West Coast Wine Weekends
FROM NAPA VALLEY NORTH TO YAKIMA VALLEY, HERE’S HOW TO SPEND THREE GLORIOUS WEEKENDS SAMPLING THE WESTERN STATES’ WINE-COUNTRY BOUNTY. BY MICHAEL KAPLAN
 Few things are more enjoyable than landing in a great wine region, touring the area, drinking locally produced vintages, eating farm-fresh food, and indulging in a spa treatment or two. It is undoubtedly one of the best ways to get a taste of the good life.
While it’s nice to luxuriate in one appellation or another, we’re suggesting a northwestern swing that allows you to take in the best of three distinct areas: venerable Napa Valley, located north of San Francisco; Willamette Valley, the pinot noir capital that’s situated near Portland; and Yakima Valley, southeast of Seattle, with its broad selection of locally produced wines.
Taken individually, each region is divine. Together, they provide a sampling of American food and wine at their finest.
Given a glorious three-day weekend in each place, here is how we suggest you enjoy your time.
Napa Valley
FRIDAY Opt for the slow but scenic journey from San Francisco, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and heading up to Route 12. When you start seeing grapevines lacing the roadside, you know you’re nearing oenophile heaven.
Before sampling the wine, you’ll need to have a good lunch. A perfect place for this is Bottega, with its comfortable, modern-yet-rustic dining room. The Italian menu boasts house-made pastas as well as house-cured salumi and prosciutto that are not to be missed. As if that’s not enough, the wine prices there are very reasonable.
Properly sated and en route to your hotel, make a quick stop at Cliff Lede Vineyards. It’s a picturesque 60-acre sprawl in the famed Stag’s Leap District of Napa Valley. More than likely, you will be able to taste claret, sauvignon blanc, and cabernet sauvignon. Take your glass of red or white out to the porch, sit on the swing, and get acclimated to California wine country.
By now it’s midafternoon and time to register at Poetry Inn, a unique, intimate hotel where you feel like a visitor in the private guest quarters of a well-heeled friend’s home.
Indulge in a massage before having dinner at Go Fish, a high-end restaurant where you’ll learn that wine pairs with sushi as well as it does with dry-aged rib-eye steak.
If you’re up for a nightcap, check out Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley for a sampling of limited-edition boutique wines. On cool nights, folks gravitate to the fire pit for good sipping and convivial conversation.
SATURDAY Start the morning off with Poetry Inn’s Brie-stuffed French toast or eggs Benedict. After filling up and before taking off, make a quick stop at Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery and stock your picnic basket for later in the day. Depending on your mood, you might want to go for a selection of house-made salads and soups or foie gras. In any case, be sure to pick up a few of Keller’s absolutely perfect baguettes.
Begin your wine drinking at Paraduxx, where the blended reds are superb and tasting-room accommodations rank among the area’s hippest. Those who opt for the Enhanced Tasting get to try limited-edition vintages. After sampling Paraduxx’s wine (Paraduxx Napa Valley Red is bright and plummy and well worth a taste), stick around for the Blend Experience and take a shot at creating your own.
Head from there to Ladera Vineyards, on Howell Mountain. Congenial proprietors Pat and Anne Stotesbery may take you on a tour of the family-run operation and provide the inside story on Ladera’s rugged mountain cabernets. After the tasting, grab your lunch from Bouchon, along with a bottle of, say, Ladera malbec, and drive to a nice spot for the kind of picnic that you can only have in wine country.
After lunch, on the way to your accommodations for the night, take a slight detour and hit CADE Winery, which ranks among the greenest in California. It’s currently on track to achieve Gold LEED certification (LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), which proves that the folks at CADE care as much about the environment as their excellent cabernet sauvignon.
After a day of tasting, you’ll check in at Auberge du Soleil, one of the most sybaritic properties in the entire wine region. Rooms are decorated with Mediterranean flair, bedding is down, linens are Italian, and the private balconies are divine. Unwind with a warm grape-seed-oil massage, a bit of steam, and a quick swim in the pool. Then it’s time for dinner at the Auberge restaurant, where local lamb and duck rule the menu.
