I decided to take a look myself and see which wineries classify themselves as Family Friendly. Seventy five wineries showed up on my sorted list. I am not sure what makes them Family Friendly. Do they have a play area for kids, game room, or just what to keep kids busy while mom and dad taste wine? I read through the descriptions of a few of the 75 wineries and none mentioned what they have to offer for families.

We did plenty of wine tasting with our three boys as they were growing up and never do I recall finding any wineries that were truly happy to see kids. In fact, not too long ago when traveling with our son, daughter-in-law, and two granddaughters to a winery in Sonoma, my son was asked to make sure that “the children did not run around the picnic area making life unhappy for other guests.”

We would be interested in hearing from readers about which wineries in the Napa Valley or elsewhere are Family Friendly and why.

Two big openings in the Napa Valley for Leslie Rudd

Oakville Grocery
After closing for a renovation in January of this year, the landmark Oakville Grocery is set to reopen on Tuesday, May 22. “We are incredibly excited to preserve and relaunch this beloved spot as a real local food destination, a place where people come to gather and shop throughout the day. We want Oakville Grocery to be a center of the community, one that creates memories for anyone who visits here,” says owner Leslie Rudd. Chef Jason Rose will oversee the kitchen, producing a variety of delights for locals and wine travelers to enjoy. We can’t wait to try an Oakville gourmet sandwich and head to one of Napa Valley’s picnic wineries.

Also in the works for a redo is the 100-year-old Victorian house adjacent to the Oakville Grocery. The main use has been as a restroom facility for Oakville Grocery customers, but next spring it will open as an upscale tasting room.

Oakville Grocery as it looked in January

French Blue
Leslie Rudd, along with Howard and Lori Bracken, will open the French Blue restaurant on May 29th at 1429 Main Street in St. Helena. Chef Philip Wang will be serving some of Napa Valley’s finest home cooking, using farm fresh ingredients from the gardens of Rudd Farms. The restaurant will feature a large open kitchen, wood burning stove, two fireplaces, and have outdoor seating. You can get a sneak preview of the restaurant by perusing the French Blue Website. This will give you a hint about the fine dining at what is sure to be a very popular spot in St. Helena.

Electric car charging stations
A few forward-thinking wineries in the Napa Valley have installed electric car charging stations. Imagine driving up to a winery in your electric car and recharging your car while you recharge your palate with a taste of some of Napa Valley’s famous wines. At the moment we know that these wineries have electric car charging stations: Jarvis Winery, Cade Winery, Hall, and Clif Family Winery.

St. Supery Free Outdoor Concert
In honor of St. Supery’s French heritage, the winery is planning a special event for Sunday, April 29, 1 to 4pm. It will be an afternoon filled with French jazz, French food, and St. Supery’s estate-grown Bordeaux wine varietals. The concert will feature the Ronchin Jazz Band. The concert is free but you must RSVP. More information.

Costco Documentary
Many Costco stores in the Bay Area feature Napa Valley wines at amazing discounts. Do you ever wonder how Costco can sell their wines for much less than you can find them at the winery? Well, then, tune in to CNBC News for the original documentary: “The Costco Craze: Inside the Warehouse Giant.” The program premieres Thursday, April 26th at 9pm et/pt on CNBC. More information

Domain Carneros – The Best View
Domain Carneros is located along the Carneros Highway just west of the Napa Valley. The beautiful landmark Chateau sits atop the hillside and provides a wonderful setting for a tour and tasting of sparkling wine. The view from the Domaine Caneros terrace is one of the best vineyard views in all of Napa. Take a tour, sip some sparkling wines at one of the terrace tables and take in the views. It is so scenic and relaxing. Our favorite sparkling wine at Domain Carneros is Brut Rose Cuvee de la pompadour. What a joy!

Domaine Chandon – Gardens and the Restaurant
Now continued on the Carneros Highway east to Highway 29 and follow the signs to Yountville. Get off at Washington Avenue and take a left to go to Domaine Chandon. The gardens are very lovely here so take some time to stroll around. You might also want to plan to eat lunch at étoile restaurant. Domaine Chandon is the only winery in the Napa Valley with a restaurant. étoile is excellent and, in fact, a Micheline star-rated restaurant. As does Domaine Carneros, Domaine Chandon makes a number of different sparkling wines. One that we love and is very much overlooked is their Domain Chandon Riche. It has the slightest hint of sweetness and goes so well with many foods and, in particular, any spicy foods.

