The Perfect Winter Weekend in Napa Valley: My Exact 3-Day Itinerary

Winter is my favorite time to go to Napa. The harvest crowds have gone home, the hills turn green after the first rains, and you can actually get the tasting appointments everyone fights for in the fall. Winter in Napa Valley means 50s during the day, 40s at night. It’s red wine drinking weather!! and SPA weather!!! Bring a sweater and plan on a beautiful cozy weekend with incredible hotels, beautiful spa days, and big Cabernets by the fire. Don’t know where to start? Let me plan it for you!

This is exactly how I would spend a winter weekend in Napa Valley. I stick to two or three wineries a day (any more and you stop tasting anything), so every stop below is one I think is worth the reservation. For more of my favorite wineries and hotels any time of year, see my Ultimate Napa Valley Travel Guide.

Where to Stay in Napa Valley in Winter

Your hotel sets the tone for the whole weekend, so pick based on how you want to spend it. Stay in Yountville if you want to walk to dinner. Stay up valley in St. Helena or Calistoga if you want to be close to the wineries. Every hotel below comes with complimentary perks when you book with me. Want more options? Here is where to stay in Napa Valley at every price point.

Stanly Ranch, Auberge Resorts Collection

Stanly Ranch sits on 712 acres in Carneros at the southern end of the valley, and it is the one I recommend most. The service is wonderful and the food is some of the best you will have all weekend. It is also the easiest drive in from San Francisco.

Bardessono Hotel & Spa

Bardessono puts you in the middle of Yountville, a short walk from The French Laundry and Bouchon. Rooms have fireplaces, and the hotel lends complimentary bicycles, which comes in handy on Sunday.

The Estate Yountville

The Estate covers 22 acres in downtown Yountville and is really two hotels in one: the livelier Hotel Villagio and the quieter Vintage House. Bottega is on property, and loaner bikes make it easy to explore town.

Alila Napa Valley

Alila is adults-only and sits on Main Street in St. Helena, connected by a footbridge to Beringer. Most rooms have a private patio with a fire pit, which is exactly where you want to be on a cold Napa night.

Four Seasons Resort Napa Valley

The Four Seasons in Calistoga has its own working vineyard and winery on property, so you can taste without getting in the car. It is the pick if you want the full resort experience at the top of the valley.

The Best Napa Winter Weekend Itinerary

Friday: Arrive and Settle In

Fly into San Francisco or Oakland, pick up your car and head north. Check in, unpack, and keep the first night easy. Order a glass of something local, get a table by the fire at your hotel, and save your energy for Saturday. Book your Saturday tastings and dinner before you leave home, because the best spots fill up even in winter.

Saturday: Wine Tasting Day

Saturday is for the big tastings. Book two, add a third if you are feeling ambitious, and hire a driver to make it easy! If you want to swap a winery in, my Napa Valley guide has all of my favorites, from classic first-timer tastings to small producers.

Start your day with a big breakfast at your hotel, a workout or walk around, and then head out to taste!

10 or 11am: Promontory

Start your day off at Promontory, the Harlan family’s world-renowned, ultra-luxe winery I LOVE tucked into the western hills of Oakville. Visits are private, incredible (start with Dom!!!) and run about 90 minutes, with a walk through the winery, a taste straight from the cask and a vertical of Promontory vintages. The views over the valley are worth the winding drive up Oakville Grade.

   

Afternoon: Far Niente

Far Niente is one of my favorite winter tastings in Napa. The estate dug the first new wine caves in the country after Prohibition, and today they run 40,000 square feet under the hillside. Go for the Chardonnay, stay for the Cabernet, and take a minute to walk the gardens on your way out.

Optional Third Stop: HALL Rutherford

If you have room for one more, HALL Rutherford is a beautiful indoor tasting experience, perfect on a cold or rainy day. The underground cave is lined with reclaimed brick and hung with crystal chandeliers, and the Halls’ contemporary art collection fills the estate. Every tasting is private. HALL also works well on Sunday if you would rather keep Saturday to two.

Dinner: The French Laundry, Bouchon or RH Yountville

These are my three favorite dinners in Napa. If you can swing a reservation at The French Laundry, take it, because it is a meal you will talk about for years. Bouchon is Thomas Keller’s French bistro down the street, and it is just as charming in winter. RH Yountville rounds out my three, and it is a great pick for a group.

