napa valley…
napa is a very special place with so much to see and do in the valley. my husband and i do have a few spots that we always visit and i’m sharing them with you today. i hope to keep adding to this list throughout the year, to give you more choices if you plan a trip to napa valley. of course our recent getaway was just amazing since we had another couple we were with. as it turns out, our friend grew up in napa, so she basically was our tour guide which was an added bonus!
~ a funny note about the nester ~
so, you know how chocolate is paired with some red wines. well, at our wine tasting, they had a nice bowl of wonderful chocolates to eat with your wine. i mostly ate the chocolates, since i’m kind of allergic to alcohol. eventually our hostess started to move the chocolates away from me since i was devouring way too much of their expensive stash!
essential guide ~ our friends had this awesome guidebook to all the restaurants, wineries and shopping. it is a must have when visiting the valley.
dean and deluca ~ Â this is always our first stop when we arrive in napa. they have the most amazing pastries!
cookies ~ their salted browned butter chocolate chip cookies are to die for! i’ve tried to replicate them, but on this trip i found out that they are made with browned butter. well, it is back to the kitchen for me. note, that when eating these cookies you need to place the salt on your tongue to get the full buttery benefit! so that usually means turning the cookie upside down when devouring it!
napa valley olive oil, mfg ~ this place is so small and off the beaten path, that most likely you’ll miss it! we just happened to walk to it from the restaurant we had lunch at. it is a family owned and run business and who have been making olive oil for 80 years.
address: 835 charter oak avenue
st helena, ca 94574.
unique and cool store ~ this location was the original store and it is just awesome with customer’s business cards hanging from the ceiling and walls. the man in the background had little samples of the olive oil and vinegars. while gabbing with us, he mentioned that his grandfather is still making some of the products!
buy online ~ i only tasted a few… and these were two that i just loved!!! i’m kind of glad i only sampled a few because i probably would have bought every single bottle. the truffle olive oil had a rich slightly smokey flavor but in my opinion was out of this world with flavor. i will probably top off grilled veggies or potatoes to add just a nice flavor. the peach balsamic vinegar was spectacular and will be wonderful on a summer salad with fruit, cheese and nuts. i don’t think i’ll have to add any oil to this to make a fresh dressing. if you want, you can buy these products straight from their website. here is the link:Â olive oil company
photo: napa valley olive oil mfg
new store ~ this store that they opened in 2012. i haven’t visited it yet, but plan to in the future.
address: Â 1331 first street in historic downtown napa.
phone 707-265-6866
hours: 10:00 – 5:30 monday – sunday.
photo: napa valley vintage store
napa valley vintage store ~ this is definitely one of my favorite stores to visit in napa! every nook and cranny is filled with home decor that you’ll just want to buy and take home. it is the best eye candy for any one who is into decorating their home.
address: napa valley vintage store
       1201 main street,
       st helena, ca 94574
here is their website:Â napa valley vintage store
products ~ this is the paper that i bought from napa valley vintage store, and i just adore my new containers!
acres ~ this is a store that has a garden, outdoor focus, kind of like a mini smith and hawkens style. as you can see from the store front it is filled with wonderful purchases!
address: acres
        1219 main street
        st helena, ca 94574
napa style ~ i just love this shop in the quaint town of yountville. i know, the man in the photo is not a relative or friend of mine! i guess he just wanted to desperately be on my blog! anyway, this store is amazing and filled with lots of home decor items.
photo: napa style
unique candle and flower holders ~ my dear friend, gave me one of these sugar mold candle holders and i just love it. so, the thing is that it holds candles and also, has glass vases that go in the holes too. so, you can have candles, flowers or both!
address: napa style
       6525 washington street
       yountville, ca  94599
website:Â napa style
tra vigne ~ a lovely resturant that has a wonderful outdoor courtyard! the setting is just spectacular and the food is yummy. although the waiter kind of oversold the homemade mozerella cheese with toasted garlic bread. otherwise the location is european in style and makes for a great dining experience.
address: 1050 charter oak avenue
        st helena, ca  95474
transportation ~ you will see a lot of limousines and small tour buses in the valley. this is a nice and responsible way to get around while wine tasting.
