> wrote in message
oups.com...
> Going this summer to napa sonoma to pay homage to wine...any
> suggestions on where to stay in napa and or sonoma...best wine tasting
> rooms...best wineries to see etc..
>
> thanks in advance!!!


Hi SD
I'm an Aussie wine geek but I think I can help a little.
I took my kids (12 & 13) to Disneyland last September and I planned my
"Disneyland" trip as part of it, I spent the weekend of 25, 26 September
2004 in the Napa Valley with dinner at the French Laundry in Yountville on
Saturday 25 September as the highlight. I worked 16 winerys in 2 days, 4
before lunch & 4 after each day and there are many highlights for me. The
bubbles at Schramsberg were equisite and Vincent Arroyo was spectacular (a
Petit Verdot & a Cab Sav that were absolute killers) I had a pinotage at
Stelzner that made me re think an entire variety. I also loved the
Franciscan
Oakville Estate. 16 Napa winerys from halfway around the world and I
remember
these 4 as outstanding for their wine. If you are just tourists (and not
wine geeks)
there are plenty of wine tourism places to go. Domaine Chandon, Neibaum
Coppola,
Robert Mondavi were those kind of places (ordinary wine though). Another
highlight
of our trip, I have to say, is when I told the waitress at the French
Laundry that
I would only drink Napa wines, I mean I'd spent 14 and a 1/2 hours on a
plane from
Melbourne to LA (then to Vegas then to SF, then I had to drive a car on the
WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD over 100 miles) why would I drink French wines?
I'll drink them when I'm in France. As for accomodation we stayed the night
at the
Marriot in Napa and it was OK. For lunch we picked up bread at the Bouchon
Bakery
in Yountville and got provisions from the Oakville Grocery and had a picnic
each day.
We also got some cool things for the picnics at the St Helena Olive Company.
Enjoy your trip.
Cheers Andrew