For a break over the New Year I visited Napa after spending a couple of days in San Francisco. Napa seemed like an ideal place to spend New Year, with wine plentiful and the weather moderately warm. Previously, having stayed in Calistoga in the north of the Napa Valley it was nice to stay in Napa itself, to see and visit new places. Napa itself is probably not as nice in my opinion as the smaller and quaint town of Calistoga. However, there is a lot more there and more choice. It is nice to be able to explore wineries in the day and then visit tasting rooms in Napa itself in the evening, without having to drive or peddle too much. Plus, many of the tasting rooms are open later, so you really can make a whole of wine if you wanted too.
During our time in Napa we visited the Bell winery (the name prompted making an appointment there) which was very friendly and had some very fruity red wines. On New Years eve we had a day of bubbles cycling the 14 and a bit miles from Napa to Mumm Napa and stopping at Domaine Chandon for a tasting and sparkling wine cocktail class. It was interesting to visit Mumm Napa after visiting its glitzier mother GH Mumm a couple of months before. The tasting room was very nice, and the slogan ‘Crafted for Everyday Celebrations’ is quite nice, given the amount you get given for a tasting. At Domaine Chandon we made a festive Holiday Mule, a New Year Spirit and a Berry and Sage Sparkler. It was a good way to prepare for the start of 2018.
Robin Bell 