Picnic Friendly

Folie a Deaux is a psychiatric term that refers to two people sharing the same delusional ideas. Perhaps a whimsical name for a winery, but appropriate if the founders of the winery happen to both be psychology professionals. While the original couple no longer own the winery, their legacy lives on in the Rorschach dancers on the logo. The tasting room sports a variety of wines for tasting, including several Menage a Trois blends (one white, one red, one rose) as well as a Napa Cellars merlot, zin and sauvignon blanc. The available picnic tables make this stop particularly appealing for those who’ve purchased lunch vittles from the Oakville Grocery up the road, and need a place to nosh.

The first thought that comes to mind as you pull into the driveway of Saddleback Cellars may be “Hmm. Perhaps they’re not open.” The nondescript, rustic tasting room, tucked into one corner of their winery, is marked only by a small sign and an open door. Once inside though, a cozy wooden table and tasting counter, as well as a set of longhorns, come into view, and all doubts evaporate. The winemaker, Nils Venge, is something of a Napa Legend, having won the honor of producing Napa’s first 100 point Parker wine (the 1985 Groth Reserve) and today, he’s often seen hanging around the winery, happy to meet and greet visitors or help out on a bottling line.

If the words “Gluttonous Flight” intrigue you, get on over to the tasting room at Robert Sinskey Vineyards. Their food-focused tasting experience includes four wines paired with a selection of appetizers and cheeses prepared in their on-site, professional kitchen by their professional chef. The hors d’oeurves on a recent menu included leek tartlets and savory cheese puffs (aka Gougeres, for the French speakers out there) to accompany an Alsatian style blend, two pinots and a cabernet. There is a spacious patio, complete with hillside view and plenty of seating, and a koi pond if you’re interested in watching fish. Their wines are grown on organic vines, and are sourced from both the Stags Leap and Los Carneros districts. This is a great Silverado Trail stop for groups of folks who have varying interests – the foodie, the view-appreciater, and the shopper shall all be quite pleased.

This small, family-owned winery is tucked away on a Yountville side road, just north of the Stag’s Leap district. The three owners are apt to be on hand and in person at the tasting counter or adjacent winery, tending to business or chatting with visitors in the fun and lively tasting room. Their creative style is apparent in the chocolate dipped wine bottles displayed behind the counter, and recipe laden database and periodic podcasts that are available on their web site. Owner Colleen Topper sums up the winery’s general philosophy with the simple and sincere point that “our customers are our friends.”

Known as one of the limited number of Napa wineries that have county permits for picnics, V Sattui offers mid-day tasters a chance to buy some bread and cheese and sit for a spell in the shade. While patrons cannot bring their own fixins onto the grounds, the on-site deli offers sufficient varieties of meat, cheese, bread, dips and oils to satisfy the most discerning of palates. The wines are not particularly noteworthy, but the three rooms of foodstuffs and other items are something of a shoppers’ paradise.

While wine libraries are not uncommon in Napa, the space allocated for the purpose at Franciscan stands out. Lots of warm wood, long tables, and floor to ceiling storage make for an impressive but not overwhelming atmosphere for those seeking to schedule a private event or tasting, or interested in attending one of the winery’s daily educational seminars. Founded more than three decades ago, the winery today is owned by the behemoth Constellation Brands; however, it retains its warm, historic vibe and doesn’t feel overly corporate.

With the distinction of being the Napa valley’s first winery, (founded in 1861) and incorporating Native American techniques into their first vintages (see the apple press), Charles Krug allows visitors to enjoy a taste of the early days of the valley in the mini-museum located in the back room. Its historic cache was further embellished several decades ago, when Peter Mondavi came along and acquired the winery. Today, he and his sons are in the throes of replanting most of their 800+ Napa acres and restoring the historic Charles Krug buildings.

If you have the drive time and the picnic basket, and you’re looking for one of the best outdoor eating areas in Napa, head up to Rutherford Hill, where you can sit in one of three dedicated picnic grounds and gaze out at the valley below. This Terlato family winery also offers daily tours, which include a stroll through their extensive cave systems. You can even book the caves (or the picnic grounds) for your own (non-wedding) event.

A medium sized, family owned and operated winery that sits on the site of a former eucalyptus grove, Rutherford Grove Winery and Vineyards offers visitors flights of its estate grown cabernet and merlot, as well as sangiovese and sauvignon blanc. The Pestoni family, who still own and run the business, are descended from some of Napa’s pioneer winemakers, and over the past several decades have pioneered their own innovative methods for disposing of grape waste (skins, seeds and stems, also known as pomace) and reusing the remnants of grape seeds (see the Napa Valley Grapeseed Oil Company, with which third generation Pestonis are currently involved). Visitors will enjoy grabbing a glass at the tasting counter and browsing the grounds, or sitting under a shady umbrella in the ample picnic area.

One of the coolest tours in Napa has to be a jaunt through the Reynolds family vineyards on one of their two Pinzgauer Swiss Army trucks. The winery, founded on the site of a former chicken farm by a former dentist in the mid-1990s, also houses a Tuscan style tasting room and park-like table seating next to a fountain-featured pond. The site is great for small cocktail parties or rehearsal dinners, or a nice afternoon picnic.