After dessert, head off to Martini House for a sampling from its wine list, which is 600 bottles strong and just might get you thinking about installing a wine cellar at home.
SUNDAY Breakfast at Auberge is not to be missed. House specialties include blueberry pancakes, smoked-salmon pizza, and crisp waffles accompanied by citrus Chantilly cream. Be sure to reserve a table on the veranda where the views and ambience are spectacular.
Next, head to Solage Calistoga, where you will be pampered yet again. Situated in the mud-bath capital, Solage is the poshest option for this treatment. Sinking into a tub full of mud is surprisingly sublime. Once cleaned of mud, soaking in mineral water can be a rush in its own right.
Cleaned up and happy to have one more unusual experience under your belt, proceed to Dana Estates for your last wine stop of the weekend. Be sure to get on their mailing list ahead of time (see sidebar for website) so that you can get an appointment, but you’ll be glad you did after sipping the high-end cabs that are worth their price of $275 per bottle.
Finish up with a classic Napa Valley lunch at the casual but excellent Mustards Grill, where area winemakers have been known to pop in and test-drive new releases with Mustards’ seafood tostadas and chipotle quail.
WINE WEEKEND ESSENTIALS
Napa Valley, California
Bottega: (707) 945-1050, botteganapavalley.com
Cliff Lede Vineyards: (707) 944-8642, cliffledevineyards.com
Poetry Inn: (707) 944-0646, poetryinn.com
Go Fish: (707) 963-0700, gofishrestaurant.net
Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley: (707) 944-0889, maisonry.com
Bouchon Bakery: (707) 944-2253, bouchonbakery.com
Paraduxx: (707) 945-0890, paraduxx.com
Ladera Vineyards: (707) 965-2445, laderavineyards.com
CADE Winery: (707) 965-2746, cadewinery.com
Auberge du Soleil: (707) 963-1211, aubergedusoleil.com
Martini House: (707) 963-2233, martinihouse.com
Solage Calistoga: (707) 226-0800, solagecalistoga.com
Dana Estates: (707) 963-4365, danaestates.com
Mustards Grill: (707) 944-2424, mustardsgrill.com
Willamette Valley
Willamette is different from Yakima and Napa in one very big way: While producers in the two latter regions generate a broad range of wines, those in Willamette focus intensely on pinot noir. It’s a place where Paul Giamatti’s pinot-loving character from Sideways would be right at home. No doubt, you will be as well.
The Willamette region is spread across 15 towns over about 70 miles of fertile Oregon land. Winemakers have been operating there since the 1970s, taking advantage of the area’s wet soil, which is influenced by the Missoula flood.
FRIDAY After landing in Portland, come to Willamette on the picturesque route via Highway 99 West.
On the way, stop at The Dundee Bistro, where salmon from the Columbia River, just 20 miles away, is a specialty. While there, check out next-door-neighbor Ponzi Tasting Room & Wine Bar, which is owned by one of the more established wine families in Oregon and, not coincidentally, has some good, old pinots on offer. Also take a look at the blown glass and sculptures inside the adjacent The Dapper Frog.
From there, you’re close to The Allison Inn & Spa (opening September 2009), where you’ll be spending your first night, and the drive there takes you past several wineries. Be sure to stop at Sokol Blosser Winery, which is a paragon of green winemaking. Also pull off the road for Domaine Drouhin Oregon. It’s owned by a French family, and they were the first in the region to farm their pinot noir and chardonnay grapes as it is done in Burgundy.
Check in to The Allison, where you can expect your room to be outfitted with a luxury soaking tub and fireplace. If you’re curious about their locally based mud-bath product that’s infused with Oregon herbs and ingredients, go for it. The treatment is a specialty of the hotel spa.
Dinner will be very much an Oregonian affair at The Joel Palmer House in nearby Dayton. Everything is extremely local -- which helps explain the dominance of hazelnuts and mushrooms, both of which are Oregon staples -- and the five-course “Mushroom Madness” tasting menu is a must for anyone who is fungi inclined. Of course, you should wash it all down with a bottle of locally produced pinot noir.
