and it's actually the wedding planners that planned our daughter's wedding from, lived then, from Noonan, Georgia. And it was just like, oh my gosh, like, you know, you go all the way to California and then you see, you know, people that, you know, and it was just like, you know, when you, when you spend that much time with my planning a wedding and stuff like that, you're just like, okay, I know that voice from somewhere and they recognized
us. And so that was just a fun story. Just crazy. But I would say Round Pond also because it is on that rooftop, beautiful vistas to look out over and the views were worth every penny of it. And so, I remember that the wine was pretty good. We didn't, I don't think we ordered any from there or if we did, it was like one bottle or something like that that we, we brought with us. Uh, but I do remember that the, the experience was a very elevated experience.
Right. Like you have your, like your group is one-on-one with somebody. And then if you have, you know, questions and other things that you want to taste. And I remember that one having like the really long driveway with. What are those trees that are like, haven't they have an Italy, like Cyprus trees or whatever. So, you know, a lot of these are very Italian looking as well. Just, you know, with the
wine and everything. We left from round pond and went to Caymus.
Yeah, Caymus, we sat, we just completely different experience, right? So in that one, you're sitting out almost in a little like we were outside. And so it was like a garden that had like the trellis over it and. So
one thing I would say there is this was a different experience because we were out there, you know, kind of post pandemic or just kind of like towards the end of the pandemic phase. And so they were still doing distancing and stuff like that. And I think that's why they had you were scattered out through the garden at these tables. I have heard from many people that their standard tasting, you know, just if you're going in to do a tasting, you stand up at the bar and do the tasting inside the bar.
Okay, so it might be like then, because a lot of these do have like different experiences, right? So if you want to do just the bar tasting, it's this much. And then if you want to have, like a sit down at that, like what we're saying, it might be, you know, more. And so you can look online, or either call to see what the different experiences are. So that was our experience. But we have done a lot of them where they're at the bar, and you're standing there, and then they're serving multiple people. So you just different kinds of experience. So then the other one, and this is one that, of course, we never heard of. I think you can only get it if you get it from them. And this is one that I still order to this day because this is one of my favorites, completely different experience. So it's Reverie 2, also in that Napa Valley area. But we get there and they take us up on, what is it called, like a utility vehicle type thing? Yeah, like
a side by side. way
up this mountain, right? And they have these platforms with rocking chairs. And he is just sitting up there with us. He's got the wine and telling us about that. And we're overlooking like we're on top of this hill, right? And we're overlooking all this absolutely gorgeous and just us on this little platform and tasting the wine and So that was just like so completely different experience. But I absolutely and you know, everybody has their own taste no matter what it is. Right. So if it's bourbon, if it's scotch, if it's tequila, if it's wine, everybody has their own thing. But this is just one that I have really, really enjoyed and continue to do my wine club on this one.
I remember, you know, just sitting up there and you've got this Vista, you're overlooking the vineyards and you just spend some of your time just enjoying that. That's part of the experience that, that they offer as a part of their
tour. Yeah. And that one wasn't, I don't, it wasn't rushed or anything like that. Right. Because you're right. That was part of the experience. And that one I do remember is just a smaller, right. That one's definitely a smaller family winery. So
the next we went to was Crocker and Star. You know, this one was kind of in the heart of that area near Round Pond and Caymus. It was more kind of to the interior, if you will, of the valley. And I remember we just kind of sat underneath the open air, I don't know, shelter of some sort that had tables set up. And then you had someone who came and sat at your table with you and took you through a tasting. did a guided tasting with you. So
again, just completely different experiences. And so I think it's good for you to like hear these different ones, you know, ask other people that you know have been, you know, look online. But again, there's like 500 winery. So take people's advice and then, you know, some of these, if you can just, you know, pop in and see, but you're going to see that every single experience is so, so different.
So let's hop across the mountain. Now let's go over on the Sonoma side. And I would say let's start up in the Russian river Valley area. Cause that's like the furthest away from town, right? That you probably 45 minutes or so away from town. If you were just doing straight driving, but it takes you up into a gorgeous area. That's very different than the Valley side wineries.
