When is the Best Time to Visit Wine Country?
This was a question that came in through the comments section on our Napa Valley Wine Tour iPhone App the other day. No matter which wine country you are talking about, each season has its own pluses and minuses. Although, being wine country the pluses outweigh the minuses pretty substantially. The wine country I’m most familiar with is the Napa/Sonoma region just North of San Francisco, so I’m basing my comments on this area that I know best.
The favorite time to visit is during crush, when the grapes are coming in and going through the presses for white wines or into the tanks for red wines. It is a busy, energized time and a lot of fun. The aromas of wine making fill the air, this sleepy countryside comes to life like Brigadoon waking from its year-long slumber. The first grapes normally come in the second week of August, and crush continues through September and October, and sometimes November if the rains hold off. The only problem with visiting during the height of crush is the need to dodge grape trucks, which is more of a problem for the professional guides than the tourists.
Even after the grapes are in, the wineries are buzzing with the juice being processed, so right up to the first or second week of December the weather is still fine, and normally dry, and the hillsides are painted bright with the changing leaves of the vines. It is quite gorgeous! (To see a great image of that take a look at the cover of our Sonoma Dream Tours, Third Edition on our website or Amazon. The shot of Chalk Hill shows their vineyards in their fullest color). If you are planning on visiting the very small wineries that only sell direct, waiting until this late in the season can pose a problem; they run out of wine. They may start in the spring pouring a dozen different wines and by November have three left. At the bigger wineries this isn’t a problem.
Our rainy season is January and February, with normally lighter rains in March and April, although 2010 was a wetter year and we were still getting rain into May. But fortunately people don’t melt in the rain, and we do wine tours through the winter. Some of the biggest collectors come in the early spring when the new releases are coming out.
Visiting in the winter has its own benefits. First of all, it is still mild, normally in the 50’s and 60’s during the day, and when it does rain, which is not every day, at least it’s not snow! The grassy hillsides that are golden during the summer turn vibrant green in the winter. The vines are bare, but in between bright yellow mustard flowers grow in entertaining stripes. Mist clings to the hills and valleys, intermixed with days that are crystal clear. For many locals this is our favorite time of year, and since the wineries are not busy, visitors receive more special attention. The hard to visit wineries are more willing to open their doors.
The early summer is a favorite time, with June a great mix of warmth, and smaller crowds. By July and August this area’s reputation as the top winery destination in the world is fully in force, and the weekend visitors can stack up traffic on the main roads. But during the week the place is a lot of fun and getting around is quite manageable. If you do come during the summer the best days to visit the wineries are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
This brings us back to crush, which starts in the cooler Carneros district (in the south next to the Bay). My suggestion, each year come in a different season and experience the growing cycles that play out in this special place, it will help restore your sense of the seasons, your connection to nature and your place in the world. All, while you have a glass of wine in your hand.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides, and owners of Amicis Tours. They are authors of over twenty books on health, design, business and travel. Their iPhone Apps, The Napa Valley Wine Tour, and The Sonoma Winery Tour are a tour guides approach to these beautiful area, complete with 1000’s of photos and insights. Their articles and products can be found on the sites
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