Top Things to do in California
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10 Food & Drink in California That You Shouldn't Miss
California is a fertile, peaceful place where you’ll find a near-equal balance of vineyards and deserts, beaches and mountains, hippies and traditionalists. Catch an epic wave in Big Sur or swirl a glass in Napa Valley. Be dazzled by the Joshua Tree night sky or just star-gaze in Hollywood. Swish down the slopes of a Tahoe ski resort, or cruise across the Golden Gate Bridge with the top down and the music blasting. Above all, don’t forget to soak up some Golden State sunshine.
Restaurants in California
1. Jarvis Estate
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 319 reviews
Jarvis Estate is a family owned winery dedicated to crafting a limited quantity of preeminent wines from our sustainably farmed, estate vineyards in the rugged hillside, four miles east of downtown Napa Valley. The Jarvis Estate winemaking facility is entirely contained within 45,000 square feet of cave tunneled into the scenic Vaca Mountains,and is not only a visual masterpiece, but a technical masterpiece as well. Wines are produced only from estate grown grapes and are cave-aged to perfection prior to release. Varietals include: Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petite Verdot, Tempranillo and a two proprietary Bordeaux blends.
Reviewed By randybH2055JS - Kalamazoo, United States
This is such a cool place to visit. The entire winery is located within the massive network of man-made caves. Once the grapes go in, they never see the light of day until they emerge as bottled wine. You will tour the caves, see where the grapes are crushed, wine fermented, huge oak bariques, barrels, bottling area, tasting rooms, banquet rooms (huge), etc. Even an underground river which provides the proper natural humidity in the caves. Great winery story. You will hear about the "Science Project"...fantastic. Don't miss this one.
2. Sonoma Valley
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 761 reviews
One of the prime wine producing regions in California. A visit to Sonoma Valley yields an outstanding array of food, lodging and scenery.
Reviewed By mini - Fremont, United States
We went to Sonoma Valley. This is a wonderful area to explore. There are lots of cute communities such as Petaluma, Santa Rosa, Windsor, Sonoma, Healdsburg. There are lots of great parks including Armstrong Redwoods State Park, We went again in July and enjoyed a Fourth of July lunch, wine tasting, exploring the country side, and then later visited with friends.
3. Alexander Valley Vineyards
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 355 reviews
Experience our historic property and taste award winning wines at our family owned estate winery located in Northern Sonoma County. Our Tasting Room is open by advance reservation daily with Seated Outdoor Tastings: Estate Tasting $10 or a Reserve Tasting $20 (Tasting fee waived with bottle purchase per person) or reserve a Vineyard Hike with Box Lunch $60. Enjoy the beautiful views of our 720 acre property and working winery. Since 1975 the our family has produced handcrafted estate grown and bottled wines. We are a Sonoma Green Business and CA Sustainable Winegrower. Our family creates wines of distinction for everyone!
Reviewed By clinden2001
It's always a spectacular time at AVV! The combination of a great variety of solid Alexander Valley wines to try (love the Redemption and the Cyrus), idyllic, quiet country scenery, and really really nice people make it top shelf. The property is beautiful, picnic tables make it a great place for a snack mid-day, and the wine-cave tour is really cool if you get the chance. You will be coming back for more!
4. Dry Creek Vineyard
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 783 reviews
Award Winning Family Owned Winery: beautiful picnic grounds, tasting room, private tastings, free Wi-Fi, a wide selection of wines including rare single-vineyard wines. David Stare founded Dry Creek Vineyard in 1972. Winemaking emphasis is on grapes from select Sonoma County vineyards, chosen for quality and character. Fume Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Dry Chenin Blanc, Reserve Chardonnay and Meritage are produced. Dry Creek has received over 1,000 medals for wines in 40 years.
Reviewed By ozczar - Lake Ozark, United States
We met Darren at the nightly wine tasting at The Healdsburg Inn (another great stop) and were invited to the winery for a private party. He put forth the effort to make our experience an exceptional one. Oh, and the wine is pretty good as well.
