Getting to Napa from San Francisco

My party of 4 have one day to tour Napa. I%26#39;d just as soon not rent a car in S.F. and then drive back after touring. Private limos seem pricey, at least from S.F. Any suggestions?

Getting to Napa from San Francisco

AlanP0626,

Yes, you can sign up for pre-packaged bus tours that pick up and drop off in San Fran. Or you can hire a car/driver, which is-- as you%26#39;ve noted-- pricey.

Some folks drive a car here, then have a shuttle tour like Platypus or the Napa Winery Shuttle take them around for the day. But this involves renting a car, something you%26#39;ve said you don%26#39;t want to do . . .

Here%26#39;s the thing: Part of the indescribable *fun* (and charm) of the Napa and Sonoma Valleys is making your own tour-- moving at your own pace, talking to locals, sampling their wines and foods, and, in short-- *immersing* yourself in the wine country.

What you%26#39;ll find is unlike any tour you could ever imagine-- small restaurants and gourmet grocery stores with incredible food. And little tiny family-owned wineries with very small productions (some less than 300 cases per release), that you will never find in a wine shop, restaurant, or wine magazine, for that matter (wine magazines typically do not write about wineries with super small production lots, since their readers could never find any).

You can cover the wine country yourself by renting a car, and learning the ';6-Ss'; technique used by professional wine tasters: Swirl-Sniff-Sip-Swish-Spit-Swallow.

Swirl the wine in the glass, stick your nose and and take a good, deep sniff. Then, take a good sip, and swish it around in your mouth. Spit it out (in a nearby spit bucket, no shame in this), and then swallow the residual left on your tongue. This is a great way to taste wine: You get to know what the wine smells and tastes like, and you don%26#39;t get nearly as intoxicated.

BTW, this approach is excellent if you plan to taste more than, say, 4 or 5 wines in a day. Our tongues and tasting palletes are shot after too much alcohol-- everything tastes much the same. So doing the ';4Ss'; gives you the ability to taste many more wines in a day.

The French actually recommend that you drink two full glasses of water for every glass of wine. This is excellent advice. If you balance the wine with sips of water between wineries, you will stay much more hydrated (and more sober).

Please do consider making your own tour. Chances are, you will talk about it for the rest of your life. :)

-The Innkeepers

Napa Old World Inn