Mumm Napa – The Ansel Adams Art Gallery
Mumm Napa is on the eastern side of the Napa Valley on the Silverado Trail. There seems to be a more casual and jovial atmosphere at Mumm’s. What we enjoy at Mumm’s is to sit in the courtyard and take a slow, easy time just relaxing. What many people miss when they visit Mumm Napa are the two art galleries. One houses a collection of wonderful Ansel Adams photos and the other gallery has a revolving collection of local artists. What a great time for just relaxing in this setting. Our favorite sparkling wine is Pinot Meunier, a sparkling wine crafted from this grape only in exceptional years. At $36 a bottle, it is a terrific value. Mumm Napa has a tour at 10 am that is complimentary and at 11, 1, & 2 pm the tour is $20 and includes a tasting. Check the Mumm Napa Website for a coupon and updates on tour hours.

Schramsberg – Oldest and the Caves
Schramsberg is at the northern end of the Valley very near the town of Calistoga. The tours are the best of the sparkling wine houses, but it costs $45 a person. It is well worth the adventure. Here at Shramsberg the riddling of the sparkling wine bottles is done the old- fashioned way. Each day, Schramsberg’s riddler turns an unbelievable 35,000 bottles of aging sparkling wine. The caves are very interesting and a bit on the spooky side. These caves were built in the 1880′s.

Ceja Vineyard – Cute vineyard, great Pinot, inspiring story

The light in the Fall of Los Carneros (Napa County) over a waning afternoon is, above all, expressive and mild, and yet elegantly kind. Very much like the Ceja Pinot Noir 2007 I was drinking that late afternoon with Amelia Ceja, the legendary California-Mexican “viñatera.” Sitting out there in the patio of Ceja Vineyard, surrounded by vines, a few trees, and arranged garden chairs, I also tasted peace. I remember having more words to describe that fantastic example of Napa Pinot. The end in the mouth was so balanced and persistent, while the scent was naturally expressive. But the idea that can summarize my memory of that Pinot is its own personality – so far from a Pinot from la Bourgogne and yet coherent with this Carneros mildness, its elegance and my indomitable thirst for one more glass. Very much what inspire the light in a late afternoon in Carneros mild wine slopes.

In this season of Los Carneros, Amelia Ceja likes to sit outside instead of the comfortable tasting room the family has inside the house. While opening the bottle she told me how everybody enjoyed this Pinot Noir in the London Tourist Market Fair the week before. Amelia and her daughter Dalia had just came back from London, where they were more as film stars than as winemakers. “We were there for the premiere of the film “Dreamland,” a movie produced by the California tourist office (Visit California), and in which the Ceja family is one of the main groups of characters. “The story follows a remarkable ensemble of Californians who are pushing the boundaries of possibility, and our family, our story was selected to be one of them,” she explained. As she kept telling me about how she enjoyed the exclusive screening in the famous Royal Opera House, I remember thinking how natural everything sounded: she struggles for healthy winemaking, she makes a fantastic Pinot Noir with her family, they are chosen as one of the eight role models of Californians, she walks in the Royal Opera House of London as a character of the film to be screened, everybody loves their wine. I think of “Dreamland.” “During the film we were served Chardonnay with pop-corn and everybody loved the wine and the match, and then at a different event we were served the Pinot… “It was just great,” she added.

The afternoon faded away smoothly in front of our glasses. There was a gentle breeze and leaves swaying in the open patio overlooking the almost too perfect vines. I suddenly freeze my eyes on that vineyard and tried to imagine the same surface some 40 years ago, when Amelia and her parents crossed from Mexico to pick grapes in Napa. I imagine her as a 12-year-old immigrating from Jalisco to harvest Robert Mondavi’s Tokalon Vineyard in 1967. A “back-breaking work’” she had told me with a smile, referring to her pain after the long days harvesting – sometimes under cruel heat. She knows those hard-work days make her family, and a few other Mexican immigrants, different than most winemakers in California: she learned the small secrets of the harvest herself, she has a “campesino” background and soul, and that’s a plus when you become the president of your own wine company.

