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San Fran & wine country in Sept.

WFU71

WFU71

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We're thinking about a trip to San Francisco and wine country the second week in September. We've never been to that area, but want to visit some vineyards and see as much as we can in 8-9 days. Probably start with a couple days in San Fran, then drive out to Napa or Sonoma for a couple of days. Beyond that, I have no tentative plans. We enjoy the outdoors, but are no longer into hiking, camping, and such.

Any suggestions are welcome.
 
I prefer Sonoma to Napa...Sonoma is where the locals go, Napa is where the tourists go. If you do happen to go to Napa try Rutherford Grill for lunch or picnic at V. Sittui. Recommendations on wineries would depend on your preferences...if your travel plans are flexible and you go labor day wkend you should try the sonoma wine country festival in Healdsburg on sat and then head to Sausalito on sunday.
 
Four hours from Yosemite. If you've never been there you have to steal a day from wine country or SF and get your ass out there and see the highlights.
 
Went to Napa for a few days back in May. We stayed at the Beazley House B&B which was great. We spent one day walking around Napa, checking out the Oxbow Market and some of the tasting rooms nearby, and the second day we did a Napa tour through Platypus Tours. The tour guide was great, lunch was provided, and we went to small / boutique wineries which was a lot of fun. They will pick you up and drop you off wherever your staying, so no worrying about driving yourself around.

Had dinner at Bouchon in Yountville one night and thought it was great.

In SF we did a walking culinary tour of little Italy in the city and had a blast, but I don't know the name of the company we used. Have fun!
 
I'll be going in October and we are heading for Sonoma but I have never been (wife has been to Napa). I know its gonna cost a chunk of change, but I'd like to limit the damage for lodging as much as possible as I don't plan on spending more than 8 hrs a day at a hotel or Inn. Are there any budget or non premium spots to stay that are not dumps? I'd rather spend my dough elsewhere.
 
We always have pretty good luck along the Silverado Trail. I'd start there. If you have particular kinds of wine you're into, a little research beforehand probably wouldn't hurt, as some of the better spots in the valley are by appointment only. (Although that can be flexible, depending on how busy it is.)

Lots and lots of great spots to eat, especially between Yountville and St. Helena. One of our favorites is the Farmstead Restaurant at Long Meadow Ranch. I'd skip V. Sattui if I were you. Don't really care for the wine and the service is meh -- when you're in wine country, ain't nobody got time for that. It's a tour bus stop.

Sonoma is indeed less pretentious, but wine country -- in either valley -- is essentially only there to be touristy. It's like Disney World for grownups. So roll with what kind of wine you like, find some good food (not hard to do), soak in the scenery, and enjoy. Above all, avoid the snooty wine people if you can. They're the worst.


6-7 days in wine country is a little much, IMO, though. You could do easy side trips up to the Russian River Valley (also great wine, fun towns, old resort areas, a redwood grove, some great breweries) and especially Point Reyes for a stunningly beautiful stretch of coastline (check out the elk preserve at the northern tip) and pound fresh oysters all day at Tomales Bay. The oyster houses are awesome, and the feds are threatening to shut them down, so better do it while you can before they're gone. Can't recommend a day out around Point Reyes highly enough.
 
Go to Ad Hoc for dinner one night. Go to Bouchon Bakery one morning.
 
I'll be in SF September 13-21st. The first ~5 days I'll be at a conference, and I'm staying at the Marriott Marquis (at least for that part of the trip). My wife is going to join me on Wednesday and then we are staying through the following weekend. Any advice would be great. We like eating and drinking the most, but are up for anything.

Should we stay at the Marquis the whole time (it's pretty expensive, and my company will only pay for the days of the actual conference)? Day trip to wine country or overnight?
 
leftcoastdeac said:
Went to Napa for a few days back in May. We stayed at the Beazley House B&B which was great. We spent one day walking around Napa, checking out the Oxbow Market and some of the tasting rooms nearby, and the second day we did a Napa tour through Platypus Tours. The tour guide was great, lunch was provided, and we went to small / boutique wineries which was a lot of fun. They will pick you up and drop you off wherever your staying, so no worrying about driving yourself around.

Had dinner at Bouchon in Yountville one night and thought it was great.

In SF we did a walking culinary tour of little Italy in the city and had a blast, but I don't know the name of the company we used. Have fun!
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We did a tour in June which was nice for the no driving drunk aspect. We had a big group, so I don't know how it would be for a couple with others on your tour. Also, I second the Sonoma County recommendation and Healdsburg, although Napa is not as bad tourist wise as I was expecting.
 
Yeah, it's not super easy to do the Keller restaurants, especially in September, but they're all worth it. Bouchon Bakery is easy, though, and highly recommended.

