Getting Out Among The Vines

Napa Valley vineyards

Just an hour’s drive northeast of San Francisco is one of California’s most visited attractions – the world-famous, vine-covered hillsides of Napa and Sonoma Counties. A recent visit took me to a region reminiscent of Tuscany with undulating, lush green hillsides crisscrossed with vines and awash in wildflowers – a dramatic landscape sprinkled with appealing small towns, world-class restaurants and 600 wineries and tasting rooms. Wine, wine everywhere and drops and drops to drink!

Glen Ellen, in the heart of Sonoma Valley, is a sweet little hamlet of less than 1,000 people. It is steeped in a blend of inspiring libations, local dining delights, and the region’s noble, natural beauty. Here the Benziger Family Winery is an 85-acre estate that has become a research and teaching center for the cultivation of grapes with more flavor and aroma. For more than thirty years the family has been singularly dedicated to three things: family, great wine and healthy vineyards. I hopped aboard a tram which took me through the farm’s vineyards, caves, and factories. The guide explained that Benziger wines are certified, sustainable and organic – not because they want to be known as “the green winery,” but because their experience has shown that great wine has green values. My tour ended in the Benziger tasting room. Did the wines I taste have more flavor, more aroma? I can only tell you that I left the winery a very happy camper.

Veni, Vidi, Vino!

Sonoma Valley vineyards

While wine may be the main attraction, this region’s supporting cast—land imbued with dazzling beauty, a line-up of acclaimed restaurants, and a multitude of recreational and cultural activities—make nearby Napa Valley in the North Bay portion of the San Francisco Bay area a most desirable destination. In Yountville, I checked into my hotel and then quickly set out to discover this town that’s saddled with a rather unfortunate name. Actually, to give credit where credit is due, when one George Calvert Yount first saw the Napa Valley, he said, “In such a place I should love to live and die.” How’s that for a glowing stamp-of-approval? Mr. Yount settled here in 1836 and planted the very first vineyard in the valley. Today, wineries in Yountville include such well-known producers as Domaine Chandon and Robert Mondavi. And only in Napa Valley could a tiny rural village boast more Michelin-starred restaurants per capita than any other place in North America. Yountville. The name sounds better already!

The town’s compact layout makes it great for wandering on foot or bike. To quote Michael Chiarello, chef at Bottega, “For those of us that have to commute or run to the airport and back, it’s nice to come home to a community that has almost everything you need within 300 yards.” I explored upscale, deluxe boutiques and checked out the Napa Valley Museum with its Warhols, Manets and the lively, off-beat diRosa collection. Before returning to the hotel, I just had to see the holy grail of gourmet dining – Thomas Keller’s French Laundry. It’s situated down a side street – a lane, really – and sited on what looks like an abandoned lot. I made my way to the front door ( fyi: painted navy-blue) flanked with pretty topiaries. Expecting grandeur, this citadel of haut cuisine appeared somewhat ordinary and unprepossessing; perhaps the magic lies within.

Wined and Dined-Out

Houseboats in Sausalito

My wine country experience, albeit heady and delicious, left me needing a break. I needed to clear my head and instead feed the mind and soul. I needed to be sittin’ on the dock of the bay – and there’s no better place to do it than in Sausalito, where Otis Redding penned his famed song of the same name. Listening to the lyrics, his song is kind of sad. Redding sings that he’s traveled 2,000 miles from home just to sit on the dock of the bay wastin’ time. Sorry, I can’t relate to that. The town offers many delightful diversions, not the least of which is a tour of its iconic house boat scene. Victoria Colella was my guide for her ‘Docks of the Bay” historic houseboat tour. This vibrant community of floating homes recently turned 65, but it remains as rebellious and funky as ever. I saw original houseboats, art studios, wooden boat building shops and working boat yards. Victoria told tales of the Beat Era, the houseboat wars, and showed us the boat where Sterling Hayden lived in his heyday.

Sausalito is a mere hour’s drive from Napa and is ranked as one of the top 20 destinations in the country, with its small town charm, Mediterranean character and awe-inspiring views of San Francisco, its sister city across the bay. One of the very best views to be had – anywhere – is from a small, chic and understated hotel with just 31 rooms: The Inn Above Tide. Each room comes with its own private deck and though it was chilly out there – and cozy inside – the view won me over. I realized that from my vantage point, I was seeing San Francisco in an utterly unique way. Darkness fell softly over the bay as the lights of the city came alive before a backdrop of flaming orange. Granted, there are hundreds of hotels around San Francisco Bay- but there’s only one hotel on it – and that made all the difference. California is a beautiful place, and the Bay Area is one of its shining gems.

If You Go:

Visit Sonoma Wine Country          Napa County                                  Sausalito

www.sonomacounty.com             www.napavalley.org                              sausalito.org

Olea Hotel                                    Hotel Yountville                                 Inn Above Tide

www.oleahotel.com                     hotelyountville.com                            innabovetide.com

Benziger Winery                  Pacific Blues Café                 Sausalito Wooden Boat Tour

 benziger.com                          pacificbluescafe.com                     sausalitowoodenboattour.com

The Fig Cafe                            Fish Restaurant

www.figcafe.com                              331fish.com