Napa Valley & Sonoma
California Wine Country
 

June, 2009

When one thinks of California Wine Country the names Napa Valley and Sonoma automatically pop to mind! But pair the wine country with a spa resort and fine dining and you have one truly wonderful combination.Enjoy a taste (actually lots of tastes) of the wines of the region, a visit to the Culinary Institute of America and a visit to the American Center for Wine Food & the Arts. This is the world's leading cultural center dedicated to the discovery, understanding and celebration of wine, food and the arts in American culture.  This trip was a big hit the last time we offered it, not only for the great places we visited, but for where we stayed - and will be staying this time - at the Villagio Resort and Spa. After a full day of wine tasting and gourmet treats what better way to relax than a spa treatment! Plan to join us, won't you?
(See tentative itinerary below)

We are currently in the process of planning this trip.
Once we have all the activities, hotels and other details confirmed,
and the price finalized, we will remove this information and post
a completed itinerary with the price.

If you are interested in learning more about this trip,
make a pre-reservation.
It is very important to make a no-obligation pre-reservation.
Those who have made a pre-reservation will be notified first
when the full itinerary and pricing is posted.

 Make a Pre-Reservation

A pre-reservation does not require any money.
Once the tour is finalized and a tour price available, those who have pre-reserved
a space will be contacted via email and asked to decide if they
want to make a deposit. If you are not interested, you don't have to do anything.

Tentative Itinerary

Day 1 - Arrive Oakland Airport and travel to Sausalito

Arrive Oakland, CA no later than 2:30pm. Upon arrival into Oakland, you will be met outside baggage claim by the WTT tour leader. Once everyone has arrived, we will depart the airport and travel to Sausalito. This charming town sits on the water and looks back to the San Francisco skyline. Here we will enjoy some time in the delightful shops before having dinner and calling it an evening. 

Day 2 - Muir Woods, and Vineyard Tour

Today we begin our day with a visit to Muir Woods. We’ll take a short nature walk on the main trail (flat and paved) that includes interpretative signs telling interesting facts about the area. On our drive to Napa we will drive through budding vineyards.  We'll stop at St. Supery Winery where we'll be able to tour the winery's Wine Discovery Center. This is a hands-on, behind the scenes glimpse into the wine making facility and it will take you on a fascinating journey that covers every aspect of wine making from soil to bottle. Our final destination for the day will be Napa and our home for the next four nights will be the Villagio Resort & Spa.

Day 3 - St. Helena, Beringer Winery, and the Culinary Institute of America.

Today we have the morning free to explore downtown St. Helena and Calistoga.  If you wish, you can make a reservation at one of the famous spas featuring the Calistoga mud baths.  After lunch we’ll visit the Beringer Winery and then go next door to tour the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone. The CIA Greystone features a wide variety of innovative professional programs.  The CIA is housed in the former Christian Brothers winery. It has grand cathedral ceilings, massive hand-cut stone walls and antiquities that will inspire you to go home and enjoy your own kitchen! We finish our day by having dinner together at the Culinary Institute restaurant – The Wine Spectator.

Day 4 - Coppola Winery and The American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts.

Our day begins with a visit to the massive winery estate of Niebaum Coppola (owned by Francis Ford Coppola). Not only will our taste-buds be mellowed by the fine wines of this estate but we will also tour the on-site museum dedicated to Coppola's work in the film industry.

Next we move on to COPIA – The American Center for Wine Food & the Arts. This is the world's leading cultural center dedicated to the discovery, understanding and celebration of wine, food and the arts in American culture. Some of the many events held each day are tours of the gardens, wine sensory lectures and tasting and various food demonstrations. 

Day 5 - Sonoma Valley and Sonoma Mission

We’ll travel over the ridge of mountains that separates Napa valley from Sonoma Valley and visit the charming Sonoma town square.  We’ll visit the Sonoma Mission – one of the missions built in the 1800’s along the coast of California.  We’ll have time for lunch and then visit a few of the well-known wineries of Sonoma.  We’ll have a farewell dinner at one of the great restaurants scattered around the valley.

Day 6 - Golden Gate Bridge and Return Home

We’ll leave early morning to return to the airport by way of the Golden Gate Bridge.  Make your flight departure time no earlier than 1:30 pm.

All previous information has been superseded.