SATURDAY Have breakfast at The Allison and then, before heading off to the wineries, make a side trip to Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, where you can see Howard Hughes’ famous Spruce Goose and 150 other historic aircraft, spacecraft, and exhibits.
Start your wine day with a visit to The Eyrie Vineyards, the first American winery to produce a pinot noir that competed successfully with the far more entrenched pinots of France. At lunchtime, continue tasting Oregon wines at Nick’s Italian Café. The food is excellent -- try the wood-oven pizzas and homemade salumi platter -- and Nick himself is a pinot aficionado.
After lunch, en route to the night’s hotel, Grand Lodge in Forest Grove, be sure to stop at David Hill Vineyards & Winery. That’s where the very good table wine goes for only $10 per bottle and is the favorite of local grape lovers. Next door, Patton Valley Vineyard provides a good example of how a successful, family-run winery operates. And farther down the road, Montinore has good wine accompanied by art exhibits.
Grand Lodge is a former Masonic lodge with a great heated soaking pool out back and disc golf on the front lawn. Enjoy a casual dinner at the Lodge’s Ironwork Grill, where flat-iron steak is accompanied by hearty Terminator Stout sauce. Stick around for a nightcap and listen to live music inside the Garage Door performance space or play a game of pool at the Doctor’s Office Bar on the Grand Lodge grounds.
SUNDAY Start the day with breakfast at Maggie’s Buns, a fun locals’ place where cinnamon rolls are the house specialty. Follow that up with a quick run to Beran Vineyards. Visits are by appointment only, but the advance preparation is worthwhile, as Beran’s handcrafted pinot noirs rank among the best in the state.
On your way out to the airport, drive through Portland and get a taste of the city. Stop for lunch at The Heathman Hotel. Its eponymous restaurant maintains a locavore aesthetic, serving, when in season, sturgeon, shrimp, and oysters that have all been caught in the area. After lunch, pop into Cacao, a sweet shop inside the hotel that has a selection of chocolates from around the globe. Get a bag to go, and you’ll be the envy of first class.
WINE WEEKEND ESSENTIALS
Willamette Valley, Oregon
The Dundee Bistro: (503) 554-1650, dundeebistro.com
Ponzi Tasting Room & Wine Bar: (503) 554-1500, ponziwinebar.com
The Dapper Frog: (866) 522-3764, dapperfrog.com
Sokol Blosser Winery: (503) 864-2282, sokolblosser.com
Domaine Drouhin Oregon: (503) 864-2700, domainedrouhin.com
The Allison Inn & Spa: (503) 554-2525, theallison.com
The Joel Palmer House: (503) 864-2995, joelpalmerhouse.com
Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum: (503) 434-4180, evergreenmuseum.org
The Eyrie Vineyards: (503) 472-6315, eyrievineyards.com
Nick’s Italian Café: (503) 434-4471, nicksitaliancafe.com
Patton Valley Vineyard: (503) 985-3445, pattonvalley.com
David Hill Vineyard & Winery: (503) 992-8545, davidhillwinery.com
Montinore: (503) 359-5012, montinore.com
Grand Lodge, Ironwork Grill, Garage Door, and Doctor’s Office Bar: (503) 992-9533, mcmenamins.com
Maggie’s Buns: (503) 992-2231, maggiesbuns.com Beran Vineyards: (503) 628-1298, beranvineyards.com
The Heathman Restaurant and Bar: (503) 790-7752, heathmanrestaurantandbar.com
Cacao: (503) 274-9510, cacaodrinkchocolate.com
Yakima Valley
Yakima Valley is about 140 miles southeast of Seattle. It’s home to more than 70 wineries and more than 14,000 acres of vineyards.
