On Friday it was decided that on Sunday we would have a double date day in Napa Valley. I have lived in the Bay Area for so long, it was surprising that it took this long to make the hour drive to wine country. I think I have been holding off from fear of the high cost and the fact that neither Michael nor I are huge wine drinkers. I am not sure why I didn’t bring my fancy camera so please forgive both the poor quality of my iPhone and the lack of photos.

We started the day off with a 10:45am tasting at Domaine Carneros, it was the most expensive tasting of the day but well worth it for the views. The sparkling wine was pretty great too but I don’t have the palate to really tell the difference between this and champagne.

Thanks to Michael for being the DD!

Next, we headed to Oxbow Public Market in DT Napa. I was trailing behind the group the whole time we were there, cause who can resist samples! We had a non-wine tasting at Napa Valley Distillery, where most of the options included brandy. I didn’t really enjoy my tastings but everyone else did (we all decided on different options). One friend even walked away with a bottle, actually, he walked away from every stop with a bottle. For lunch we decided on Kitchen Door, our other options were Gott’s Roadside and Foodshed Takeaway. My boyfriend and I both ordered the KD Breakfast Burger, we both agreed it was overpriced for how unexciting it was. Our friend ordered KD Breakfast Pizza which I was drooling over.

We were all feeling pretty happy after lunch so we popped over to Uncorked a Oxbow, which is conveniently right across the street. My glass of chardonnay was pretty good to someone who drinks $6 bottles from Trader Joes.

Our next reservation was at Cakebread Cellars which offered the best experience of the day. The atmosphere, kind staff, deeply knowledge guide, and delicious wines made this experience worth much, much more than $15. I am for sure coming back here.

For our last stop, we headed back to downtown Napa to visit St. Clair Brown Winery. The greenhouse tasting room felt super chic with simple interiors and small menu. Again I went for a glass of chardonnay, they gave super generous pours. I am still wishing I had brought home a bottle of the Honey Wheat Ale for my dad but I was worried it wouldn’t keep.

Overall we had an amazing day with friends and we departed with promises to return to Napa or to venture over to Sonoma (another Bay Area spot I haven’t been to).

Ximena.