On the second day of our San Francisco trip, we rented a convertible and set off for Napa Valley, America’s famed wine region. The drive through the scenic vineyards was a joy, and upon arriving, we were greeted by a delightful climate. Surrounded by mountains and with a temperature slightly higher than San Francisco, Napa Valley in the fall is a dream. Clear skies, pleasant temperatures, and the sweet aroma of ripe grapes filled the air. It’s no wonder we’re already contemplating this area as a potential retirement destination!
Our destination for the day was Castello di Amorosa, an Italian castle winery where we had a reservation for a wine tasting. After checking into the Hotel Indigo and dropping off our luggage, we headed straight to the winery.
The castle’s owner, an Italian, imported every brick from Europe. Despite the centuries-old bricks, the castle itself is surprisingly new and impeccably maintained 😂. Our tour guide led us through the impressive eight-story structure, which boasts over 100 rooms, including four levels of underground wine cellars. Many of the small rooms are modeled after old European prison cells, except they hold wine inside instead.
The highlight of the visit was undoubtedly the wine tasting! We toured the underground wine cellar, and to give visitors a taste of a winemaker’s work, the guide drew some new wine from the barrels for us to taste. I’m not very knowledgeable about wine, but even I could tell the difference in the new wine—it tasted lighter and thinner, not yet fully infused with the oak flavor.
Following the cellar tour, we dove into the main wine tasting experience. Each of us had a wine list and the option to purchase chocolate when making our reservation. The guide brought out more than ten different wines, divided into three categories: the first was champagne and aperitifs, the second was white wine, and the last was red wine. We learned two things: 1. The most expensive wine isn’t necessarily the best-tasting one 😁; 2. Even though we don’t know much about wine tasting, we could still tell which wines we liked the most.
Overall, the wine tasting experience was both comfortable and delightful. It was a rare treat to sample so many wines in one go. The grape juice at this winery also stood out—naturally sweet with a hint of French oak and no additives.
After leaving the winery, we found that most local restaurants close around 8 PM, leaving only fast food options and a home-style restaurant. We chose the busiest spot, only to find it was not only expensive but also quite disappointing. My advice: Bring some snacks with you because you will get hungry after enjoying the great selection of wines.
* Here’s the picture taken after we arrived home from our trip. The wines we ordered from Castello di Amorosa arrived at our house a couple of weeks later.
That wraps up the winery tour! Stay tuned for the next post on the Napa hot air balloon experience!