5. Pride Mountain Vineyards
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 622 reviews
Pride Mountain Vineyards specializes in red wine production, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The property is only open for wine tasting appointments to guests with a prior appointments. In compliance of our local codes and use-permits all appointments must be made in advance of arrival. Thank you, Pride Mountain Vineyards
Reviewed By brettbarry1
This was our 4th or 5th visit to Pride over the years, but this past visit was by far the most informative and entertaining/enjoyable. Our wine guide Paul was so exceptional at his work representing Pride – a caring & knowledgeable person, never arrogant – always on point (funny) and frankly one of the best wine tour guides my wife and I have met in over 30 years of visiting Napa. He is just WOW ???? I know everyone felt that way – especially my wife’s family and friends from Norway who were visiting Napa for the 1st time. We arrived 90 min earlier than our appointment - after our tour at neighboring vineyard Keenan which was abruptly ended at the start because their boisterous big dog had gotten into something poisonous and was foaming at the mouth and in distress. So we left early…(we later found out that the dog was OK thank goodness after an emergency vet run). That was jarring & scary enough, but when I arrived early @ Pride with a busload of 10 and asked Paul what to do – he didn’t hesitate or miss a beat… rolling with the situation, and starting us early on easily the best Cave tour we have ever had???? Many Napa vineyards seem to have gone into a kind of automatic mode – going through the swirling motions, not listening to their customers on tour – pushing customers to buy/buy at the end without ever connecting with them. However what you have with Paul is a truly gifted “connector” – a man who plainly loves his work, knows Pride inside the caves & out – and makes each guest feel as though they have had a very unique experience. We have always loved Pride as both a winery and source of outstanding juice. We are Spring Mountain fans for 20+ years (we knew Barbara and Jim at Paloma + we love Schweiger, Sherwin Family, and we are longtime Spring Mountain Vineyard club members). When you try the wines on Spring Mountain you will discover the biggest and richest reds in Napa - complex wines with aging potential. Our stop at Pride last Sunday was the last stop on our 3 day tour, and it left a delicious taste in everyone’s mouths. It made my wife's 50th even more memorable. The vino at Pride Mountain is TOP drawer - their famous Merlot is a monster of deep richness and structure, with massive aging potential. We are fans of the Cab as well & Chardonnay - all the wines at Pride are some of the best you will taste in Napa. Well worth a drive up the mountain. You will not easily find these incredible wines are your local store - do yourself a favor and experience the magic of Pride (and seek out Paul).
6. O'Brien Estate Winery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 672 reviews
We are by appointment only. Please go to our website to inquire about our experiences. We do not take phone reservations. The cost is $55.00 per person. We regretfully are not permitted to have anyone under 21 years of age nor allow any pets on the premises. Our award winning wines come from our 40 acres in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley. From grape growing to bottling, the entire winemaking process is managed at the estate. The vineyards are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc. Our wines are sought after by collectors and have received many awards, including a recent 98 point score for our 2013 Unrestrained Reserve Bordeaux Blend.
Reviewed By mrg0137
O’Brien Estate was the first Napa Valley winery that really got my wife and I hooked on Napa wine when we visited the area for the first time a few years ago, and we became members at O’Brien after that trip. Since then, we’ve continued to enjoy their wines, and we try to stop in for a free member tasting every time we make a trip to Napa. This visit was our third visit to O’Brien Estate, and we had a very good experience. As compared to most wineries in the Napa Valley, O’Brien Estate is a very small producer. The winery is family owned, with a beautiful 40-acre property in the Oak Knoll District. The O’Brien family lives right in the house on the property, and when you come here for a tasting, you’re doing it right in their backyard and getting right to the heart of the operation. Because it’s so small, O’Brien doesn’t distribute their wines, selling them only at the winery itself and to wine club members. This exclusivity makes us feel that being wine club members is really worth it, since we know it’s the only way to have their wines at home on a regular basis. This was our third time doing the tasting experience at O’Brien, and it wasn’t our favorite experience in Napa either of the previous two times we came (although we loved the wine). On our first trip to Napa, we admittedly weren’t overly educated about the area or its wines, and the guy who did our tasting was quite rude and epitomized the standoffish reputation that Napa can sometimes have. The second time, after we had become members and knew a lot more about Napa wines, the tasting was much better, but still not great. The guy who did our tasting that time was absent for most of it and just gave off an attitude of not wanting to be bothered with us. He spent most of his time giving his attention to walk-in guests who had shown up without reservations, even though O’Brien doesn’t take walk-ins and is normally focused on making the experience very intimate. Those experiences were in the past, and we’ve still stayed loyal to O’Brien since we love their wine. I’m glad to report that the third time