A Visit to Napa Valley - A Famous Wine Making Region in the U.S.

E. took a day off on Monday and rented a Zip car driving us to where we wanted to go.


We heard so much about Napa Valley and were glad to have the opportunity to visit this region.











We started driving after 10am to avoid the rush hour traffic. Driving on the Bay Bridge to get out of the city of San Francisco, we enjoyed the scenery on the way.

It took a little more than an hour before we reached Napa Valley.





Because of its sunny warm Mediterranean like weather and perfect soil condition for growing wine making grapes, Napa Valley is a famous wine making region of the United States.

A vineyard in the Napa Valley region, USA.

Napa Valley's sunny warm Mediterranean like weather is perfect for growing wine making grapes.

The Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley, USA

Having just visited Nevada, a desert region, a few days ago,  we noticed the sharp contrast in the landscape and greenery between the Nevada and this wine making region.

Front entrance of the Robert Mondavi Winery, Napa Valley, California

 Our first stop was the Robert Mondavi Winery as recommended by our hotel concierge.





















It was a beautiful sunny day.

The patio at the vineyard was open.

Visitors could enjoy the fine weather and had a beverage outside.

We stayed there for a few minutes to enjoy the scenery.

There are numerous  smaller wineries in the Napa Valley region. The Mondavi is one of the larger ones.

















Since it was lunch time, we went for lunch in a local restaurant.




















Lunch at a outside patio was lovely!

We basked in the Californian sun and enjoyed the gentle breezes caressing our faces.

These days, we prefer having the biggest meal of the day at lunch than at dinner. But again the portions served in American restaurants were just too big for us.














E. had sole, S. had chicken salad and I ordered a smoky hamburger which came in a gigantic size. I could hardly finish half of it.

Numerous winery in Napa Valley with wine tasting facilities

E. forewarned us that he took the day off from work but needed to make a business call in the late afternoon.

Therefore half way through lunch, he had to excuse himself for the business call.



















Initially, E. rented the zip car until 4:30pm. But
the Napa Valley region was very lovely with numerous winery, we decided to stay longer than we had planned.

Aware that it might take us a little longer to get back to SF, E. kept extending the time for the rental car until he decided to rent it for the whole day.















 This made our day trip much more relaxing as we could take our time to enjoy the region in a more leisurely way.




















After lunch, E. was still on his business call. So we left him alone and wandered on our own to visit briefly the winery close by.

My husband was smart. He found a shady spot, parked himself on the bench under the tree and read to his heart's content while I went around with my camera to capture the scenery.
















Napa Valley is a lovely region to visit!


R.T.
Napa Valley
California, USA