So we decided one of the days when we were doing this on our own that we would just drive all the way up and kind of start at the top and then just make our way back down that that kind of made sense. So we started at one called Porter Creek Vineyards. And it was just a very small winery right there near the river, almost like a little farm, right? I remember chickens and there was like a cat, you know, cats laying on the car and stuff like that, but just a really tiny vineyard. So, and then on that trip, that's when they were actually told us, Oh, well, this is like a wine highway weekend. I don't know if you remember that. And so like, if you have this special, you know, pass, you know, if you're going to stop at three or four, you might as well get this. And then you have the little tastings for free or, you know, that were included in that. And so that's, That's, I think, what we enjoy, right? Because then you can just kind of pop in some different places and, and have that. So that might be something that you want to look into as you're thinking about, okay, when do I want to plan my trip and look up to see, like, when are they having these different, you know, festivals or these tasting type things, or when is harvest, which we have never done. We've always been like in the late winter, spring up through May. So that would be a good, you know, thing to probably look at as well.
And I think if you want to go during the harvest time, you really need to plan that ahead of time because that's like the most popular time to be there. There's going to be all kinds of festivals that are going to attract people in. And so, you know, if that's something that you want to experience, make sure you're planning well ahead. You probably need to be like 18, 24 months ahead of time thinking about that and planning for it.
Yeah. So on this trip, so then we just kind of just made our way right when we would see things. So I guess we did have the map, you know, with their little guide, but that was the one, like Scott mentioned the cave when the Thomas George winery that we went to, and then just several other ones, we just kind of made our way down. And a lot of those, I think it was just like, Oh, we're going to share a tasting because we didn't have to have a reservation and you were driving as well. And so that was a possibility to do that. Whereas where you have to make a reservation, like, Even if you just wanted to have the tasting, you know, and not like drink it or whatever, like you'd start going to have to pay for it.
So that's really kind of the difference. Yeah. I think at the Thomas George, like if we had wanted to go into the caves and do a more broad tasting and stuff like that, we would have needed a reservation for that. And they didn't have any because they were doing that event, but we were able to just go and stand at the counter and do a tasting with them that way.
Yeah. So I think it actually just allowed us to cover quite a few more. And so we just kind of made our way back down, um, and did that. So then a few of the ones then that are closer to Sonoma that we've also done. So that might be another way to do it, right? You, so you could have a day where then you're going to drive or then you could have some time that we're going to be like closer to Sonoma. And so a couple of those have been the Gloria fair ones. And so they have some sparkling wines, Gloria Vanderbilt. No, Gloria Ferrer wands, and they have some sparkling wands and stuff like that, or the Klein. So I mean, of course, Klein is something that you see, but if you want to visit that, that's just right there. But then this is where we happened upon one that we really enjoyed, which is Anabach.
Yeah, so we had been out at these others, you know, beautiful, the Gloria Fair, you know, a beautiful property. And we were sitting out on a patio and that day it just happened to be really hot. I mean, super hot and they didn't have like any shade or whatever. And so we were sitting up there and we were just parched. And we were kind of like, we didn't want to go anywhere else where we were going to have to sit out directly in the sun because it was hot that day. Which
is funny because it was, it was February or March. It was very early, but it was a gorgeous day. You're right. So, and
so we were really looking for a place with some shade and that's how we came across Anabah.
Yeah. So it was just like this little house, just it's on that Sonoma highway. Right. And it had a sign and a bar. We're like, okay, let's just pop in there. And I just remember because you love telling this story. And so there's like, Hey, what we'll do a tasting. Right. What kind of wines do you like? And.
Yeah. At that time, you know, we drank mostly just red wine. And so he asked, do you like white wine? I was like, no, not really. He's like, well, what do you not like about it? I was like, I don't know. I just don't like it. And he said, well, let me, let me bring you a couple of things and then you can decide whether you like it or not. Cause I think Anabat is actually probably more well known for their, for their white wines and their Pinot Noir. But anyhow, so he just started bringing different samples for us to try. And I don't know, about seven in, I just asked him, I was like, do you mind bringing us something that we don't like? Because I don't know how much more we can taste. And so, you know, it was really good that we, we really enjoyed all the different wines. Now, when we say all the different wines, it was really just different vineyards. It was probably the same wine, but they had some different reserve wines that were from particular vineyards. And, you know, and he would tell us a story like this one gets more wind from the coast and, you know, just stuff like that, depending on which vineyard that they got the grapes from. But, uh, It was very good wine. And so we really enjoyed it. And Anabah just became one of those that we got a lot of wine delivered to our house from Anabah. And at that
time, that was their tasting room, right? And so since then, I guess actually probably during the pandemic, they ended up building, they had already had plans to build like a huge tasting room, right? With an event center and all this outdoor space and stuff like that. But at that time that they were just really tiny. And so that was just an example of one where for, I don't know, $30 maybe it was really ended up being like, how many, how many things do you want to taste and you can taste them all. So just a huge juxtaposition between these different, you know, again, just between these different wineries, they're all going to be so, so different. And they do have a nice, we did sit outside on that when it was just in the shade. Yeah,
it was kind of like a covered porch or something like that. But then that really opened up our imagination to, could we like other white wines from the region? And we started trying the white wines at some of the different wineries as we would go around after that experience there at Anaba.
