California has some of the most varied landscapes of any state in the US. From snow-capped peaks to white-sand beaches, and lush coniferous rainforests to arid desert expanses, The Golden State has something for everyone – especially wine lovers.
Grape tourists looking to feast their eyes while they sip their favorite beverage will find themselves immersed in painterly beauty, whatever California winery they choose to visit. But for those seeking a truly iconic experience, the Napa Valley offers a taste of the state’s finest – wine and vistas alike.
What’s to love about the Napa landscape
Napa County sits in a lush valley, just North San Francisco and around 25 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean. Within the county are a number of boutique towns and cities which are famous for their food, wine, and arts and culture.
Heading out of these picturesque communities, visitors to the region will quickly find themselves entering the vineyards, where grapes ripen uncovered in the California sun.
The valley is surrounded by rolling hills, some of which play host to more grapes happy to grow at a slightly higher elevation. If the hills aren’t covered in grapevines, visitors may view craggy rocks emerging from seas of wild golden grass, or young forests of Live Oak and Coastal Redwood.
Visitors to the Eastern side of the valley may enjoy Lake Berryessa, the biggest body of water in Napa County, and popular spot for boating, fishing, hiking, and swimming in the warmer months.
The Napa landscape has a lot to offer, and the best part is, there’s wine everywhere! Wherever you go in the Napa Valley, you’re in for a treat.
7 Napa Wineries with the Best Views
There are more than 400 wineries and 90 in-town tasting rooms in the Napa Valley – that’s 1 wine experience every 1.5 square miles across the county. You really can’t go wrong in California’s iconic viticultural valley, but if you want a view with your tasting flight, here are 6 Napa wineries to see.
- Castello di Amorosa – Calistoga
You’ll arrive onto the property and believe you’ve stepped back in time. The castle that houses this winery was in fact built in the 21st century, but designed to give visitors the feeling of walking through medieval Tuscany.
The interior of the structure is gorgeous, from the many muralled tasting rooms, to the vaulted fermentation cellars. Head outside to the castle walls, or the verdant moat-side grounds, and take in an expansive view of the winery’s vineyards, framed by a tall coniferous wood on one side, and on the other the stunning California hills rolling into the distance.
- V. Sattui Winery – St. Helena
This winery is another gem that feels like stepping back in time. Only now, instead of a lord’s fortress, we’re heading to the countryside to sip wine and picnic in a classic Italian vintner’s villa.
V. Sattui is great for casual visits, or for more formal events like weddings and other milestone celebrations. And it’s easy to see why – the building and grounds themselves are beautiful, and the surrounding orchards, oak groves, and open-sky vineyards are postcard-perfect.
- Artesa – Napa
Where the first two wineries feel like stepping back in time, the angular design and brutalist architecture at Artesa teases a futuristic experience.
Stepping out of the white, minimalist tasting room, wine lovers will carry their glasses down the steps of Artesa’s 3-tiered landscape to tour fountains and pools that feature daring, abstract sculptures at their center. The crisp modernism of this winery is complemented by a stunning view of Napa Valley’s ancient hillsides, and sunset over the Pacific ocean.
- Joseph Phelps – St. Helena
Giving at once a classical, country feel as well as a modern culinary experience, the Joseph Phelps winery lodge sits tucked into the foot of a forested hill, its initial vineyard creating a carpet which welcomes visitors in.
Wine lovers will adore the lush interior of the tasting rooms, offering an aesthetic that reads as the most luxurious wine barn, with open rafters, and enormous fermentation barrels making the backdrop of the space.
Step outside to sip on the lodge’s front porch, and let your eyes wander over the vineyards and into the winding oak-covered hills beyond.
- Quintessa – Rutherford
Giving a modern take on classic winery architecture, Quintessa’s tasting rooms utilize glass and warm wood as their main materials to instill visitors with the sense of being out amongst the trees while lounging within the comfortable interior.
The main pavilion sits atop a hill called Dragon’s Peak, offering a vantage view of the valley below. The winery prioritizes biodynamic cultivation for the grapes, and viewers will notice the vines growing in curved rows around Dragon’s Lake, a gorgeous body of water which is surrounded by a “mosaic” of planting fields, woodlands, and the distant Vaca mountains.
- Chappellet – St. Helena
This winery is a little out of the way, but if you’re willing to walk the roads less traveled to get to it, you’re in for a treat.
From the top of Pritchard Hill, wine lovers can watch the sun setting over the vineyards, sinking between distant mountains that shield the valley from Pacific winds. At the foot of the hill lies Lake Hennessey, stretching away towards the coast in a beautiful crescent. Watered by the lake, the surrounding hills are a lively green in the late winter and early spring – visitors in April and May will also enjoy the winery’s local wildflowers which offer a colorful frame to the scenery.
Thirsty for more?
Of course, if you don’t like the sound of these, there are 394 more Napa Valley wineries to choose from! Or, if you’re still planning your trip, give yourself a little taste of things to come with Napa wines from Old Vine Wine Tours.