Outside Online
advertisement
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Gear
  • Bodywork
  • Culture
  • Blog
  • Videos
  • Podcasts
  • Photos
  • Archives
  • Subscribe
Subscribe to Outside Magazine


You Are Here:   Home  >>   Travel   >>  How the West Was Wined

Adventure Adviser

Today's Question
Where in the United States can I stay overnight in a tree? answer

Can you suggest a great African safari? answer

What's a good itinerary for an adventurous family in the Grand Canyon? answer

Travel Resources
  • Best Trips 2008
  • Best Trips 2007
  • Best Trips 2006
  • Best Trips 2005
  • Best Trips 2004
  • Best Towns 2008
  • Best Towns 2007
  • Best Towns 2006
  • Best Towns 2005
  • Best Towns 2004
  • Plan Your Trip
  • Adventure Lodges
Travel Guides
  • The World
  • The United States
  • Canada
  • Caribbean
  • Mexico
  • Central America
  • South America
  • Europe
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Australia & South Pacific

Online Favorites

  • "Into Thin Air"
  • Best Adventure Books
  • The O Files: Unsolved Mysteries
  • Dream Towns
  • Dream Jobs

Special Issues

  • Family Road Trips
  • Interactive Colorado
  • Literary All-Stars
  • Adventure Lodges
  • Oceanic Endeavors
  • Adventure Goddesses

Photo Galleries

  • Malia Jones
  • Amanda Beard
  • Julia Mancuso
  • Women Who Rock
  • Kelly Slater
  • Olympic Cities
  • Exposure: Sara Carlson
  • See All Galleries
share this article del.icio.us DIGG Facebook StumbleUpon

Outside Summer Traveler 2006

Wine-Country Getaways
How the West Was Wined
Access and Resources

Napa Valley, CA | Sonoma County, CA | Applegate Valley, OR | Walla Walla, WA | Paso Robles, CA | Access and Resources

california
Map by Aude van Ryn

Napa Valley
ROOM & BOARD: Expect stunning settings and lavish attention to detail at Napa's trio of new retreats: Calistoga Ranch (doubles from $475; 707-254-2800, www.calistogaranch.com); the Carneros Inn (doubles from $435; 707-299-4900, www.thecarnerosinn.com); and the Poetry Inn (doubles from $475, including a three-course breakfast; 707-944-0646, www.poetryinn.com). The all-new Redd, in Yountville, serves up staggeringly modern creations—like peeky-toe crab salad with a citrus vinaigrette or fresh cod with a chorizo-studded curry sauce (707-944-2222). Everything at Rutherford's Auberge du Soleil is good—including the view from the terrace—but don't miss the chocolate dumplings with tarragon ice cream (707-963-1211).
THE VINTAGE: With so many premium wineries, it's difficult to know where to begin. Start here: Stony Hill Vineyard (by appointment only; 707-963-2636, www.stonyhillvineyard.com); Kuleto Estate (by appointment only; 707-963-9750, www.kuletoestate.com); Cliff Lede Vineyards (private tours by appointment; 707-944-8642, www.cliffledevineyards.com); Robert Sinskey Vineyards (800-869-2030, www.robertsinskey.com); PlumpJack (707-945-1220, www.plumpjack.com).
BETWEEN TASTINGS: Calistoga Bikeshop rents Santa Cruz Blurs and Bianchi road bikes ($60 and $40, respectively; 866-942-2453, www.calistogabikeshop.com). Or splash out in a kayak or canoe at Napa River Adventures (from $50 per day; 707-224-9080, www.napariveradventures.com). Afterwards, Lavender Hill Spa specializes in couple's treatments that will leave you bleary-eyed and wobbly (800-528-4772, www.lavenderhillspa.com).—A.M.

Sonoma Valley
ROOM & BOARD: Hole up at the Hotel Healdsburg, where doubles start at $385 (800-889-7188, www.hotelhealdsburg.com). For high-end comfort food—pork chops, grilled cheese—without the attitude, try the Fig Café & Winebar, in Glen Ellen (707-938-2130, www.thegirlandthefig.com).
THE VINTAGE: In the town of Sonoma, Gundlach Bundschu's popular cave tour and picnic grounds are open daily (707-938-5277, www.gunbun.com). Seven-year-old Bella Vineyards and Wine Cave, in Dry Creek Valley, boasts 100-year-old vines (866-572-3552, www.bellawinery.com). Kaz is one of only a handful of organic wineries in Sonoma Valley (877-833-2536, www.kazwinery.com).
BETWEEN TASTINGS: At the Osmosis day spa, in tiny Freestone, the 90-minute cedar-enzyme treatment (about 20 minutes of actual bath time) starts at $140 per couple (707-823-8231, www.osmosis.com). Wine Country Bikes rents road bikes, hybrids, and tandems starting at $30 per day and $140 per week. Owner John Mastrianni will also customize two- to seven-day supported, self-guided tours to the coast or northern Sonoma County (prices from $395 to $2,500 depending on lodging; 866-922-4537, www.winecountrybikes.com). For DIY paddling on the Russian River, Burke's Canoe Trips rents boats for $55, including shuttle transport back to your car (707-887-1222, www.burkescanoetrips.com).—K.A.