“It was hard work though I quickly fell in love with the wine universe,” she recalled. But Amelia did not only fall in love once those days. She met this Mexican boy from Michoacán who had also come to pick grapes. Their love story around vineyards ended in marriage, family and later one of the most successful small wineries of California. The name of the Mexican boy is, of course, Pedro Ceja. “We both knew we wanted to live our lives in this industry, and in 1983 we partnered with Armando Ceja, Pedro’s brother, to buy our first parcel here in Carneros”.

The family grew along with the vineyards, and in 1990 the Ceja wine production company was born. Family, wine, hard work, love and Mexican-Californians are still so attached to the natural soul of Ceja. Although Ariel and Dalia, their son and daughter, are not involved in the vineyard full time these days, they are key for Ceja wines and for the family passion for wine and food.

More recent history shows Ceja Vineyards as the “best boutique winery in Napa and Sonoma” a couple of times, Amelia selected as “woman of the year” by California legislature and, more importantly, the winery producing critically-praised wines. “We feel our wines really expressed the character of Los Carneros,” she remarked. The valley is about 400 feet high (120 meters) and has cooler weather, which is the inspiration for the Pinot Noirs and Chardonnay. “Soils are mostly clay and very thin and shallow (approximately 3 feet/1 meter deep), providing poor drainage and fertility,” explained Amelia. She showed me how the crop yields are small due to some winds coming off the Bay north of San Francisco and told me that this makes it difficult for the grapevines to retain moisture. This can also delay the grapes from ripening sufficiently. It is said that vintages with a long, drawn-out growing season allow the grapes to ripen, so intense and vivid flavors can develop.

Amelia thinks this valley can make the best Pinot Noir of California, and the wine she is pouring in our glasses doesn’t seem to go against the statement. “There is no secret to making this wine. A lot comes from nature, from this soil, and the rest is our hard work and our engagement with the environment. We have worked in all the processes of the winemaking and learned from each of them,” she said.

The night finally covered the vines. The energy stayed in the air, the wine clearly spotted in my memory.

With over 400 wineries in the Napa Valley, how does one decide which wineries to visit? Well, we have perhaps the best planning tool available on the Internet to help you select which wineries to visit based on your interests. Here is how it works. Go directly to the Trip Planner on Wine Country Getaways and from the Region Window use the pull down menu to select the Napa Valley. Of course you can select other wine regions if you prefer.

The Map displays 150 wineries in the Napa Valley. There are some 400 brick and mortar wineries in the Napa Valley and we have whittled that number down to the wineries that we think offer the most to travelers to the Napa Valley. We may have missed a few good wineries, so if you think you have a winery to recommend for our database, please let us know.

The next step is to decide what Features you are looking for in a winery. Click on one or more of the checkboxes to narrow down your winery choices. Now that you have made your choices, click on the red winery marker to get a little more information about that winery. If you think you might want to visit the winery, click on the Add to My Trip button. Once you have all your wineries selected, type in the starting address. It could be your home address or the hotel or B&B address where you plan to stay. Type in an ending address as well.

Now you can map your trip by clicking on the Directions button. There is a catch here. The map will give you directions in the order you have selected the wineries. More than likely the map will zigzag all over the place because the wineries are not in geographic order. Go back to your Destinations and use the arrow keys to move the wineries up or down to get the correct geographic order.

Once you have that done, click on the Directions button again. At this point you can print the directions and/or email the trip map to your friends. What can be handier than this nifty planning tool? Thanks for using our Trip Planner and have a fantastic time in this beautiful and wonderful wine country.

Van Ballentine and his father began making wine in 1944 across the Valley in Deer Park. Vineyards were purchased over time and presently there are 90 acres of vineyards planted in St. Helena and nearby Calistoga. They eventually sold the first winery building and moved Ballentine to its present location in 1992. Van has worked an unbelievable 60 harvests and I would have to think that is a record for the Napa Valley. Remarkable! Bruce Devlin was hired in 1999 as winemaker, and interestingly his wife Danielle is the head winemaker at St. Clements Vineyards directly across Highway.

