Luna Vineyards on the Silverado Trail

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Joe Becerra

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This is one of the first wineries you come to on the Silverado Trail driving north. The Luna Vineyards was established in 1995 when two long-time friends in the wine business purchased what was then the old St. Andrew’s Winery. In 2000, Luna opened its Tuscan style tasting room and winery facility. It is a beauty. The tasting room is very spacious and attractive. The wine emphasis at Luna is on Italian varietals. For a tasting fee of $5 we tasted a flight of wines that included two Pinot Grigios, a Sangiovese, and a Merlot. According to our host, Merlot, which is the grape widely grown in France’s Bordeaux, had its origin in Italy.

luna-vineyards

The Sangiovese was by far our favorite wine and we decided to purchase a bottle to have with our lunch. At $20, we thought it was a decent price to pay for this wonderful bottle of wine. We got a double whammy. First, we were charged $25 for the wine instead of $20. The reason given, the price on the tasting notes was out of date. I thought we would at least get an adjustment on the price of the Sangiovese but it was not to be. The second whammy is there is no picnic permit even though small tables around the grounds suggest the possibility. Luna does not have a permit that allows picnicking or selling an open bottle of wine, or whatever. This left us with a bad feeling about Luna. They could have been more accommodating.

There is a great view from the tower atop the tasting room. If you visit here be sure to take a walk up the stairs with your camera for a scenic shot of the vineyards of Napa Valley.

The Good: Beautiful tasting room, delicious Sangiovese.
The Bad: No picnicking, tasting fee, need an up-to-date price list.

  • Joe Becerra

    Joe Becerra has been traveling to wine country and enjoying wine since 1965. He is a retired educator, and now have the time the opportunity to share his wine travel experiences through this Website.