Yes. Yeah. So just to name a few other ones. So from there, like we've done Landmark and then Kenwood. Kenwood, which is actually a town name out there, but that's the Kenwood Winery. Then also, you know, closer to Sonoma, there's one called Buena Vista, which may be like a little more commercial, you know, in terms of its, you know, presentation and stuff like that. So just again, all kinds. We're going to link a lot of those. you know, link those in the show notes. As a matter of fact, put those in like a Google map and then share that link. And so then that way you could like see them on like a Google map and stuff like that. So that might be easy way to do that. And one other one that really stood out is that on one of the trips we visited, it's called Benzinger Family Winery. So that one was super interesting because they actually do biodynamic farming there. So they had the animals roaming out in the in the vineyards, right? Sheep
that would eat the grass and the weeds underneath the grapevines. And then, of course, as they're eating, they're, you know, pooping. And so that provided the fertilizer back into the soil.
Yeah, so they they just have like just a different method. And so that one was more about doing like a winery tour. Right. So you get in their little cart. Right. And he takes you around and shows you all that all that different, you know, and talks about the way that they do the farming. And then you go and have the tasting. So just each one, you're just going to have some different and some unique experiences.
All right. Well, that's plenty of wine. About what?
Yes. So one of the things that you want to think about is like I guess eating probably during the day. So I want to give some suggestions for that. So when we've done it on our own, we have stopped. There's a market out there called Sonoma Market. There was one like as you go up like further in that Sonoma Valley, but there was one in downtown Sonoma and you could pick up things like, you know, charcuterie meat. So you could like make your own, you know, charcuterie. But they also had like you know, sandwiches and salads and all kinds of things like you could pick up to just take with you as well. So there's a market.
So, I mean.
Yeah. And some of these, you know, offer. So another one, for example, if you're in the Napa area and you want to go by Visa Thule, which is also a winery and you can do a tasting, but they also offer food, right? So they have sandwiches and things like that, that you can pick up. So that was one of the things that we did when we were on the tour with Steve that he introduced us to. And then the other one that we
did. A couple of recommendations before we jump off. is one on Amazon, you can buy like a 12 bottle carrier that looks like a suitcase. It's got a rolling wheels on it. That's a good investment to take out there with you. So as you find different wineries that you like and Maybe you don't want to sign up for their club, but they had a couple of bottles you really like you can just buy a couple of bottles slide them down into that padded suitcase looking thing and It's really easy to check on the airplane going back. The second thing I would say is maybe take a small cooler with you So that way you could pack some waters and things that need to be refrigerated during the days. You mentioned getting some charcuterie type meat and stuff like that. Cheese, you know, you're going to need some type of cooler or whatever. So think about carrying a, a small cooler with you where you can put that in, you know, either some ice packs or ice down in that with it.
Yeah. So either a fold up one that you could put in your suitcase or use that as your, you know, use that as your carry on as well. And you're going
to get. I don't want to take waters with you to, you know, in between these wineries, it's a good idea to drink a bottle of water.
Yeah, that's true. So mentioning that rolling, we have not had any trouble checking that and sending it back on the plane. It's been fine. It's nice and padded. One thing that you cannot do is you can't buy it and have it boxed up and have it mailed back to you. So just know that you're going to have to check it. Um, you could, and if you didn't have that, because one time we did put everything in a box and pack it up real good and check that box on the plane, I think because we didn't know that. So the wineries can ship it. And so unless anything has changed, you can't, you know, mail that box. And if it's obviously a box of, you know, wine and stuff like that, So, but that, that rolling wine bag has been great. So we'll, we'll several of the
wineries out there sold those rolling wine bags, but I think I paid a fraction of what they were charging for it.