Most of the celebrity chef spots are worth the hype. Haven't been to the Morimoto place, but I hear it's excellent. Redd, next to Ad Hoc, is relatively affordable and really great. We're big fans of Bistro Jeanty in Yountville, too.

Also, don't feel bad about skipping Gott's Roadside in St. Helena. Always packed. A little overrated, IMO.
 
bigdoublezero said:
Yeah, it's not super easy to do the Keller restaurants, especially in September, but they're all worth it. Bouchon Bakery is easy, though, and highly recommended.

Most of the celebrity chef spots are worth the hype. Haven't been to the Morimoto place, but I hear it's excellent. Redd, next to Ad Hoc, is relatively affordable and really great. We're big fans of Bistro Jeanty in Yountville, too.

Also, don't feel bad about skipping Gott's Roadside in St. Helena. Always packed. A little overrated, IMO.
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Jeanty is great, too. We made our Ad Hoc res on Open Table a few weeks out and they had a lot of times...this was in late August when we went
 
tiltdeac said:
I'll be in SF September 13-21st. The first ~5 days I'll be at a conference, and I'm staying at the Marriott Marquis (at least for that part of the trip). My wife is going to join me on Wednesday and then we are staying through the following weekend. Any advice would be great. We like eating and drinking the most, but are up for anything.

Should we stay at the Marquis the whole time (it's pretty expensive, and my company will only pay for the days of the actual conference)? Day trip to wine country or overnight?
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SF hotels in general are very expensive (same goes for wine country unfortunately). If you're looking for a more budget-friendly option, there are some solid Airbnb's in SF if that's your thing.

The thing about wine country is that most of the wineries are closed by 5 or 6, so a day trip is definitely doable. You should probably have dinner while you're up there, though, since the food in the area is so good. We've had friends stay at Rancho Caymus in Rutherford who really loved it, and I think it's relatively affordable for the area. Also you're next door to Rutherford Grill, which is awesome food, no corkage; get the skillet cornbread.

You guys are planning your trips in the middle of San Francisco's indian summer, so it's not exactly a bargain time to visit.
 
Buttermaker said:
We did a tour in June which was nice for the no driving drunk aspect. We had a big group, so I don't know how it would be for a couple with others on your tour. Also, I second the Sonoma County recommendation and Healdsburg, although Napa is not as bad tourist wise as I was expecting.
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Unless you're socially awkward or afraid to mingle with people it's no big deal. After a few glasses of wine everyone will loosen up anyway.
 
We really enjoyed visiting Healdsburg and the surrounding wineries when we went 2 years ago. Also make sure to go see the Redwoods while you're in the area if you haven't before!
 
If wine tasting is your focus, I'd do one day in Napa, one day in Sonoma, and one day in Anderson Valley (Mendocino County). That's a sliding scale from touristy/pretentious (Napa) to casual/laid back (Anderson Valley). St Helena, Yountville, and Calistoga cool towns with good lodging/dining options in Napa County. Healdsburg and Sonoma are a little bit upscale for Sonoma County, but still have great options. Anderson Valley is a major hoof from SF, but doable from Healdsburg. Mendocino is a gorgeous town and Boonville's a cool hippie dippy town. If you get burned out on wine, Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa (Sonoma County) is the best microbrewery in the Bay Area by a wide margin. Not much to look at but great hoppy IPAs and Belgian-style areas. Anderson Valley Brewing in Boonville is also an excellent brew pub.
 
By the way, late Deac Tom "Flipper" Shelton was CEO of upscale winery Joseph Phelps.
 
I was at a conference in Healdsburg last June, stayed out there an extra day and had a great time on a wine tour with Platypus Tours. We went to Amista, Moniclare, Hawley (really good), and Sbragia wineries on a day tour (all Sonoma). Would recommend that group for a tour. Have fun.
 
FuckmouthedRube said:
If wine tasting is your focus, I'd do one day in Napa, one day in Sonoma, and one day in Anderson Valley (Mendocino County). That's a sliding scale from touristy/pretentious (Napa) to casual/laid back (Anderson Valley). St Helena, Yountville, and Calistoga cool towns with good lodging/dining options in Napa County. Healdsburg and Sonoma are a little bit upscale for Sonoma County, but still have great options. Anderson Valley is a major hoof from SF, but doable from Healdsburg. Mendocino is a gorgeous town and Boonville's a cool hippie dippy town. If you get burned out on wine, Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa (Sonoma County) is the best microbrewery in the Bay Area by a wide margin. Not much to look at but great hoppy IPAs and Belgian-style areas. Anderson Valley Brewing in Boonville is also an excellent brew pub.
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Also Bear Republic has a brewpub in Healdsburg which is really good.
 
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