FRIDAY Driving there from the airport, make your way to the rural mountain town of Snoqualmie. It’s home to a sweet lunch spot called Salish Lodge & Spa, where the dining room looks out onto the Snoqualmie River and a waterfall. Fight the urge to stay overnight at this gorgeous lodge: The day is young and there is much wine to be sampled. Make a note to check in to the Salish Lodge & Spa on a future visit to Washington. Enjoy the view as you dig into a house specialty known as Snoqualmie River Hot Rocks: locally caught fish, seared tableside, atop red-hot rocks from the bottom of the Snoqualmie.
Proceed from the Salish Lodge to Yakima and the Rosedell Bed & Breakfast. It’s centrally located, right in town and near the tasting rooms. Typical of this area, which has a sort of rustic charm that more-established wine regions tend to lose as they become increasingly developed, the neoclassical Rosedell hearkens back to a gentler era.
After checking in, explore charming, historic downtown Yakima with its cast-iron lampposts and brick-paved streets. You’ll encounter a clutch of tasting rooms, and your first stop will be Kana Winery. Munch on artisanal bread and cheese as you sip a glass of Dark Star (a blended red, made primarily from syrah grapes and approximating the taste of a Southern Rhone). Next, make your way to longstanding Gilbert Cellars, where the chardonnay is a must-try. Then hit Tim’s Downtown Tasting Room. There you can sample offerings from two different wineries and munch on chocolates.
To mellow out before dinner, walk over to Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, where Seattle’s much-loved Ummelina International Day Spa recently opened an outpost. Go for the Pacific Rim Journey, which includes a soak in a Japanese tub and an Asian-inspired massage. Once soothed and pampered, find your way to Greystone, with its 2,100-bottle cellar, cozy dining room, and eclectic menu. Opt for the Pacific Ocean halibut. If you’re in the mood for a little something after dinner, check out Plaza Socievole Winery for live music.
SATURDAY After your Rosedell breakfast of eggs Benedict, enjoy a picturesque drive past farms and orchards as you make your way along the Yakima Valley Highway before heading toward Red Mountain.
First stop is Kiona Vineyards and Winery. The selection there is broad (with red zinfandels, chardonnays, and ice wine on offer), prices are right, and you can enjoy the view as you sip. While you’re in the area, be sure to hit nearby Terra Blanca Winery and Estate Vineyard, where a collection of library wines includes a 2002 cabernet sauvignon and a 1998 merlot.
Once back in the car, head to the town of Prosser and Vintner’s Village. Situated in the heart of Washington wine country, Vintner’s Village is a community of vineyards and tasting rooms, all within walking distance of one another. Once there, stop at Wine O’Clock for a light lunch. Affiliated with nearby Bunnell Family Cellar, it focuses on sharable dishes that go perfectly with the Rhone varietals that are a Bunnell specialty.
Vintner’s Village has 13 wineries. You won’t be able to visit all of them, but Airfield Estates should not be missed. The tasting room is designed to resemble an airplane hangar and the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon is one wine that deserves your attention. After finishing there, walk across the parking lot to Milbrandt Vineyards, where tasting classes are devoted to the various varietals produced there. Finish up with a stop at Thurston Wolfe Winery. Co-owner Wade Wolfe also serves as winemaker, and has produced an award-winning petite sirah.
Head from there to the night’s hotel. It’s a casual, warm bed and breakfast called Birchfield Manor Country Inn. Check out the natural beauty of the former sheep ranch on which it is located, and be sure to sample some of Birchfield’s homemade chocolates.
Enjoy dinner at Gasperetti’s, an Italian restaurant that’s been in the same family for more than 44 years. Order Aunt Rose’s antipasto as an appetizer for the table and keep in mind that the osso buco is tender and flavorful. But leave room for dessert, as Gasperetti’s fruit crumbles are locally renowned.
SUNDAY Following breakfast at Birchfield -- hope that crepes are on offer -- put the country in wine country by taking a horseback wine tour that starts at Cherry Wood Bed Breakfast and Barn. Fine for beginners and advanced riders alike, the jaunt will have you saddling up on horses that clip-clop through orchards and vineyards. Along the way, of course, you stop to sample wine, and all purchases get packed up and driven to Cherry Wood in a truck.
