By Gary Walther
When it comes to wine, I’m French. It’s a matter of taste, not snobbism. I like the acid-fruit balance that is the hallmark of the best French wines.
But when it comes to wine country—to a package of wineries, hotels, restaurants, and scenery—well, vive la California. I’m not sure there is any place in the world that can top the state’s offerings when it comes to wine-oriented travel.
Getting There
Right now American and Delta airlines are offering great First Class fares to many cities around the country, one of them being San Francisco, the gateway to Napa and Sonoma, California’s premier wine country.
Departures from Minneapolis excepted, the fares range from about $660 to $930 including taxes and fees per person round-trip. (Booking codes: For American, P; for Delta, A.)
Booking Windows & Best Seats
Best of all, these fares have no booking window and no travel deadline—but they’ll go fast. There is a 14-day advance-purchase requirement on American and a 7-day one on Delta. Otherwise the only hitch is that the fare from New York on American is not valid on the three cabin Transcon; how-ever it is valid on AA 85 and AA 24, which use American’s B767-300 international aircraft, meaning that First Class passengers receive an international Business Class seat.
Sample of Special First Class Fares to San Francisco for Under $1,100 Round-trip*
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Information about wine tasting rooms, restaurants, scenic drives, and attractions are available online. Which is why I’ve confined myself to highlighting three top places to stay. Note, however, that these hotels have their own good connections with restaurants and wineries.
Three Top Resorts
Meadowood: The visionary behind Napa Valley’s greatest Cabernet-based wines, William Harlan, owns this classic Napa Valley resort. British wine critic Jancis Robinson called Harlan Estate “one of the ten best wines of the twentieth century,” and Robert Parker has consistently bestowed high nineties on the three wines, Melbury, St. Eden, and Vecina, that comprise his Bond Project. Meadowood’s cottages, with their wainscotted walls and wood-burning fireplaces, still carry a whiff of old Napa, while delivering an up-to-date luxury experience, as many of them have been renovated recently. On the grounds are an Olympic-size pool, small spa, tennis courts, nine-hole golf course, and a croquet green. Food is a particular strong point: Chef Christopher Koslow has put the resort on the culinary map by winning three Michelin stars, only the second restaurant in California with three sparklers.
Auberge du Soleil: The cosmopolitan European counterpart to Meadowood’s all-American personality, perched above Zinfandel Lane. It’s gorgeous pool looks clear across the valley. The rooms are in two-unit buildings. It’s worth getting an Upper Valley room for the view and the vaulted ceiling.
Kenwood Inn: This Sonoma boutique property, on Highway 12 south of Healdsburg, wraps you in an Italian-Spanish cocoon of its own making—the courtyard was inspired by the Hotel Luna in Amalfi. Go for a third-story balcony king room. Nice touch: Italian love songs coming from bookshelf speakers tied to staves in the hotel’s tiny vineyard.