was a charm for having a great in-person tasting experience, this time with Marilyn. Marilyn hosted us and we had the entire winery to ourselves, and she really took the time to make it fun and informative. She was a great host and we’re glad to have had such a nice experience this time. Tastings at O’Brien are held outside for most of the year, in picturesque seating areas right by the edge of the vineyard, much closer than you get to the vines at almost any other winery we’ve been to in the area. In this case, since it was chilly in January, our tasting was held inside the barn, but Marilyn still invited us to have a glass of chardonnay while taking a quick walking tour through the vineyard, which we enjoyed (walking in the vineyard was not offered to us on previous visits). It was a beautiful afternoon to be outside, and we learned a lot about the process of preparing for each growing season and even how the process of replanting works when a portion of the vineyard has outlived its useful life. The O’Briens’ adorable dog, Heidi, was also there and ran around the vineyards with us while we took our walk. Hanging out with Heidi is always a highlight of a visit to O’Brien Estate. After touring the vineyards with Marilyn, we settled down inside for a tasting of all of O’Brien’s current releases – merlot, two Bordeaux-style blends (Romance and Seduction), and the cabernet sauvignon. We’ve had all of these before, and especially love Seduction and the cabernet sauvignon, but it’s always fun to do another tasting and have a chance to relax and talk about the wine. They also provide a nice cheese plate to accompany the wine as well. They’ve just set up new seating areas for tastings in the barn, so it was a nice change of pace to do a tasting there for the first time, although in warmer weather, it is still preferable to be outside overlooking the vineyard. Our time with Marilyn was very enjoyable, and we spent close to 90 minutes with her, just talking about all kinds of things, from dogs, to the happenings at O’Brien, to Napa in general. It was informal and laid-back. We really enjoy the wines at O’Brien Estate and think a stop here is worth it (reservations are required and can be made online). The blends are priced in the $70-$80 range per bottle, and the cabernet sauvignon is now just under $100 a bottle, which I think are good prices for the quality of wine produced. We enjoy our membership at O’Brien, and even if you don’t become a member, a tasting there is a wonderful way to spend a portion of a day, in the world of a laid-back, small producer. I am very glad that we had a great tasting experience this time with Marilyn, and we now look forward to similar positive experiences in the future!
7. Robert Biale Vineyards
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 170 reviews
“We have been on a quest to realize the full potential of California’s historic vineyards - and to create greater understanding about the joyful pleasures and true character of Zinfandel and Petite Sirah. Honoring the wisdom and labors of our forefathers, and keeping the agricultural and social traditions alive that are unique to American wine … it doesn’t get any more gratifying than that in the wine business…” - Dave Pramuk and Bob Biale, Co-Founders, Robert Biale Vineyards
Reviewed By seawaif
The staff were friendly and welcoming (Jim, our host, was genuine, knowledgeable and entertaining). The wines of course were excellent - with the focus being Zinfandel. The views from the patio are great - you are on the valley floor - I have to come back when the vines are full of grapes. Family owned, family run, and it shows.
8. Judd's Hill Winery and MicroCrush
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 678 reviews
Judd's Hill is owned and operated by two generations of the Finkelstein family. Bunnie, Judd and Holly Finkelstein are vintners dedicated to producing ultra-premium, handcrafted wines in small lots while highlighting them in entertaining and engaging customer experiences. Our family has been making wine in Napa Valley since the 1970s and continues to produce signature wines that are fruit-driven, concentrated and just simply delicious.
Reviewed By MarciV_13 - Whittier, United States
We wanted to do something different in Napa this time and the Wine Blending Day Camp turned out to be the highlight of our trip to Napa! CJ was so informative and fun! We tasted the wines individually first and then blended three options. After some discussion and more tasting we selected our blend. Next, we siphoned the wines out of the barrel, then bottled, corked and labeled our first signature blend. We can’t wait to go back with friends!!
9. Stags' Leap Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 254 reviews
Stags' Leap Winery is truly a hidden gem in the highly acclaimed Stags Leap District. Located off a long, private road, our nineteenth-century stone winery and Victorian era Manor House are nestled against the Stags Leap Palisades east of the Silverado Trail. We invite you to make a reservation and visit this magical place with its beautiful gardens and stylish wines including the award-winning field blend, Ne Cede Malis, and opulent "The Leap" and "Audentia" Cabernet Sauvignon. We are open by appointment only and are unable to accommodate drop in guests due to traffic restrictions on our private road.
Reviewed By KCHouseman
This is a must stop for Napa Valley wine lovers. Amazing Cabernets and so much more. Make an appointment for the tour and learn a true understanding of how Napa Valley became one of the true premier Cabernet Sauvignon capitals of the world.
10. Darioush Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 437 reviews
A Napa Valley wine experience - fine wines and hospitality designed to share our worldly perspective. Join us for an experience designed to engage the senses.
