
Weekend getaways are my go-to travel options most of the year, given my full-time job and freelance activities. Besides city breaks and sports travel, I often take trips to wine regions.
Living in Paris means I am within a train ride from some of the best luxury wine experiences: Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy. When French people ask about wine in America, I tell them to visit wineries in Sonoma and Napa outside San Francisco, where you can sip award-winning wines with views of expansive, hillside vineyards and Northern California oak forests.

My wish list for next time includes Napa Valley vacation home rentals, going on a leisurely hike or two, finding new tasting rooms to visit, and returning to a few favorites from before. Ideally, I would get to talk with winemakers about their craft, like I did in Sonoma’s family-run wineries and during estate walks in the Loire Valley.
Napa has over 400 wineries with tasting rooms. Some are smaller, others feature restaurants and shops, even art galleries and concerts. Some focus on one grape variety, others on several. There are wineries that offer workshops and vineyard tours. How to choose where to start?
Perhaps with luxury wine experiences. In contrast to the more low-key Sonoma, Napa Valley is known for grandeur, so take advantage!
Here are two suggestions that can easily fit into a one or two-day itinerary. Let them serve as a starting point for your exploration of the region.
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Domaine Carneros
The name brings back memories of watching a sunset over southern Napa Valley from the terrace of this lavish estate, while sipping remarkable sparkling wines and pinot noir paired with a cheese plate. As I sat at a round metal table, similar to ones you see in French cafés, I could feel the evening breeze coming from the hills and vineyards.

The hillside château at Domaine Carneros is a prime example of Napa’s splendor. It was founded by the Taittinger family – of Champagne fame – and designed after their 18th– century mansion in Epernay, France, Château de la Marquetterie.
A grand staircase, surrounded on both sides by trimmed bushes and seasonal flowers, leads you to the main entrance of the estate and visitor center. You can get a glass or sampling flight on the terrace or enjoy table service inside the Louis XV-inspired salon.
If you are interested in the history and production process of sparkling wine and pinot noir, there are guided tours three times a day. Specialty and group tastings with a wine educator are also available. You’ll need a reservation, so plan your visit ahead of time.
Domaine Carneros | 1240 Duhig Road, Napa CA 94559
(707) 257-0101 | www.domainecarneros.com
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Napa Valley Wine Train
If you like to drink your wine – not spit it – during a tasting, but are traveling without a designated driver, the Napa Valley Wine Train may be for you.
This luxury wine experience onboard vintage Pullman-Standard Company railcars (most of them dating back to 1915) is a three-hour, 36-mile journey from downtown Napa to St. Helena and back. The train takes you past well-known historic wineries and through the Napa Valley Agricultural Preserve, slowly revealing the region’s striking scenery of hills, meadows, and woods.
Slow is the keyword. The 10-car eco-friendly train (running on compressed natural gas) travels at about 15-18 mph, setting the tone for the entire experience.
The moment you sit by the window in a velveteen lounge chair, a glass of Napa Valley wine in hand, the pace changes. You are transported to the foregone era of luxurious, elegant train travel. I remember feeling nostalgic for what I only knew from classic Hollywood movies – and wishing that I was wearing a floor-length dress instead of denim. The surroundings called for a dress code.
The films I could think of at the time – Strangers on the Train, North by Northwest – featured scenes in a dining car and conversations with strangers. Not surprisingly, the Napa Valley Wine Train is a moving restaurant and you get to share a table with other passengers – minus the dramatic plots. Multiple-course, gourmet meals showcasing California cuisine are freshly prepared in three onboard kitchens (if you have dietary restrictions, mention them when making a reservation).
You can book a train-only experience – there is plenty of wine to try. But you may also choose a package that includes a tour and wine tasting at one of the Wine Train’s partner wineries. I did the latter and got to visit the Grgich Hills Estate with a small group of passengers. There was plenty to learn.
The winery was founded by Chroatian-American winemaker Miljenko “Mike” Grgich, whose 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay won a blind tasting in 1976, beating the best wines of France. The event became known as the “Judgement of Paris” and put Napa on the global wine map. The original bottle is now on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and Mr. Grgich is still involved in winemaking.
Napa Valley Wine Train | 1275 McKinstry Street, Napa CA 94559
(707) 253-2111 | www.winetrain.com
Which of these Napa Valley experiences would you like to try? Are there any that you would add to the list? Leave a comment to let me know.
