This was my first trip out to Napa, so I was quite excited about the notion of getting drunk off wine. After all, not being the designated driver is like having a license to drink. During this trip, we made a total of six winery stops, but only sampled four of them. We hit up Robert Mondavi, St Supery, V Sattui, Diamond Oaks, Madonna and Domaine Carneros. Of the six, I found St Supery, V Sattui and Domaine Carneros to be the most enjoyable in terms of the wine and atmosphere.
Robert Mondavi
We actually did not try any wine here since Yokomo mentioned that their wine isn’t exactly the best. You can actually find their wines at your local grocery store, so give it shot if you are curious. They did boast a very nice gift store with very interesting stuff such as Cabernet Sauvignon Chocolate sauce.
St Supery
I had my first wine tasting here and found one of my favorite wines, the Moscato. It is a sweet white wine made of Muscat grapes. If you like sweet floral wines, give Moscato a try. Of all the Moscato wines I tried that day, St Supery’s had the best balance of sweetness, aroma and alcohol. I also sampled the Riesling and the Rose, but they just didn’t quite do it for me. St Supery also provides a self-guide tour of the wine making facilities where you can read about how grapes are grown and wines are made. As a side note, I recently stopped by our local BevMo and found that they carried St Supery’s Moscato. No need to visit Napa to pick up a bottle, although it is highly recommended if you are looking to take a trip to the Bay Area.
V Sattui
This is where we spent a good bulk of our time. They were having a lunch BBQ around the time we arrived, so it was hard not to stick around for the food and drinks. This is a VERY popular winery, it was so packed! Parking wasn’t too much of a problem since they had a lot of room, but the gift shop and the wine sampling lines were LONG! Not to mention the waiting time to get food was also on the lengthier side. WhatDaPho picked up two bottles of Muscato and Riesling and a block of Manchego cheese. They were, decent, but I thought that the Muscato was a bit too much on the “alcoholic” side, while the Riesling was a bit too dry. Apparently, the best wine (according to Yokomo) at V Sattui is the Gamay Rouge, so if you happen to come across it, pick up a bottle and let us know how you liked it.
Diamond Oaks
I can’t comment on the wine here at Diamond Oaks, but the view is quite nice. Yokomo has sampled the wine here and says it’s not very good. I don’t doubt that, there were hardly any cars parked on their lot and not one soul taste-testing wine inside their store. This winery resides up a windy road, away from the main highway, which probably explains the lack of visitors.
Madonna
I had a few sips of my wife’s Moscato at Madonna Winery. It was a bit too sweet for my taste, by my wife seemed to like it. Of course, my wife is a sucker for sweets, so I am not very surprised. Aside from the wines, there really wasn’t too much to the Madonna winery, so we sampled few more wines and moved on.
Domaine Carneros
Domaine Carneros Winery has probably the best view in town. It is like a mansion sitting on a hill overlooking the valley. Breathtaking! Certainly an awesome place to just chill, relax, taking in the sights with some refreshing wine, cheese and fruits. That’s the life! Unlike other wineries, Domaine Carneros offers three varieties of sparkling wines; the Brut Vintage, Brut Rosé and Le Rêve Blanc de Blancs. I can’t say I had a favorite, but of the three, I enjoyed the Brut Rosé best. It went very well with the fruits and cheeses we had. I am not much of a wine connoisseur, but the whole wine/cheese/fruit thing was a lot of fun. A great way to pass the time if you ask me.
If you have time to spare, spend a whole entire day in the Napa Valley and hit up as many wineries as you can. Be advised, you will not be able to cover everything, so pick the best ones. I highly recommend that you include V Sattui, St Supery and Domaine Carneros on that list if you are in the area. You won’t regret it.
Great views, great wines
So big, you’ll have a rough time visiting all wineries
Being able to sample a wine before you buy it.
Can get pricey if you decide to sample at every winery
1. Weirdest thing you have had for breakfast?
* Sushi & Sashimi
2. Most desperate meal you've ever had?
* Canned corn with a slice of American cheese, microwaved.
3. When you eat too much, you...
* Sit back on my chair and stare at the ceiling blankly...in pain. 
Oh wow wow wow. That looks like incredible fun… I’m partial to slightly sweet Rieslings myself but really like all sorts of white wines (the aroma when you cook with them is an awesome bonus too).
Thanks for sharing!
Loads of FUN! Getting buzzed for a whole day was certainly enjoyable. Cooking with wine is very enjoyable for me, I love the flavors and the aroma that you get when you sauteed with it.
Napa is soo much fun! I love it and I have heard alot of good things about the Mondavi winery tours:-)
Really? That’s awesome. Their winery is really beautiful. The next thing I want to do there is take the Napa Valley Wine Train. That looked like a lot of fun.