Van Ballentine and Bruce Devlin

We arrived just in time for our 12:30 lunch restaurant at Redd Wood, the newest restaurant in town, owned by Richard Reddington of Redd Michelin fame in Yountville. The restaurant is located in the North Block Hotel, formerly the Hotel Piero. Redd Wood is a pizzeria with causal dining in a pleasant and relaxing atmosphere. The specialties, of course, are pizzas but there are many other menu items. There were four of us for lunch. Two shared a pizza and a salad and thought they were both just okay, nothing spectacular. Janelle and I shared a pear and wintergreens salad and a sandwich with rosemary foccacia, prosciutto cotto, and crucolo cheese. They were both excellent. The Sommelier was very cool, answering my questions about a few wine choices on his wine list, and recommended a Docellto/Barbera from Piedmonte in Italy that was very tasty, medium bodied, and perfect with our meals. The Wine list is good with a wine selection at $38 and above.

Redd Wood Pizzeria

Later in the afternoon we returned to Yountville and strolled along downtown streets. With a free tasting, how could we pass up Cornerstone Cellars? It is a quaint and beautiful tasting room with comfortable sitting at the bar, on couches, or at tables. They have two flights of tastings, and with four of us we did a combination of both. All the wines were delicious but the three Cornerstone Cabernets with magnificent. We ended up with a big splurge purchase of a $70 Howell Mountain 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon to be enjoyed later that evening with dinner at the Bottega Restaurant.

Cornerstone Tasting Room

Dinner at Bottega was outstanding. The food, the service, and atmosphere were just perfect. We had a lovely and leisurely dinner over the course of three hours. My wood-grilled, grass-fed lamb was amazing, and after sharing a few bites all agreed. Bottega is in the V Marketplace and owned by chef Michael Chiarello.

The morning brought us a new day of clear air and wonderful sunshine. What a time for a walk or a jog along Yount Mill Road. On the way back I took a walk down Washington Street, and lo-and-behold the was a camera crew taking shots of the French Laundry restaurant and world-famous chef Thomas Keller. I got a couple of great shots myself.

Thomas Keller in his French Laundry vegetable garden

Following our buffet breakfast we checked out and visited shops in Yountville and Napa. We left the Napa Valley and headed back home refreshed and rejuvenated. At this time of the year, the Napa Valley is very quiet and serene. There are few crowds and everything seems to be moving at a very relaxed pace.

Their two Santa Fe friends, Ed & Michael Lobaugh, own The Old Windmill Dairy® just outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. They make a wonderful variety of artisan goat and cow cheeses. At a Wine & Cheese festival in Carlsbad, Monticello Vineyard’s Stephen Corley approached them and indicated the winery might be interested in combining the Monticello wines with their Gouda cheeses. Monticello sent a case of their wines containing three varietals: Estate grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

About Monticello Winery

Monticello is a small winery by Napa standards (15,000 cases), but their quality makes up for the small quantity. Jay Corley founded the winery in 1970 and today sons Kevin, Stephen and Chris Corey are operating the winery. Kevin oversees the operation, Stephen is in charge of sales, and Chris is the winemaker. The winery lies just above the town of Napa. It is on Big Ranch Road that can be accessed from Oak Knoll Road. They have three lines of wine: Corley Reserve, Corley Family wines, and Monticello Reserve wines. Their specialties are Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Merlot and Chardonnay. The friendly tasting room is opposite a 1/3 scale replica of Jefferson’s Monticello; a tribute to America’s first serious wine collector. This is a fun place to start a wine tour of the Napa Valley

Monticello Vineyards

About the Cheese Project

Monticello Estate Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, & Cabernet Cheese

This is an ongoing project with much experimentation to get the perfect wine-flavored Gouda cheese. Ed & Michael Lobaugh are eagerly waiting to see what the Corley family thinks of this young batch of Gouda. The hope is that the project will result in cheeses the Corely family will want to feature in their tasting room and possibly sell to Napa Valley restaurants. We will be sure to get back to you when the results are in and indeed if this Gouda is available for sale.

Kevin Corley - Monticello Vineyards

Nichelini Winery
Well off the radar of most travelers is the Nichelini Winery. This winery has had 121 consecutive harvests and is in the 5th generation of ownership. It is said to be the oldest continuous family-run winery in the Valley. The winery began making wine in 1890 and weathered prohibition by making sacramental wines, and perhaps a little more, under the table for various “important” clients. The winery is up on Sage Canyon Road about 10 minutes from the Valley floor. The winery is open Saturday and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm or Monday through Friday by appointment.