Yeah. And if you just have a couple of bottles, you could, you know, buy
some of the
wine sleeves. Yeah. The wine sleeves and in fact in your suitcase, but it was great. We, we filled that up and it wasn't any problem at all. Um, so, but one other place, so like if you're in the Sonoma area is there's dry Creek general store and they are known for their sandwiches. So calling ahead or stopping by there and ordering those and Picking those up and then you know a lot of the wineries had outdoor places that you could sit and stuff like that So that was a great way to do that. So that's kind of like during the day food Covering that and then as far as for dinner in sonoma a couple of the places that we have been or have wanted to go have heard good things about is the one that we have been to is the BMV whiskey bar and grill that's right there on the square in Sonoma more of like like barbecue type thing and then the girl and the fig which I have not been to has been on my list forever we just never made it there but it gets really good ratings. And then a couple of the things that we did like in the Napa area. So in downtown Napa, Alegria in Napa, which was an Italian place, Harlem, Mediterranean. So if you like Mediterranean food, but one of the things that we did, which was a neat little place is called Oxbow Public Market. It's one of those markets that has like all the different food vendors. So that could be a great option to go in and, and, you know, everybody kind of get what they want. Or what we did was then pick up like charcuterie type stuff. And cause we had that balcony at that white house in, and we did that, but picked up
some wine during the day. And I think we enjoyed that.
Yeah, that's true. So then we just kind of wanted to do that for dinner. But in Yonville, so a treat in Yonville, and we actually did this the night before we started the winery tours, because a lot of times, like if you're out all day, especially if the sun was like Scott was talking about, you're just kind of done and you just want something light or you're just tired. So but there is a. Depending
on how heavy you've gone with the tastings during the day.
Yes, that's true. But there is an RH in Yonville, which, so make reservations for that. But that would be, that's just a fantastic experience. Beautiful setting. And so just a great setting. Just don't sit too close to the fire. I've got some of their beautiful
fireplace out there, but don't sit too close to it because obviously they can't control the temperature of the fire. And oh my gosh, I thought we were going to melt. It
ended up being it was like, oh, it'll be so nice to sit by the fire. So we moved over there and it was like, we are melting. It was
funny because we wanted we saw people sitting there and we were like, oh, we want to sit there. And but of course, we couldn't because that's not where our reservation was. Well, those people left and we asked our waiter, could we move out by the fire? And we weren't out there probably five minutes and we were almost like, Can we move somewhere else?
Or can we move this table over? It's really high. Yeah, that's true. And so that is the RH, restoration hardware. They've rebranded as just RH, but that's one of their restaurants. So just absolutely beautiful. And then another one that we didn't get to go to, we had to end up catching our flight, but there was, this is one of those places where you couldn't make reservations. I don't believe and it was just like a line starting to form down the sidewalk and we just weren't going to have time. But Bouchon Bistro in Yonville that we saw then the day that we were leaving. So looking at the menu and so that just looked really good. So just a couple of recommendations for you to kind of put on your list because if you're like us, it's just always nice to say, all right, you know, I recognize that or, you know, where, where can we eat? And I've heard that name as well.
So Melissa, all these great recommendations, but if you're flying in or out of San Francisco, there's something that you absolutely have to do either on your way to Napa Sonoma or on your way back to the airport. What's that? And that
is to go visit Muir Woods. So the first time that we did this we were going back to San Francisco and I was like Oh Scott, can we you know, can we make sure we leave in time to stop here? Like we really need to go see Muir Woods So Muir Woods is got the California the redwood trees. I mean, they're not as I mean, they're huge, right? So I mean, they're not as massive as like the Redwood Forest. But I mean, it is something to see and an hour if you know if an hour is all you have, like you can you can go into, you know, there's, there's paved paths, and then there's other paths that you can do. And it's not very expensive to go. The only thing that you do have to know is that you do have to get a parking pass. And if it's super busy time of the year, like they have shuttles that run. So look online ahead of time. That would just be my tip. Look online ahead of time and get that parking pass so that you can drive closer and just walk there. So we get there the first time and I remember, oh, so it had been raining really hard. And so even when we were up in the Russian River, the river had actually flooded, right? They had had so much rain. And I remember you, we're walking through there And I remember you're like, my shoes are going to get muddy. And I'm like, I don't care. Like we're going to San Francisco. If your shoes get run, like you didn't just go to the store and buy some more because we're going to, you weren't going to this mirror woods. Right. And then once we got in