photo: francis ford coppola winery
francis ford coppola winery ~ this destination is spectacular. it is kind of out of the main napa community and you’ll have a little drive off the beaten path, but it is well worth the extra effort. plan to spend the day out there, or better yet… end your day out there! we did, and it was just the best way to relax. they have a wine tasting room, a pool to dip your tired feet and body in, and a restaurant and pool cafe. the grounds are gorgeous and you get a view of the valley and vineyards that is so beautiful, that you’ll never want to leave. by the way the staff is very kid friendly!
address: 300 via archimedes
       geyserville, ca 95441
website:Â francis ford coppola vineyard
photo: francis ford coppola winery
photo: francis ford coppola winery
photo: castillo di amorosa vineyard
castillo di amorosa vineyard ~ it is a beautiful winery that was built to represent a medieval castle with italian styled wines. the castle has a moat, and a drawbridge, towers, secret passage ways and a tasting room that is just spectacular.
address: 4045 st helena hwy
       st helena, ca 94515
website:Â castello di amorosa
photo: castillo di amorosa vineyard
there are many more vineyards that we have visited but for this post, i only wanted to touch on just a few. so stayed tuned for more future posts as we continue our adventure through napa! i hope you have enjoyed this trip and you’ll come visit the bay area for one of your vacations. thanks for stopping by and please let me know what you think of this post, or just leave a comment to say, “hi!”
cheers,
Â
janine
I named my blog Happy Happy Nester because I love everything related to the home. I’ve always enjoyed decorating my surroundings. Get cozy and stay for a bit, thanks for visiting!
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Lisa @ Texas Decor
I'm soooo jealous you got to visit the Coppola Winery!!! Did you know I'm a HUGE Nicolas Cage fan??? Francis is his uncle. 🙂 I think I'll marry Nic when I grow up. 😉 Lol! Anyway, looks like y'all had a wonderful time! I hope to visit Napa one day soon. You've sure given me lots of good pointers! Oh, and now I'm craving wine and chocolate. Ha! I love the paper you purchased! It looks so pretty on your containers!
Janine Waite
Hi Lisa ~ I know Coppola's Winery is amazing. He used to have one right near the other wineries, but recently he opened this one up off of hwy 101. This place is so relaxing and beautiful, when you come to the Bay Area, you'll have to plan a day out there! I didn't know you were a Nicolas Cage fan!!! The Coppola lineage is huge!!! I'm not sure if they have anything with Nicolas Cage in the little movie museum. You'll just have to visit and take a look first hand!!! Yes, Napa makes you want delicious food! Come visit!! 🙂
COCO intheKitchen
What a lovely post! I feel like I was there with you guys. Napa is charming. Nearby Sonoma might just be my fav stop up there. Years ago, I was considering going to the CIA which is in St. Helena, another charming stop you took.
Janine Waite
Hi Coco ~ Thanks so much for hopping on over! I haven't heard about the CIA in St Helena, is it a restaurant? I just love St Helena! I could live there right now, I could easily buy a tiny little house and just have a quiet little life there! Eating wonderful food, shopping at cute boutiques, bicycling around great towns. You need to come for a visit!!! J
happyhappynester
Someday we will meet up in Napa!
Kozy Kountry Kottage
I loved hearing all about your trip, and seeing all the pictures made we want to go even more! 🙂 Thank you for sharing! 🙂
Janine Waite
Hi Brandi ~ Yes, Napa is a wonderful place, so beautiful and relaxing! It is my happy place! I hope you can make it out here for a visit, there is so much to see and do!! J
Ann
We also went to the Coppola Vineyards when we visited a few years ago. Loved our trip to Napa and Sonoma! I would recommend a visit to Chalk Hill Vineyard in Sonoma. Fabulous wine, beautiful scenery and they took us for a tour of the grounds in a jeep.
Thanks for sharing your trip!
happyhappynester
Oh my goodness, I’m always up for recommendations! Thanks so, so much for Chalk Hill Vineyard, it sounds lovely! Thanks for your visit and sharing your experience with me! I appreciate your lovely comment!