Applegate Valley
ROOM & BOARD: The Weasku Inn's five main lodge rooms—all rustic, with creaky wooden floors and antiques—sit over a country-style dining room with a panoramic view of the Rogue River (doubles from $195; 800-493-2758, www.weasku.com). To find out what pairs well with hericium mushrooms (a fat steak and a big red), make a reservation at Summer Jo's Farm, Garden, and Restaurant, in Grants Pass (541-476-6882, www.summerjo.com). Most everything is grown on-site.
THE VINTAGE: Contact the Southern Oregon Winery Association (800-781-9463, www.sorwa.org) for maps of tasting rooms in the region.
BETWEEN TASTINGS: The Blue Giraffe Spa, in Ashland, about 45 minutes south, serves up a six-hour pamperfest: steam rooms, body polish, massage, facial. Not your scene? Get the two-hour Manly Things treatment, which includes a massage and a detoxifying steam shower (541-488-3335, www.bluegiraffespa.com).—T.N.

Walla Walla
ROOM & BOARD: Only two Walla Walla wineries offer accommodation. Abeja has restored the old farmhouses sitting on its property into three charming cottages and two suites (from $235, including breakfast and tasting; 509-522-1234, www.abeja.net). Basel Cellars, "the castle on the hill," rents out the entire eight-bedroom estate house and a smaller cottage (estate for $2,400, cottage for $350; 509-522-0200, www.baselcellars.com).
THE VINTAGE: In Lowden, 14 miles from downtown Walla Walla, L'Ecole No. 41 offers daily tastings in its restored 1915 schoolhouse (509-525-0904, www.lecole.com). Let Chuck Reininger tell you how he went from home winemaking to owning his own boutique winery over a tasting at Reininger Winery (509-522-1994, www.reiningerwinery.com). This year's Spring Release Weekend will be May 6–7 (Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance; 509-526-3117, www.wallawallawine.com), followed by the Balloon Stampede Weekend, featuring more than 35 hot-air balloons, May 12–14 (509-525-0850, www.wwvchamber.com).
BETWEEN TASTINGS: Practice your fly-fishing cast on a fully equipped two-hour to full-day trip with guide Skip Pritchard (509-522-4717, www.bluestockingtours.com). Nothing goes better with wine than cheese, so don't miss the Monteillet Fromagerie's artisanal goat and sheep cheeses, in Dayton, 40 minutes away (509-382-1917, www.montecheese.com).—M.M.

Paso Robles
ROOM & BOARD: The five-bedroom, 4,200-square-foot luxury lodge at Cottontail Creek sleeps up to 20 and offers massage services, gourmet catering, and yoga instruction ($995 per night for up to 10 guests; 805-995-1787, www.cottontailcreek.com).
THE VINTAGE: Free tasting is an endangered tradition that's still honored at most Paso wineries. Opolo Vineyards (805-238-9593, www.opolo.com; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily) serves a complimentary six-flavor fleet and will even tap a barrel on request. The Perata family asks that you call before stopping by (805-238-2809, www.fratelliperata.com), but there's no charge to try their wines, which are usually served with snacks. Hospice du Rhône 2006, Paso's largest annual winefest, takes place May 11–13 (www.hospicedurhone.org).
BETWEEN TASTINGS: Central Coast Outdoors runs guided bicycle trips around Paso Robles from $119 per person per day (bikes $25 extra; 888-873-5610, www.centralcoastoutdoors.com). They also lead kayaking trips in nearby Morro Bay, one of the state's top stops for migratory waterfowl. —K.L.




Napa Valley, CA | Sonoma County, CA | Applegate Valley, OR | Walla Walla, WA | Paso Robles, CA | Access and Resources

• Subscribe to Outside and get a FREE Gift!

• Give the gift of Outside Magazine!

