Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [212]
875 Rutherford Rd., btw. the Silverado Trail and Hwy. 29, Rutherford. 888/302-2575. www.roundpond.com. Winery daily 11am–3:30pm. Tours and tastings by appointment only. Olive mill 7 days a week by appointment.
Quintessa ★ Beyond the stunning winery design by San Francisco–based Walker Warner Architects the draw here is simple: It’s an opportunity to taste from the winery’s annual 8,000 cases of one very good and well-known red wine made from a blend of the vineyard’s best cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and cabernet franc. Along the way you’ll learn a little background in biodynamic farming, a growing technique that takes sustainable farming a step further by basing its practices on the moon’s cycles and creating a naturally symbiotic growing environment (hence the property’s cows and chickens, which are believed to “calm the vines” and perhaps the crooning of Ugo, Quintessa’s oldest employee, who warbles to the wine in the underground barrel caves). It may seem a bit hippie-dippy, but the $45 private tour and tasting with food pairings may just turn you into a believer. If you want to take a potable memento for the road, note that a bottle of wine costs $145.
1601 Silverado Trail, Rutherford. 707/967-1601. www.quintessa.com. Daily 10am–4pm by appointment only.
ST. HELENA
73 miles N of San Francisco
Located 17 miles north of Napa on Hwy. 29, this former Seventh-day Adventist village maintains a pseudo–Old West feel while catering to upscale shoppers with deep pockets—hence Vanderbilt and Company, purveyor of fine housewares, at 1429 Main St. ( 707/963-1010). St. Helena is a quiet, attractive little town, where you’ll find a slew of beautiful old homes and first-rate restaurants, boutiques, and accommodations.
V. Sattui Winery ★ So what if it’s touristy and crowded? This winery is also a fun, family-friendly picnic-party stop thanks to a huge gourmet deli and grassy expanse. The gourmet store stocks more than 200 cheeses, sandwich meats, pâtés, breads, exotic salads, and desserts such as white-chocolate cheesecake. (It would be an easier place to graze were it not for the continuous mob scene at the counter.) Meanwhile, the extensive wine offerings—all of which are only available here, so buy something if you love it—flow at the long wine bar in the back. (A case purchase will get you membership into their private cellar and its less crowded, private tasting room.) Wine prices start at around $13, with many in the $18 neighborhood; reserves top out at around $125. Note: To use the usually packed picnic area, you must buy food and wine here. On summer weekends, check out the barbecues for $7 to $10.
1111 White Lane (at Hwy. 29), St. Helena. 707/963-7774. www.vsattui.com. Daily 9am–6pm; winter daily 9am–5pm.
The estate at V. Sattui.
Prager Winery & Port Works If you want an off-the-beaten-track experience, Prager’s can’t be beat. Turn the corner from Sutter Home winery and roll into the small gravel parking lot; you’re on the right track, but when you pull open the creaky old wooden door to this shack of a wine-tasting room, you’ll begin to wonder. Don’t turn back! Pass the oak barrels, and you’ll quickly come upon the clapboard tasting room, made homey with a big Oriental rug, some of the most interesting “wallpaper” you’ve ever seen, and a Prager family host. Fork over $10 (includes a complimentary glass), and they’ll pour you five samples of their wines and ports (which cost $28–$80 per bottle). Also available