My fiancee and I were fortunate enough to have an opportunity to travel to California for an extended Labor Day weekend couple of weeks back. One of the To-Do's on our itinerary was to visit Napa Valley. Thanks to the generosity of our hosts who selflessly volunteered to take us there, we were able to see three wineries in a matter of five hours. I have never been to Napa Valley before so it was definitely an interesting experience. There are many various wineries that you can visit while there, depending on whether you are interested in wine or your surrounding. Since neither one of us was an expert on wines, we have made our choices based on the physical appearances of the wineries, rather than the quality of the wine. As such, we stopped by Chateau Montelena, Castello di Amorosa, and V. Stattui wineries.
Chateau Montelena
The first winery on our list was Chateau Montelena. This winery has a pleasant surrounding area with a lake and some gazebos where you could take a walk. The tasting itself takes place inside of the main building, where you could get a taste of five different wines for $30. What is nice about the tasting at Chateau Montelena is the fact that each person is not required to purchase a separate tasting. You could just buy one tasting and share it with someone else. The choice of wine is pre-determined and for that tasting fee you will get to try three whites and two reds. One fun fact about Chateau Montelena is that it is famous for its Chardonnay which won a blind tasting competition in Paris back in the 70s. This historic event has been commemorated in the Time magazine and with the movie "Bottle Shock" released in 2008. There is not too much to do at Chateau Montelena once you are done with the tasting and walked around the surrounding territory, therefore we decided to not waste any more time and made our way to Castello di Amorosa.
Castello di Amorosa
The next winery on our list was Castello di Amorosa. This winery is rather unique because it is designed as a 13th century Tuscan castle. The winery's founder has imported nearly one million antique bricks from Europe to complement tons of local stones in order to complete the constructions of the castle. While the construction began in 1994, it was not until 2007 when the winery opened its doors to the public. The territory surrounding the castle and where grapes are planted is open to public and you can walk through it and taste grapes which will eventually turn into wine. Another cool and unique thing about this winery is that they have a little zoo which has some domesticated animals, like goats and hens, living along with ostriches. While you are not allowed to pet them, it is still fun to spend some time observing these guys interact with each other.
In order to be admitted to the castle, you are required to purchase a tasting. The cheapest tasting is $30 and it will get you a tasting of five wines along with the access to the majority of the rooms within the castle territory. There are premium tasting options that include access to premium wines and guided tours. One fun fact is that while this castle was built recently, it has a torture chamber... I guess the founder was into Fifty Shades of Grey before it got too mainstream. The tasting takes place in the cellar and you can pick which wines you want to taste from a listing of 12-15 wines. What sets Castello di Amorosa from the other wineries is that there is stuff to do here besides drinking wine. After we were done with our tastings, we took a stroll around the territory, enjoying the architecture and the details that went into the construction of this wonder. I would definitely recommend this winery to anyone visiting Napa as it is a unique experience. From what I heard, however, you better come during the weekday as it gets really packed on the weekends. We were lucky to be there on a Thursday, therefore we did not have to wait to be served and could enjoy walking around the castle without having to fight through the crowds.
V. Sattui
We made it to V. Sattui thirty minutes before it was supposed to close. However, given that its territory is not big, we did not plan on spending too much time there. What I liked about this winery is the fact that they had a shop on its territory where you could buy different snacks, such as cheese, cured meats, or sandwiches, along with many other items. So not only are you able to enjoy some wine, you could buy some delicacies to complement it. What's even better is that there is a picnic area on the territory as well with large tables and trees to protect you from the sun. Given that we were almost running through other wineries, we finally had a moment to catch our breath and just savor the moment. We bought a bottle of wine and some cheese at the store and spent a pleasant time catching up and enjoying the weather. It certainly was a nice way to end the day before heading back to the bay area!
