Our Two-Night Wine Getaway in Napa and Sonoma Wine Country

For those that would like to get a taste of both of these fabulous wine regions, this two-night trip is an easy trek from San Francisco, Oakland, or Sacramento. The only obstacle is the two-night minimum requirement for weekend stays at all major lodging establishments in the wine country. Here are a couple of ways to get around this: Turn this trip into a Friday, Saturday night stay in Napa, followed by a Sunday night in Healdsburg in Sonoma County. Or, travel as we did, during the week when there is not a two-night minimum requirement in effect. We stayed in Calistoga the first night, and in Geyserville the second night.

The connecting highway to these two counties is an absolutely beautiful backcountry road, Highway 128, that links Calistoga in the Napa Valley to Healdsburg in Sonoma County. The drive is about 25 miles long from Calistoga to Healdsburg. The highway travels through two famous wine appellations, the Knight's Valley AVA and the Alexander Valley AVA. As you enter the Alexander Valley stretch, both sides of the highway are lined with beautiful vineyards and there are several wineries to visit along the Alexander Valley Highway.

Visit our Map Page for Driving Details

Our recommendations should you take this Wine Getaway:

We visited these wineries: Black Stallion - Napa's Newest Winery Diamond Oaks - Great picnic area, Bocce Franks Family Vineyards - Most fun Seghesio - Awesome Zinfandel Bella Vineyards - Very cool wine caves Rued Vineyards - New in Dry Creek

Where to Deli:

Napa - The Oakville Grocery - This wonderful deli has been a mainstay in the Napa Valley for many years.

Sonoma - Jimtown Store on Highway 128 or Big John's Market in Healdsburg.

Where to Picnic:

Just up the road from Napa Valley's Oakville Grocery, on the Oakville Grade, is the Diamond Oaks Winery. Even on a hot day, you can find a cool spot among the oak trees. You can have a very quiet and serene time away from the busy Highway 29.

In Healdsburg, the Seghesio winery has picnic tables and a Bocce Ball court.

Where to Stay:

For this trip, we wanted to stay in Calistoga so that the next morning we had easy access to Highway 128. We had an 8:30 appointment in Healdsburg and wanted the least amount of driving distance. We stayed at the Best Western Stevenson Motel Lodge; we consider this the best and finest budget motel in Calistoga.

In Sonoma County, we stayed at the Geyserville Inn in Geyserville, a comfortable spot and very close to one of the best restaurants in Sonoma County, Santi Restaurant.

See other lodging choices in Napa Valley and Healdsburg Area.

Where to Eat:

Brannan's Grill in Calistoga
Taverna Santi in Geyserville

See other restaurant choices in Napa Valley and Healdsburg Area.

Our Reviews:

Black Stallion Winery
This is winery just celebrated its grand opening. The winery is a huge stone structure highlighted by a beautiful sculpture of a black stallion. The winery has a very elegant and spacious visitor center, with the tasting bar island the center of attraction. For $10 visitors can taste four wines. The grounds are beautiful and this is quite an impressive wine facility.

Diamond Oaks Winery This is a great picnic spot. You can purchase your picnic lunch at the foot of Oakville Grade at the Oakville Grocery. From the grocery it is about a two-mile stretch up to Diamond Oaks Winery. At Diamond Oaks, you can taste four wines for $7 and enjoy some of the best views in Napa Valley. The winery is high enough to give visitors a gorgeous view of the valley below. For lunch, we suggest a glass of the Carneros Chardonnay; it is a delicious wine, one that does not overpower.

Franks Family Winery This is one of the busiest wineries in the Napa Valley. When we visited, there were at least 70 visitors and keep in mind this was a Monday. There is no tasting fee, which is becoming a rarity in the Napa Valley. The winery is the site of former historic Larkmead Winery and then most recently the Kornell Champagne Cellars. The present owner is former Disney exec, Rich Frank. Wine tasting at Franks Family Winery begins with a taste of their sparkling wines and then the tasting is moved into another room where some delicious white and red wines are poured. These wines are excellent and very well made.

Brannan's Grill Monday night in Calistoga does not offer much choice in restaurants, but Brannan's grill is always open for lunch and dinner. Brannan's is a solid restaurant with a beautiful bar and cocktail setting. The main dining room is very spacious and roomy. Our meals were both good and the only down side is a pricey wine list. One way around this to bring in your own wine. The corkage fee is $15 but waived if you buy a second bottle, even a half-bottle. Our server pointed out that they have several half bottles that are reasonable and count in waiving the fee. We rated Brannan's Grill a 4.5 on our 5-point rating scale.

Taverna Santi
This is a very outstanding Italian restaurant in an unusual town. Dining at Santi is always wonderful. The place is open nightly and unbelievably crowded for a tiny town. One has to wonder how all these folks know about this restaurant in sleepy Geyserville. Good thing we made a reservation or we may not have been able to get a table on a Tuesday night in this tiny town.