Unwind with Wine in Napa Valley

I have had the pleasure of visiting Napa Valley three times in my life (and many more to come) and can absolutely say it just keeps getting better! As wine gets better with time, Napa seems to also. This is the ultimate trip to explore different types of wine, build your palate, be in the midst of amazing scenery, and eat great food! As a food and travel blogger, that’s right up my alley! There are so many wineries that it can become overwhelming to decide which ones to go to. But, that’s what Pursuit of Delights is here for! Scroll on to see which wineries met my list of top, affordable places to visit (in no particular order).

Hall Winery, Napa – This family owned winery is stunningly beautiful! Their charm and intimate tastings definitely stood out from the pack. They purposely schedule tastings with a limited number of guests in each to make your experience even more personable. This is an important reason to make reservations well ahead of your trip. My favorite part of the winery was the tasting room, which has an eye catching, marvelous tree shaped chandelier. My eyes were fixated on it! I loved all of their wines, but my favorite was the Cabernet.

Fun facts about them:

They are certified organic, which is extremely hard to get!
They have a second location in St. Helena which is fun and artsy!
Each brick in their cellar in the Napa Valley location is engrained with the Hall Winery logos!

V. Sattui Winery – V. Sattui is also a family owned winery with a beautiful view. One unique factor about them is they are one of the few wineries in Napa that can serve full menu items. And this isn’t just a small menu. They have an actual bbq pit when you walk in. I was immediately hit with that well known, yummy smell of food on the grill. It was like we walked into a family event with picnic tables to lounge at! This is what quickly made them one of my favs! They also have an artisan deli shop with a variety of items to choose from. The turkey sandwich is fantastic!

For wine, we chose the Terrace Tasting, which was around back, overlooking the vineyard and mustard plants. I am not a huge fan of chardonnays, but theirs was perfectly made. It was not too buttery and yet still rich in flavor.

Side note: Have you ever walked through mustard plants or seen them up close? They are so pretty!

What I enjoyed most about sitting in the terrace was all of the colors around me! They were so vibrant. There was a lemon tree with the perfect red rose at the bottom of it. Love!

Between the wine, the view, and the food, I was completely satisfied! By the way, if you love their wine when you visit (which trust me- you will!), you have to purchase through them. They do not sell their wines at store locations.

Caymus Vineyards– This particular winery is from my Napa trip in 2016. I unfortunately do not have many pictures from them, but I would be remised if I did not add them to the list. The reason for my limited pictures is likely due to me dancing in my seat to the old school Motown music they were playing over the speakers. The vibe was amazing here! As you see below, the greenery was everywhere! It felt as if I were walking through a large garden with so many spring colors. Their patio was pretty big, but with many areas for private tastings. Their bold Cabs are what made me begin to love reds. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here… as well as being able to dance!

Cakebread Cellars – If you’ve noticed, all of the wineries I’ve mentioned have had beautiful scenery. Cakebread is no different. Upon entry, you are greeted with a pour of wine (how appropriate!) to begin your tasting. The tasting is both indoors and out, which allows you to view the vines and see parts of the wine making process. My favorite wines in the taste were the Pinot Noir and Merlot. They were big, bold, and delicious reds with a touch of spice!

What I also like about Cakebread is their list of extensive events. There were many cooking classes that I would love to attend one day. Speaking of their cooking classes, they have a large garden in the back to provide fresh ingredients for every event. I wanted to bite a few items off of the plants, but didn’t think they’d like that too much ;)

Vinecliff Winery – Although Vinecliff has a full winery with a tasting room, we went to the second location, which has small tastings and serves a nice amount of food! It’s hard for me to pass up that combo! Although the wines were outstanding (especially the Cab!), I would like to highlight their food. We ordered a mix of items, but I must rave about the Duck ,Bacon, and Egg pizza with smoked mozzarella, hoisin and red onions. This was my first time jumping on the egg + pizza wagon, but I’ll tell you… I’m never getting off! It was so delightful. To top it off, the crust was crispy yet fluffy at the same time. YUM-MY! We also ordered the cheese and charcuterie board, which was one of the best I’ve had!

The Extras – To top off your Napa Trip, here are a few extras that you should consider while there:

Hot Air Balloon Ride – You are already in a location filled with such amazing scenery. Why not view it from the top?! The hot air balloon in the picture below took off right outside of our hotel patio. It was a pretty cool experience to watch! Next time, I will get in it! :)
Bike Ride Through Sonoma – This is also from my 2016 trip and was one the coolest experiences! We selected a bike tour in Sonoma, as the roads are not as crowded and the land is flatter than Napa. Biking with a tour guide naturally slowed things down and allowed us to reallyyy soak in our surroundings. After this tour, I can absolutely see why people are so happy here! We were also able to eat grapes off of the vine, which was pretty neat as well!