On the way back to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, stop for lunch in Yakima at Second Street Grill, where an ahi burger is the thing to get. And just in case you’d like to sample something other than wine at this point, the Grill has 24 microbrews on tap.
WINE WEEKEND ESSENTIALS
Yakima Valley, Washington
Salish Lodge & Spa: (425) 888-2556, salishlodge.com
Rosedell Bed & Breakfast: (509) 961-2964, rosedellbb.com
Kana Winery: (509) 453-6611, kanawinery.com
Gilbert Cellars: (509) 249-9049, gilbertcellars.com
Tim’s Downtown Tasting Room: (509) 248-5251
Ummelina International Day Spa: (509) 225-4772, ummelina.com
Greystone: (509) 248-9801, greystonedining.com
Plaza Socievole Winery: (509) 454- 9463, plazasocievolewinery.com
Kiona Vineyards and Winery: (509) 588-6716, kionawine.com
Terra Blanca Winery: (509) 588- 6082, terrablanca.com
Vintner’s Village: gotastewine.com/prosser-vintners-village.php
Wine O’Clock: (509) 786-2197, wineoclockwinebar.com
Airfield Estates: (509) 786-7401, airfieldwines.com
Milbrandt Vineyards: (509) 788-0030, milbrandtvineyards.com
Thurston Wolfe Winery: (509) 786-3313, thurstonwolfe.com
Birchfield Manor Country Inn: (509) 452-1960, birchfieldmanor.com
Gasperetti’s: (509) 248-0628, gasperettisrestaurant.com
Cherry Wood Bed Breakfast and Barn: (509) 829-3500, cherrywoodbbandb.com
Second Street Grill: (509) 469-1486, secondstreetgrill.com
Other Wineries
 The western United States is justifiably famous for the fine wines that originate there. But that part of the country doesn’t have a lock on the production of highly drinkable vintages. Here are some other American hot spots where you can drink locally and really enjoy it.
TEXAS
Texas has been the breeding ground for good bordeaux blends, Italian varietals, Mediterranean-style wines, and Texas viognier, among others. Messina Hof Winery & Resort (979-778-9463, messinahof.com) is a longstanding, highly regarded operation on the Texas Bluebonnet Wine Trail. Visit the winery and you’ll get a good indication as to where the Lone Star scene is. Be sure to taste Messina Hof’s signature offering: Messina Hof Paulo Port. For more information on the area, check out texaswinetrail.com. For another taste of the Texas food and wine scene, head west. The Buffalo Gap Wine & food Summit (periniranch.com/summit), held at the Perini Ranch in April, will give you a celebration of wine and food, Texas style. If you can’t make the summit, you can pay a visit to the famous Perini Ranch Steakhouse and even stay in the Perini Ranch Guest Quarters. Or just order some of their mesquite-smoked peppered beef tenderloin online and bring a little Texas-ranch cuisine back home (periniranch.com).
YADKIN VALLEY WINE TRAIL
Twenty-eight wineries operate along this trail in North Carolina. The growing conditions and climate there are similar to what can be found in Burgundy, France. Several grape varieties do well throughout Yadkin Valley. Chardonnays, rieslings, cabernet francs, sauvignon blancs, and merlots rank among the favorite wines produced in the area. Be sure to visit Shelton Vineyards (336-366-4724, sheltonvineyards.com), the largest family-owned estate winery in North Carolina. Tours and tastings are available seven days a week. for more information, check out yvwt.com.
FINGER LAKES
More than 100 wineries are scattered around the picturesque finger Lakes in upstate New York. The region’s temperature and elevation are similar to those in Germany’s Rheinpfalz area, so it’s no wonder that rieslings do particularly well in the lakes. Among locals, a favorite producer is Dr. Konstantin Frank, whose Dr. Frank’s Winery (607-868-4884, drfrankwines.com) makes some of the most popular wines in the area. Pay a visit to the vineyard and sample his Salmon Run Chardonnay or slightly fruity Coho Red. for more information, check out fingerlakeswinecountry.com.
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