This post is based on a sponsored stay that was provided. All opinions are strictly those of the Champagne Living staff writer.
Raindrops may be falling on our heads, but that’s no excuse to avoid Napa Valley in northern California. This is the perfect time to visit wine country where winter is synonymous with mustard blooming season. Fewer crowds, lower hotel rates, only-in-Napa activities, and restaurant comfort foods check the boxes for a luxurious vacation.
First, cozy and warm digs is what you want during the days of chill. We chose the North Block Hotel, based in Yountville, a town in the middle of Napa Valley. The boutique inn is a four-star gem with a Tuscan vibe. Mustard hues on stucco, wrought iron railings, ivy-clad walls, and an ornate courtyard water fountain sends you to the heart of Italy. Treat yourself to a king room with a fireplace and balcony. On a frigid night, you will appreciate the eight-pound weighted blankets and deep soaking tub with lavender bath salts.
Once situated, it’s time to go wine tasting. Tuck into Silver Trident’s new secluded wine room in Yountville. The speak-easy feel is as clandestine as it gets as you walk past tall dark curtains and enter a sultry living room filled with leather chairs and Ralph Lauren furnishings. Sip at a sit-down tasting in the living space or one of the two custom-designed dining rooms. Unlike other wine rooms, the ambiance is quiet and the staff is personal, offering you a leisurely paced hour. Silver Trident stands unique among competitors touting a gourmet potato chip pairing with its pinots and cabs.
Adventurers should consider Sterling Vineyards, the only winery with a gondola that glides up to its hilltop wine-making facility. The historic business reopened in October after a three-year closure due to a major fire that decimated homes, wineries, and forests. Today, the monastic winery has been restored, and thirteen new 8-passenger gondola cars await guests of all ages. Kids under three are free, and older children can ride and get a backpack and juice box included in their $25 ticket. The ‘Sterling Stroll’ excursion provides five pours at five different spots on the premises. You end up at the gift shop with dessert wine, and you can keep the glass as a souvenir.
A third type of wine experience for architecture buffs can be had at Castello Di Amorosa, a castle built from scratch that opened in 2007. Made from imported materials, using Old World building techniques, the castle features a moat, chapel, and even a torture chamber. You can taste under the tented patio in the winter, and if you are a member, you can imbibe downstairs in a large meeting room with vaulted ceilings and medieval brick arches. After you’ve sampled your five wines, wander the premises on your own or sign up for a guided tour.
While in Napa Valley, warm up in a Calistoga mud bath at Dr. Wilkinson’s, a spa and hotel with mud bath services that serviced the community for more than seven decades. Lay onto a bed of warm mud, and allow workers to pile on the rest of the earthy material on top of you until only your head and neck appear. Other locales such as Calistoga Spa Hot Springs and the Mount View Hotel and Spa offer their own versions of the mud ritual.
Not up for a mud bath? Take advantage of the region’s rare geothermal waters. Take a dip in a hot springs pool at Indian Springs Hotel and Spa, also in Calistoga. A $50 day-pass gives you access to the vast group pool and the smaller adult pool. Just a note: you need to book a spa treatment to make this happen. Swirl around in the 92-plus-degree waters even if it rains. The pool’s Chaise Lounge features cocktails and light bites. Plus, the lounge’s flickering fireplace ensures contentment as you sip a hot coffee clad in your signature Indian Springs robe and slippers.
In Napa, museums are small but filled with quality, curated displays. And on a rainy day, they are worth a visit. The Chuck Williams Culinary Museum, free to the public, is found on the second floor of the CIA Copia Cooking Institute. See what the renowned collector of more than 4,000 historic kitchen tools amassed during this lifetime. Not far is the Napa Valley Museum, Yountville, featuring a permanent history gallery as well as touring exhibits such as the current “Warrior Dogs,” celebrating the service of brave four-legged companions.
Not to be missed is St. Helena’s one-room Robert Lewis Stevenson Museum, housing the largest collection of his original works, plus photos of himself and his family during their journeys. Learn about this dynamic writer who wrote Treasure Island and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The museum is free, but guests are encouraged to leave a donation.
Mustard in Season
After a day of tasting and museum hopping, it’s time to eat. Dive into comfort foods that will make your tummy smile. Mustards Grill, a truck stop favorite before it became a valley institution, whips up a famous lemon and garlic chicken so succulent a riot would ensue if the owners took it off the menu. Other favorites include the three-cheese mac and cheese, “mighty” meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes and wood oven-smoked duck.
About five minutes away, you’ll find Christopher Kostow, a Michelin-starred chef at the helm at Ciccio, a petite, but well-appointed Italian restaurant inside a century-old grocery store with the word MARKET posted on the wood building. It’s one of those haunts where patrons boast that “everything is good.” Serious carnivores will be more than satisfied with its “Bistecca Tagliata”, a grilled Porterhouse immersed in drizzled herbs and butter. Complement that with the homemade butter-topped focaccia bread, creamy polenta, and chopped salad with fermented veggies and white beans.
This season is your best bet for a wine trip when restaurant and hotel reservations are easy to snag and long lines are non-existent. Instead of listlessly waiting for spring to come, let’s celebrate winter in Napa. Bring on those raindrops!