Sunday: Bikes, a Long Lunch and One Great Tasting

Morning: Breakfast and a Bike Ride

Sleep in, have breakfast at the hotel, then borrow a bike from the front desk and head out. In Yountville, pedal Washington Street past Bouchon Bakery and the shops. Staying in downtown Napa? Ride the Napa River Trail to Oxbow Public Market, an indoor market full of local food and wine vendors, with Hog Island Oyster Co. and Gott’s Roadside inside. It is open every day, so it makes a perfect cozy stop when it is chilly out.

Lunch: The Charter Oak

Drive up to St. Helena for a long lunch at The Charter Oak. Almost everything is cooked over the open hearth that greets you at the door, and it is the warmest room in the valley on a winter day. Order the crudités and the smoked short rib.

Afternoon: Quintessa or Covert Estate

Keep Sunday to one tasting and make it a great one. Quintessa in Rutherford takes appointments daily, and the visit includes a tour of the vineyard, winery and caves before a seated, private tasting of several vintages paired with local cheeses. There is a fireplace in the lobby, which is exactly what you want in January.

If Quintessa is booked, try Inglenook (ask for the Lounge Tasting Flight in the cave lounge), Joseph Phelps, home of Insignia, or Opus One, which releases reservations two months out on the first of every month.

Covert Estate

is another great pick, especially if you are staying in downtown Napa. It sits in the quiet Coombsville hills on the east side of town, and the winery is built underground into the hillside, so you barely see it until you walk into the cave. The estate hosts one party at a time for a private tasting of its small-production Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Syrah, made by French-born winemaker Julien Fayard. Visits are by advance inquiry only, so request your date as soon as your trip is booked.

Spa afternoon!!

A must for a Napa cozy winter weekend! All of the hotels I sent you above have fabulous spas.

Dinner: A Few More Winter Favorites

If you did not get into The French Laundry, Bouchon or RH Yountville on Saturday, try again for Sunday. Those are still my three favorites. A few more great winter dinners:

• Ad Hoc, Yountville. Thomas Keller’s family-style comfort food, with a set menu that changes nightly.
• Bottega, Yountville. Michael Chiarello’s Italian menu. Order the ricotta gnocchi.
• Celadon, Napa. Moody, romantic and candlelit. Ask for a table by the fireplace.
• Kenzo, Napa. A set kaiseki menu for a special-occasion night.

Monday: Fly Home

Take a Monday morning flight so Sunday stays a full day, with no checkout clock hanging over your lunch. Short on time? A Sunday night flight works too. Just skip dinner and head to the airport after your afternoon tasting.

What to Wear in Napa in the Winter

Napa winters are mild but chilly, especially in the mornings and once the sun goes down, so think cozy layers you can take off at lunch. Cashmere and a great pair of jeans will carry you through every tasting, and you want one dressier look for that big dinner.

For tasting days: A boiled cashmere funnel neck and a high-rise barrel jean is my go-to winery uniform. Add a statement sweater for the cave tastings, where it stays cool no matter the season.

For dinner: A long-sleeve mesh maxi dress is easy to pack and feels special at The French Laundry or Bouchon.

My favorite Napa winter outfit: A suede skirt, over-the-knee suede boots, a fitted turtleneck and a crisp white blazer. It looks polished at a seated tasting, stays warm in the caves, and the blazer is easy to slip off at lunch when the sun comes out.

My go-to denim look: This denim jacket from my recent Revolve haul is one of my new favorites. I wear it with jeans in the same wash and a cozy Veronica Beard sweater for a relaxed tasting day, and the Fair Isle cardigan is perfect for the cool wine caves.

For a dressier night out: A sleek black Veronica Beard midi dress for dinner at The French Laundry or Bouchon, with a tailored coat and cozy collar over the top for the chilly walk to the table.

For more outfit ideas for every season, see my full guide to what to wear in wine country.

Traveling with little ones? Here are my favorite baby-friendly and kid-friendly wineries in Napa and Sonoma.

Want me to plan your Napa weekend, from the hotel to the tasting appointments? Let’s plan your trip.

Not sure what to pack? Start with my guide to what to wear in wine country.

Planning a longer trip or visiting another time of year? Everything else you need is in my Ultimate Napa Valley Travel Guide.