Napa Valley is a world-famous region for wine, and it is located in northern California, about a 90-minute drive (without traffic) from San Francisco. Wine-lovers travel from around the country to spoil themselves in California’s wine country. The Napa Valley is made up of several cities, that each have their unique wine and experience offerings. While Napa Valley is known around the world for its wine, the area and the production are surprisingly small. Only 4% of California wine grapes come from Napa. The region is known for quality over quantity, as over 50% of California wine bottles that cost over $15/bottle are from Napa.
As if we had to say it… Napa is primarily known for the world-class wine. Napa is most known for the Cabernet Sauvignon, but the area is strong in producing several varietals.
The combination of massive tourism, plus fertile land for farming, plus needing something to eat to soak up all that wine, has led to the growth of a fantastic restaurant industry in Napa. Many of the wineries have wonderful restaurants on-site. The area also has several farm-to-table restaurant options.
While people come for the wine, they also enjoy the abundance of vacation activities. The various cities in Napa Valley each offer some memorable experiences. Calistoga has hot springs and mud baths. Napa (the city) has the best night life in the region. St. Helena is a great place to shop and stay.
Winter is relatively a slow season and it is the rainy time of year. Holiday parties can still be a great excuse to visit in the winter.
Spring is a great time to visit for the bottle release parties. The area is very green and alive with activity.
Summers are busy. The Napa County Fair is in July. Most insiders suggest that summers are overrated and overcrowded.
Fall is the best time of the year to visit as it is the harvest and grape smashing. The colors are dramatic and it is just a great time to be in Napa.