Grape Expectations:
Unusual Tours in Napa & Sonoma Wine Country
By Risa Wyatt
“Wine is made in the vineyard—not the winery,” winemakers declare. To prove the point, new tours in Napa and Sonoma take aficionados out of the tasting room and into the vineyards, at the same time offering them pastimes such as bicycling and hiking. Other hands-on learning experiences enable enthusiasts to help in the harvest or blend their own wines. The following programs offer both exploration and education.
Eco-Adventures
Getting around by bicycle in Napa and Sonoma is easy because the valley floors are flat and many byways are scenically sleepy. People can pedal either on their own or opt for guided explorations lasting from a day to a week. Currently under construction, the Napa Valley Vine Trail will create a designated walking and biking trail from Napa to Calistoga. Travelers can meander among cordons and clusters—maybe even nibble the new vintage right from the vine—on outside adventures that give an inside look at wine country. Participants don’t need to be rugged athletes or know-it-all nerds. Tour operators provide all the gear as well as knowledgeable guides.
Napa Valley Bike Tours (www.napavalleybiketours.com) features tours as well as self-guided options. The “Cycling ‘In’ the Vineyards” tour takes participants through vineyard rows on mountain bikes. Since the property they visit borders San Francisco Bay, participants can spot herons, mallards, and egrets in the marshlands ($149 includes picnic lunch; tasting fees extra). The leader in bicycle touring since 1980, Backroads (www.backroads.com) features several wine country explorations. The six-day “Wine Country Biking” itinerary explores Napa and Sonoma Valleys as well as redwood reserves and the Pacific Coast (from $2,400 per person double occupancy).
Opened in April 2010, Change of Greenery (www.changeofgreenery.com) brings electric bike touring to Napa Valley. Electric bikes behave just like regular two-wheeled bikes—with a rear hub motor to add oomph when needed (from $75).
The Napa River passes through the famous appellations of Calistoga, St. Helena, Rutherford, Oakville, and Napa. Downstream from Napa, it forms a tidal estuary that’s perfect for peaceful paddling and eyeing waterfowl, shorebirds, and raptors. Kayak NV offers three-hour excursions on the river ($60); visit: www.kayaknv.com
Pedal or paddle? People don’t have to choose with Getaway Adventures (www.getawayadventures.com), which features a two-sport option in Sonoma’s Alexander Valley. In the morning, participants bicycle along country roads and stop for tastings. After a picnic lunch, they climb into kayaks for a mellow paddle along the Russian River ($175 includes picnic lunch; tasting fees extra). Getaway Adventures also runs kayak tours along the Pacific Coast as well as bike tours in Napa and Sonoma.
Hikes present another opportunity to rove among the rows. Sonoma Vineyard Walks offers one-day walks among four notable vineyards ($125) (www.sonomavineyardwalks.com). Guides—who include grape growers and wine-appreciation instructors—share information about viticultural techniques at each property. Three-day hiking adventures are also available. For people who want to ramble on their own, several self-guided tours are offered by Sonoma Vineyard Adventures (www.SonomaVineyardAdventures.com). Tours are free and offered year-round.
Looking for something wildly different? Pairing wines with wildlife is the specialty of the new “Wines over Watusi” program at Safari West (www.safariwest.com). This 400-acre preserve—dubbed the “Serengeti of Sonoma”—is home to more than 700 exotic animals including cheetahs, giraffe, and warthogs. After a private safari, guests enjoy a tasting of Sonoma and South African wines ($750 for a minimum party of 10).
Locavore Tours
With all the hoopla about wine, it’s easy to forget that Napa and Sonoma are multi-agricultural communities producing heirloom vegetables, free-range chickens, and artisanal cheeses. Several tours and programs create a sense of place by sharing the sense of taste of local products.
Famed for training top chefs, the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone (www.ciachef.edu/California) has opened a 16-seat Flavor Bar that provides short, interactive tasting experiences for enthusiastic foodies ($10-$15). The 15-minute “Taste Like a Chef” sessions delve into the subtleties of chocolate and super-premium olive oils. CIA also offers cooking classes and wine seminars at its historic stone building completed in 1889.
A moveable feast awaits participants on the three-day “Sonoma Locavore Experience” (www.relishculinary.com). Guests visit organic and biodynamic vineyards and farms where they savor meals and cocktails incorporating locally grown, raised, or produced ingredients. Relish also runs cooking classes. Organic farms and artisanal foods form the focus of the Sonoma itinerary created by California Nature Tours (www.californianaturetours.com). Itineraries call at several farms plus shops selling handcrafted cheeses, olive oils, and chocolates ($99; three weeks advance notice required).
Hands-On Programs
For those who wish to experience the process without having to quit their day job, the following programs give visitors the chance to play winemaker, harvester or cellar rat for the day. From May to October, the “Estate Winegrowing Tour” at Goosecross Cellars (www.goosecross.com) takes guests into the vineyard for up-close looks at growing conditions and management techniques essential for producing top wine. As harvest approaches, the tour focuses on decisions the winemaker must make in the vineyard and winery to optimize quality ($40; includes a bottle of wine).
Organically certified for more than a decade, ZD Wines (www.zdwines.com) takes guests into the rows on a new Eco Tour. People learn about organic farming, renewable energy, and biodiversity—all while sipping wines made from 100% certified organic grapes ($30).
The grand red wines of Bordeaux are primarily blends of different grapes. Several wineries offer programs in which people can hone skills at blending wines. At Conn Creek Winery (www.conncreek.com) guests create custom blends from barrels containing wine from 14 Napa Valley appellations to take home ($95). Similar sessions are offered in Napa by Franciscan (www.franciscan.com) and Rutherford Hill (www.rutherfordhill.com), and in Sonoma by Ravenswood (www.ravenswood-wine.com).
Missouri oak or Nevers French? At Del Dotto Vineyards (www.deldottovineyards.com), guests taste wines “thieved” out of different types of oak barrels from the world’s great forests ($40). Tastings take place in caves hand-dug in the 1800s.
Visitors can even participate in the harvest and crush in September/October. At the three-day “Grape Camp” (www.sonomagrapecamp.com) offered by the Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, guests not only pick grapes—they also blend their own wines, enjoy barrel samplings, participate in team cooking contests, and enjoy gourmet meals ($1,750 per person double occupancy). Round Pond (www.roundpond.com) in Napa’s Rutherford appellation and Fantesca (www.fantesca.com) near St. Helena also feature harvest programs.