• Subscribe to Outside Online's free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring gear reviews, fitness advice, galleries, podcasts, and more.
Find Rates
find flightsfind hotelsfind cars
From City name or airport code
To City name or airport code
Leave
calendar
Return
calendar
Find Rates

A new window will open for each site. Please disable popup blockers.
OrbitzTravelocity
ExpediaCheapTickets
HotwireKayak
SidestepPriceline
CostJet

Where City name or airport code
Check in
calendar
Check out
calendar
Guests


Rooms
Find Rates

A new window will open for each site. Please disable popup blockers.
OrbitzHotels.com
TravelocityExpedia
CheapTicketsHotwire
KayakSidestep
Priceline
Pick-up City
airport code
Pick-up date
calendar
Time
Drop-off City
airport code
Drop-off date
calendar
Time
Find Rates

A new window will open for each site. Please disable popup blockers.
orbitz.comcheaptickets.com
hotwire.compriceline.com
search

advertisement




Subscribe to Outside Magazine!

special featrues

Gear Spotlight: Adventure Electronics
Our esteemed Gear Guy hones in the FAQs of the digital world in this exclusive archive.
The Green Issue
Earth Day may fall in April, but global awareness should be a 365-day concern. Let us help you stay focused.




Vacation Packages

More Travel Deals
  • Save 50% on packages to thousands of destinations
  • Thanksgiving flights from $166
  • Last Minute Deals for travel this weekend or next
  • Ski destinations packages from $181
Sign up for our Travel Deals Newsletter


More From Outside Online

Outside August 2008

  • Best Towns
  • Jeff Lowe
  • Burma Cyclone
  • Triathlon Training

Special Issues

  • 2008 Summer Buyer's Guide
  • 2008 Winter Buyer's Guide
  • Outside Blog
  • Unsolved Mysteries

Outside July 2008

  • Andy Roddick
  • Fitness Special
  • Summer Road Trips
  • Canadian Adventures

Online Exclusives

  • Spooky Spots and Terrible Tales
  • Literary All-Stars
  • Oceanic Endeavors
  • Adventure Goddesses

Outside June 2008

  • Malia Jones
  • Weekend Escapes
  • Satellite Radio
  • Joe Papp

Online Favorites

  • Outside Gear Blog
  • Gear Guy
  • Fitness Q&A
  • Adventure Adviser

Outside May 2008

  • Anderson Cooper
  • Best Jobs 2008
  • Surf Genius
  • Russell Brice

Outside Classics

  • Into Thin Air
  • The Whale Hunters
  • Raising the Dead
  • The Long Way Home


Vacation Ideas from The Away Network

Outside's Best Towns 2008

  • Crested Butte, CO
  • New Orleans, LA
  • Portsmouth, NH
  • Washington, DC
  • Rest of the Best

Gay-Friendly Vacation Guides

  • Asia
  • Europe
  • South America
  • United States
  • All Vacation Destinations

Best Fall Foliage

  • Black Hills National Forest
  • Glacier National Park
  • Great Smoky Mountains
  • Monongahela National Forest
  • Shenandoah National Park

Trip-Planning Tools

  • Cheap Flights 101
  • Cheap Hotels 101
  • Compare Rates
  • Travel Insurance Tips
  • Vacation Rentals Index

Top Scenic Drives

  • California's Deserts
  • Mountain Tours
  • Upstate New York
  • Weekend Road Trips
  • See All Drives

GORP's Fall Outdoor Guides

  • Where to Camp
  • Where to Fish
  • Where to Hike
  • Where to Mountain Bike
  • All Fall Guides

GORPTravel Trips

  • Active Resorts
  • Horses & Riding
  • Nature Observation
  • Culinary Tours
  • Volunteer Vacations

Fall Travel Guides

  • Active Travel
  • Cultural Travel
  • Outdoor Travel
  • Romantic Travel
  • All Monthly Travel Guides



  • Home |
  • Travel |
  • Gear |
  • Bodywork |
  • Culture |
  • Videos |
  • Podcasts |
  • Photos |
  • Archives |
  • Feedback |
  • RSS Feeds |
  • Subscribe to Outside Magazine |
  • Join/Login




  • About Outside |
  • Advertise |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Subscription Services |
  • Sponsorship Policy |
  • Outside Info |
  • Site Map |
  • Press Room

  • Outside Magazine Media Kit |
  • Photo Department |
  • Privacy Policy |
  • Contact Us |
  • Contributor's Guidelines

Partner Sites:
  • Away.com |
  • GORP.com |
  • Orbitz |
  • Cheaptickets |
  • ebookers |
  • HotelClub.com |
  • RatesToGo.com |
  • asia-hotels.com |
  • Outside's Go


©1994-2008 Mariah Media Inc. All rights reserved.
Reproduction of material from any pages without written permission is strictly prohibited.