there, you're just like, okay, I get it. You know, I get it. And then we went back with our friends. We had so much fun with the Juan, but I think Lee is just like that still tops his list to say, oh, we went to Muir Woods like he loved that. Yeah. So that is it's definitely something something to see. And it's just it's so awesome that they have, you know, protected that land and protected those trees and stuff. So. do that as well. So then a couple of things, because always when you're, you know, you're getting there or you're leaving and having a couple of other, you know, finding things to eat. So I just wanted to give a couple of recommendations. I don't know if you would go this way if you were also going to go to Muir Woods, but if you're, if you're not going to Muir Woods and you go out of San Francisco, you'll pass through a little town called San Rafael. And if it's lunchtime, there's a Taqueria San Jose there that you have to stop at. I know Scott thought, where did you hear this? This is crazy, but it was very good. And I had read about it online, so definitely put that on your list. But if you are going over to Muir Woods, there was in Mill Valley, there was a couple of places, a fish and a beer garden type of place, but we stopped for coffee at Equator Coffee. And I'll put the name of all three of those places, like if you need lunch. Because I think we ended up stopping at like an In-N-Out burger. And if we had just waited a little bit longer, we probably could have eaten at that restaurant. And that would
have been a little better, but that's OK. Middle Valley. Awesome place. Just go ahead and plan time for it. Just just do it. You need to go there. That equator coffee was worth it all on its own. But the little town itself was really cute. And you should spend some time there. You're going to want to walk around. You're going to want to take pictures. You're going to want to spend some time there. So just go ahead and plan for it.
Yeah, we had to just be like, OK, we've got to go because our, you know, we've got to get up to Muir Woods because, you know,
closes at certain times. So, Melissa, with every destination episode, we like to end by asking you, what do you need to pack for this trip? Well,
speaking of Muir Woods, so that our listeners can avoid your, I don't want to get my tennis shoes dirty, bring along like some little hiking shoes. I mean, it's not a strenuous hike, right? Most of it's paved or it's just, it's not super strenuous, but bring along some shoes that you don't mind or tennis shoes that you don't mind getting dirty. So we've always thankfully had tennis shoes. Otherwise I would say that Napa and Sonoma would be more of what you would call smart casual. dress and I would bring along layers though because I think every time that we've been it's been like sunny in the afternoon and then if you've been in the shade or then in the evening it gets cooler so you'll want to bring along you know like a sweatshirt or a jacket or a sweater or something like that So I would say pants and jeans, a skirt or a nice, you know, dress or a sundress with a white sweater, and then the jacket that you can lay over it, your short sleeves, and then whatever you would like to dress for dinner. So I would say somewhere like RH is dressier, and a lot of restaurants might be dressier, but the barbecue place, not so much, right? You could just stop by there on the way, you know, back to your hotel. So then, of course, sandals or dress shoes that you'd be, you know, that would go with your outfit. But I would definitely say bring along a bathing suit because all the places that we've talked about have had a pool. So if you wanted to, you know, swim or find the hot tub or if you go to the spa as well. And then if you like to do photography and have a DSLR that you like to bring along, like the whole area is just absolutely gorgeous. Right. And if you go to Muir Woods, you're going to want that.
And I'd say for guys, when you're going to the different wineries, maybe like a golf shirt or something like that, not just a t-shirt. As Melissa said, kind of smart, casual. You want to make sure that you're not dressed down too much for going to these wineries.
Yeah, especially and I would say especially like a Napa, right? The ones that are nicer and then, you know, more expensive or if you've booked like a premium tasting or a premium experience. But I would say, you know, err on the side of dressing, you know, nicer can be nice jeans, but err on the side nicer dressing.
I'm almost certain that we're going to hear some passionate opinions on which one of these is better. We enjoyed visiting both. I think we just had a greater affinity for Sonoma over Napa and the fact that you can visit wineries without major price tags for tastings. You're going to find great wines in both. Sonoma just gives a little more value for the money. What's on your must do list when you visit this region? Send us a message and let us know what your favorites are. We're always inspired by your travel stories.
We hope you enjoyed this episode and we'll find some inspiration to help you with your travel journeys. Please consider going on your favorite podcast platform and leave us a review. The more five-star reviews we have, the more likely we are to be featured and discovered by others. Make sure to follow or subscribe to our podcast to be notified of new episodes as they are released. You can also find us on Instagram at Sunshine Travelers Podcast. Remember that's travelers with one L. Most importantly, share it with your friends and help them catch the travel bug. You never know, they may become your greatest travel companion.