Nichelini on Sage Canyon Road - Highway 128 East

Beaulieu Vineyards
Beaulieu Vineyards began in 1900 and was founded by George de Latour. The winery was able to continue to operate during Prohibition, making sacramental wines. In 1938 George de Latour traveled to France and hired winemaker André Techelistcheff. Andre died in 1994, but his legacy lives on and he remains today the most influential winemaker in the Napa Valley. The winery is owned by Diageo Wines. The Tasting room is open daily 10 am to 5 pm.

Inglenook
Inglenook is one of our favorite wineries to visit. We just love to sit out by the fountain at the entrance and gaze at this beautiful Chateau. Inside, of course, you can taste wines and take a wonderful tour to learn the history of the winery and the Napa Valley. This past year, owner Francis Ford Coppola was able to purchase the Trademark name of Inglenook, and now the winery is back to its original name. The winery is open daily beginning at 10 am.

The Inglenook Chateau

Charles Krug Winery
This is one of the first wineries I visited as a very young wine drinker back in the late 1960’s. The winery celebrated its 150-year anniversary in 2011. Charles Krug Winery is said to be the first winery established in the Napa Valley. Cesare Mondavi purchased it in 1943. You may recall the famed argument between Cesare’s sons, Robert and Peter. Although Peter may have lost the battle, he won the winery. He is still going strong at 96, running the winery along with his two sons, Marc and Peter. The winery is open daily 10:30 am to 5pm.

Beringer Vineyards
Beringer is another favorite. We love the Rhine House built in 1884 and the drive there is beautiful, just north of downtown St. Helena. You will be able to see the caves that were built by Chinese laborers in 1877 plus many other historic features. Today Beringer is owned by Treasury Wine Estates. The winery is open daily beginning at 10 am.

Rhine House at Beringer Vineyards

View map of wineries and plan your trip

This little hidden winery in the Napa Valley may perhaps be best described as the “The Little Winery That Could.” Through the prohibition era this winery kept chugging and chugging, making wines. Prohibition forced many wineries out of business and a few others survived by making sacramental wines. The Nichelini Winery kept making wines and rumors say that none of it was for the Church. Rumors abound regarding who the Nichelini clients were, and how the family managed to elude the law. Whatever this means, the winery has had 121 consecutive harvests and the family has proclaimed that they are the oldest continuous winery in the Napa Valley.

Nichelini on Sage Canyon Road

Most travelers to the Napa Valley will never get near Nichelini. First, it is well off the beaten path, 15 minutes from the Valley floor; and perhaps the biggest reason, they have never heard of the wines of Nichelini. The winery does little promotion and relies mostly on word-of-mouth. That may all change soon as the Nichelini Family is planning to bring production from 1800 cases annually to 4000 cases within the next five years. Leading the way is Aimée Sunseri, who is a member of the 5th generation of the family and recently became the seventh head winemaker at Nichelini. In the tasting room and doing PR work is family member Kenny Wainright. With these two key members of the Nichelini team, look for the winery to embark on new territory in promoting the Nichelini brands.

Kenny Wainright - Pours, does PR, plus much more for Nichelini Vineyards

The vineyards are estate owned and some date back to 1928. All the wines are reasonably priced between $15 and $30. We liked the wines we tasted but none was an absolute standout. We did like the Primitivo very much and the Zinfandel but they were sold out. We also were enamored with the Old Vine Muscadelle. Have you heard of it? It’s made from the Muscadelle grape, also known as Sauvignon Vert. We liked it very much and I do not believe any other winery in California is making this varietal of wine. It is similar in character to a Sancere style Sauvignon Blanc. Nichelini is one of the very few wineries without a tasting fee. How nice!

During the winter months the tasting is done in the main area of the original Nichelini home. During the warm weather the tasting is moved below to the barrel room. Just below the barrel room, a stairway leads to a very nice secluded picnic area and a Bocce court. The only knock on this winery is the parking. As you can see from the photo above, this is a two-lane road the leads from the Napa Valley to the Lake Berryessa area. The parking is on the shoulder of the road and cars generally travel too fast along this stretch. But don’t let that deter you from visiting. After all, how often do you get to visit a winery that has had 121 consecutive harvests? We highly recommend a visit to this historic winery in the Napa Valley. The winery is open on weekends or by appointment during the week.