Oh wow, the Domaine Careros looks like a breathtaking property and indeed has a very French vibe. Would love to spend a day here or even a night if I’m lucky. I love the train ride too, what a unique experience.
I’d like to spend more time in Napa too, for sure! I feel like there’s never enough time to explore it. :)
Lovely piece. I especially like your pose boarding the train.
Haha, it only took a couple of takes. ;)
I really enjoyed my time in Napa. The food was delicious. I saw the Wine Train, but didn’t go on it. I would check it out for a good meal.
Definitely worth it, Holly! The food is freshly prepared on board, can’t go wrong with California cuisine. :)
I love wine country and since I live in Washington I’ve visited winey country here and in Oregon, plenty of times. The last time I was in Napa I was very young and would love to return as I really loved the landscape. Domaine Carneros is quite grand and I’d love to see the winery -Grgich Hills Estate- that put California wines on the map. I also like train rides and that would be such a fun way to taste wines and see the scenery pass by slowly.
I’ve wanted to visit the Oregon wine country for a while (I have a soft spot for the West Coast). We’ll see about that, since I am now based in Europe… Hope you get to see Napa again!
Domaine Carneros looks like a beautiful place. The wine train sounds like a lot of fun. I miss riding the trains, it is a great way to see the countryside and a very relaxing style of travel.
I like train travel too, especially on a beautiful train…
Been to Napa/Sonoma a few times, but it’s been many, many years. Would love to experience the old-school train ride, putting away the car keys. Sit leisurely in the train car experiencing scenes like in your first pic. Lots of beauty in that part of California!
I know you usually stick to coffee shops in San Francisco (can’t blame you, haha), but perhaps you’ll have a chance to go north on your next visit. :) Like you said, beautiful landscapes there!
Wow! I would love to take a ride with that train! Looks like from the movies ?
Yes, definitely a movie vibe! 3 hrs of being in another world. :)
It looks amazing! ? Maybe one day it will be possible to take a ride that train ?
Yeah, hopefully you’ll get to do that. I’d love to go back.
Amazing! I would love to take a ride this train. Maybe one day… ?
Fingers crossed, Anita! Such a unique experience.
I must send a link to my friend who is a wine lover:) Thank you for that! ?
Great, thanks Asia! Hope your friend will enjoy the write-up.
I love Napa Valley! It’s six years now since I’ve been there. Feels like I have to go again and try train-experience! ?
Good idea, Ania! I need to go back too…
I am not so big vine lover but I really envy – in good way – the opportunity to do such a trip trough California. So great idea! Looks really nice.
It was a great trip. Even someone who is not a wine lover might enjoy the train experience – lots of food on board, plus the vintage vibe. :)
nie miałem pojęcia, że w jednym (i to dość małym) regionie jest aż 400 winiarni! całość kojarzy mi się w sumie z Francją – w ogóle jakoś tak Kalifornia nie przychodzi do głowy jako pierwsza, kiedy pomyśli się o “regionach winnych” – ale jak tak patrzę, to Napa wydaje się być całkiem fajne ?
Twoje skojarzenia sa dobre, bo w tym rejonie pracuje i mieszka sporo Francuzow! Mysle, ze coraz glosniej bedzie o kalifornijskim winie, ogolnie jest bardzo dobrej jakosci.
OMG the TRAIN looks fantastic! But I can’t imagine how hard would it be to leave it safely after a while… ?
Haha… there is a lot of food on board, so that helps. ;)
I guess we haven’t been to this valley but yeah we tried many Californian vines ? in Santa Barbara cuz our host had member cards to some places where they were selling vine. I remember that after all, I was sick :O, too much! ?
But my winner is Italian vine anyways!
You got sick from wine? Nooo… that’s not fun.
I like Italian wine too, although I limit myself to Chianti. Time to try others.
Train looks amazing! I love vine so it must be place for me ?
I bet you’d love the train, Marta!
I always forget that there’s a train around Napa. I have to try it next time. Maybe do the river cruise one way, and the train the other.
Sounds like a plan! I like river cruises, but didn’t know there was one in California.
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Napa California is such a lovely part of the world. I love the historic downtown but Napa Valley, of course, is magnificent. Now off to have me some wine!
I don’t know downtown Napa much, because I focised on the wineries… All the more reason to go back. Cheers!