Napa

For anyone who’s studied up on the key moments in Napa wine history, the Spurrier tasting of 1976 sits in high relief. The Paris tasting was a bona fide pitting of French against American wines, organized to showcase the superior quality of the French winemaking talent. To everyone’s surprise, the winner of the blind tasting was none other than the 1973 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars SLV Cabernet Sauvignon. While the winery has recently passed into new ownership (a joint venture between the Tuscan Antinori family and Ste Michelle Wine Estates), the SLV is still going strong; its current vintage is available in their tasting room as part of their Estate Tasting.

Finally, for those seeking a truly elegant wine country setting for an event or wedding, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is one of the few Napa venues set up to host weddings; they also offer cooking classes and wine and food pairing programs that feature both current releases and library wines (wonder if they have any of the 1973 SLV left?).

Napa history buffs will appreciate the status of Regusci Winery as a “ghost winery,” that is, one that has its roots in the early Napa winemaking of the 19th century. Originally built in 1878 by one Terrill Grigsby, the winery was purchased by the family of its current owners in 1932. It survived the difficult economic and anti-alcohol periods of the early 20th century as a ranch, growing crops such as corn and prunes and raising livestock in addition to grapes. Today, the son and grandson of the original Regusci owner have returned to full time wine production. The tasting room, housed next to the original three story stone building, enjoys a rich, recycled-wood-centric feel thanks to the several rough hewn display tables and barrel-stave tasting bar. Visitors can enjoy a pour of a rich cabernet, and then stroll among the olive and citrus trees, or sit at one of the convenient outdoor tables.

The tasting space at Judd’s Hill is unique in that (1) it’s not really a tasting room, it’s more like a dining room table in an unusually cozy conference room and (2) it isn’t housed in your typical Napa Valley winery. It’s actually part of a larger MicroCrush facility that helps ambitious wine lovers produce as little as one barrel of their own juice. Judd's Hil was founded and is run by a family that’s been involved in Napa winemaking for more than 30 years. Art Finkelstein, a founder of the well-known Whitehall Lane winery, decided in the late 1980s to forego the large production lifestyle and get back to his roots -- a hands on role in winemaking. The result was Judd's Hill, which today still produces fewer than 3,000 cases of their private label cab, zin, chardonnay and pinot.

For Napa history buffs, Madonna Estate is a must stop. The original winery was founded by a bona fide Italian immigrant during one of the earliest waves of Napa vinification, in 1922. After being sold in the 1970s, a new iteration of Madonna was founded by some of the family heirs just a few years later. Today, they boast the distinction of representing four generations of winemaking. Housed in a handsome Spanish style building at the juncture of routes 12 and 121, the Estate is a convenient stop for those traveling between the Napa and Sonoma valleys. They produce the typical Carneros chard and pinot, as well as some less common varietals, like Gewurtzstraminer and Dolcetto. The grounds are replete with mustard and juniper, and ivy climbs up the side of the building. There are even a few picnic tables provided for those who wish to bring their glass (and perhaps a snack) outside by the highway.

The tasting room at Acacia winery is technically by appointment only, so the best bet for those seeking to taste their wines is to call ahead and let them know you’re coming. The tasting room is small, and typically staffs just one attendant. The good part about this is that you’re likely to have plenty of one-on-one attention and can ask questions to your heart’s content – as long as the place isn’t too crowded.

Before there were glass-and-expensive-wood wineries dotting the Napa Valley, there was the old-school, wild-west town of Napa, with Victorian houses and a real town square and essential businesses like breweries, saloons and brothels. Today, some of those old essential business aren’t around so much, but the buildings that housed them are. Such is the case with the Pfeiffer Building at the corner of Main and Clinton streets in downtown Napa. Built in 1875 and touted as the valley’s oldest stone building, today it houses the Vintner’s Collective, a tasting space where you can try flights of wines from among 18 different boutique wineries, including D Cubed, JC Cellars and Phelan. With a small seating area and a gallery and outdoor space upstairs, it’s a great stop for those looking to try a selection of artisan Napa reds before heading to dinner or drinks elsewhere in town.

Located next to the downtown Napa Valley Visitor’s Center in a recently developed outdoor shopping mall, this small tasting room offers tries of four local wineries: Goosecross, Girard, Ilona Howell Mountain, and Burgess. The tasting room is half wine bar, half gift shop, so if you’re looking for that perfect accessory or a chocolate covered wine bottle, this is your place. They also have the distinction of being a hifi hotspot, so if you happen to have your laptop or iPhone with you, you’re in luck.