When I visit wine country I’m usually booked solid with tastings, meetings and all sorts of reservations, but not on this last visit to Napa Valley. I intentionally did not let anyone know I was coming, except a few friends who live there, and kept the tasting reservations to one a day. While I love being on the go and sipping in as much as I can in Napa Valley, I’m tired and still recovering from knee surgery after a ski accident in January. I just wanted to sit at the pool and enjoy the Solage Hotel and Spa, do one tasting in the afternoon, then have a fabulous dinner and go to bed early. My goals were accomplished.
The one afternoon we did not have any reservations, we stole away from the pool and rode into downtown Calistoga on one of the complementary bikes the Solage offers guests to explore and sip a little. That said, you could spend a lot more time exploring downtown Calistoga but here are my suggestions for a long afternoon. Just pay attention to the time as most tasting rooms close at 5pm, so plan accordingly.
An Afternoon Wine Tasting Itinerary for Downtown Calistoga
Start in the middle of Lincoln Avenue at Picayune Cellars, (pronounced pee-ka-ˈyün), which means a little bit in regional French. This tasting room and mercantile is headed by French native, Claire Ducrocq Weinkauf, owner and winemaker. The wine is not only outstanding but the price points will blow you away. Rarely can you find truly affordable – and amazing – wines from Napa Valley that range from $25 to $100. While here, you can order a little food to accompany your tastings or head to the back porch with a glass and nibble on a late lunch or afternoon appetizer.
The winemaker and owner, Claire grew up in Auvergne, France. She set out to Chile to earn her wine degree, which is where she met the infamous Paul Hobbs, who gave her her first job at Viña Cobos in Mendoza, Argentina, then later in his winery in California. Learning from one of the best shows in the quality of her wines…
Picayune follows the French Negociant model when it comes to their grapes. In other words, they source grapes from local vineyards throughout the Napa Valley, which allows for a little more variety of what can be produced. With a dozen wines being produced, you could spend your whole day tasting here. But, to focus in, I suggest you start with the Champagne and Alberino, then move into the Pinot Noir, Starry Sky Cabernet Sauvignon, Padlock and the Rive Gauche. Picayune can technically call its Champagne, Champagne since the grapes are sourced from the Champagne region in France.
If you’re still up for sipping in more tasting rooms in downtown Calistoga, you have additional options.
Head down the street to August Briggs where you can grab a seat inside at the tasting bar or a table on the outside patio. Reservations are not required making this a perfect option for the play-it-by-ear kinda day. That said, it can get busy and with only one or two people working the tasting room, the service can be hit or miss.
On your way back up the street, spend some time popping in and out of the cute boutiques on Lincoln Avenue in downtown Calistoga. They’re filled with cute outfits, wine country hats, art and local jewelry.
The Calistoga Depot is the largest tasting room in downtown Calistoga, not in its size but rather in the number of wineries you can select to sample. The tasting room itself is housed in a refurbished train car, so it’s actually pretty small in size. But, it features tastings for several local wineries. At the time of this posting the Depot was featuring wines by Barlow Vineyards, Claudio Family Cellars, Kenefick Ranch, Langtry Farm Wines and LVE Wines by John Legend. The Depot is also home to a market, distillery, sit-down restaurant, bar and outdoor patio that hosts live music on the weekends. It goes well beyond wine.
I don’t like to do more than three tasting rooms in a day so I would normally tell you to head to over to a nearby restaurant for apps or an early dinner at this point in the afternoon. But, why not do a wine pairing dinner at the Maria Concetto Winery Tasting Room, which features a menu from Bricco Osteria. You could opt to skip the dinner and chose from a variety of tastings. Dinner reservations will need to be made in advance.
They’re a handful of other restaurants to choose from for lunch or dinner in downtown Calistoga that I found to be delicious and totally worth going back to.
- – I can’t recommend Lovina With both indoor and outdoor seating, I recommend the patio, shaded by giant redwood trees where might be able to catch some live music. The menu is pretty extensive but I have to point you to the polenta mushroom bites, they are crazy good.
- – Evangeline is a must for dinner. This French creole style restaurant offers a beautiful, quite patio off the main street that’s perfect for catching up with friends over a bottle – or two – of wine.
- – Calistoga Inn has a fabulous patio, good looking menu for both lunch and dinner and live music on certain nights of the week. It gets busy so either make a dinner reservation or show up early. The salmon risotto is amazing…
- – Calistoga Depot features menus from four restaurants so there is something for everyone here. You can savor small bites, artisanal sandwiches, woodfired pizzas, and a full plant-based lineup from the Distillery Bar and Provisions Deli, authentic Oaxacan cuisine from Casa Obsidiana, or caviar and oysters from the JCB Parlor. The Provisions Deli is a great, local spot if you need to grab food to take home or pack a picnic.
- – While not in the heart of downtown Calistoga, Solage Resort and Spa has two restaurants you can walk to from the downtown area – or ride your bike to. Picco Bar is an outdoor, covered patio restaurant that features delicious tacos and Mexican food. For a more upscale option, Solbar is amazing.
Sip in More of Napa Valley...
Elaine Schoch is an award-winning travel writer, wine judge, American Wine Specialist and certified by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET II). At Carpe Travel she shares wine travel destination guides for ALL WINE LOVERS – from novices to experienced pros – to help them plan their wine adventures, arming them with insider tips, must-visit spots, and things to see and do beyond the vines.