Visiting Napa Wineries with a Large Group
On a recent visit to Napa, we had a group of 10 people total visiting wineries together. Napa is not always easy with a large group, but it IS possible! I’ve organized trips for up to 16 people for. Now, after that experience, I don’t recommend a group that large… but again, it’s always more fun to share wine with friends, so if your group keeps growing, don’t worry!
We started our tasting on Saturday morning, and before venturing to the wineries, I grabbed a hearty breakfast from a Napa staple, Model Bakery – the sausage breakfast sandwich on their famous English Muffin (seriously – it made Oprah’s list of Favorite Things in 2017). It was so good, I’ll admit I had it two days in a row.
Now that I had some food in my system, I was ready to meet the group and go straight for the wine. Our first stop was Cakebread Cellars. I had visited this one before, but that was 5 years ago (I can’t believe it’s been 5 years since I lived in California!? Time flies). I really enjoyed this stop back then, and they’ve since elevated the experience even further with a renovation to the space, including a new Visitor’s Center. We were led on an informative walking tour of the winery that eventually landed us in the garden where we stood around enjoying our wines. Once everyone was finished, we headed to the Visitor Center to purchase some of our favorites. I’m not really a ‘white drinker,’ but I have always enjoyed the white wines at Cakebread Cellars, particularly the Chardonnay. Their reds are also amazing, and I personally really enjoy the Merlot and the Cabernet. You can find these wines at your local Total Wine or Spec’s (for all my Texas friends), ranging between $30-$80 (with their top ‘Dancing Bear’ Cabernet over $100 at retail - but so good!) Cakebread also has a large kitchen space on site where they host cooking classes! This is on my Napa bucket list, so if you’ve done this before I would love to know your thoughts!
Next up, we took the trip just next door to Turnbull Wine Cellars (seriously, some of us walked – which is not entirely recommended as there is no designated sidewalk along the main highway). Turnbull is hands down one of my favorite stops in Napa. They are mostly known for their Cabernet, but we tried a Sauvignon Blanc that was amazing, and certainly a favorite of the group! While I always enjoy their wines, I’m really a huge fan of the atmosphere here, the scenery and everyone who works here. This is the most pleasant place to visit all around and I can’t really describe the feeling I get every time I come here, but it’s one that feels similar to home (if I got to live at a beautiful winery). I could go on and on about how welcoming this place is. For this specific visit, we called ahead and did the more expensive private group tasting, but in all of my past visits, we have just stopped in with no reservation. This is something pretty unique as most places require advance reservations, but Turnbull accepts walk-ins to their tasting room and it’s always such a fun experience. With the private group tasting, we did get a tour (and got to try some of the grapes off the vine!) and had a private tasting area. I highly recommend checking out this experience if you’re coming with a group.
Our third stop was definitely unique. We made our way down to Yountville, which is the most beautiful town in the heart of Napa Valley, and enjoyed several different wines at Restoration Hardware Wine Vault. This is not your traditional winery tasting as their tasting menu features various wines from the California area. They have several different tasting options and you can also purchase wines by the bottle to share. This was a good stop for a group since everyone could really order as they wish, but I do want to note their tables are only able to sit (6), so you will have to split your group up if you have more than that. It worked fine for us as they were very accommodating and sat us directly across from each other. Overall, the location was beautiful and our group had a great time here.
The entire weekend in Napa Valley was such an amazing experience and I’m already looking forward to our next trip back! I fell in love with this place when I lived in California for a year and I always find a reason to keep going back. If you’re looking to plan a fun trip, this is definitely a destination to consider. And, if you’re going to Napa soon, let me know! I’d love to hear which wineries you’ll be visiting or provide recommendations!
