Napa & Sonoma's Culinary Treasures

Itinerary at a glance

We gather in San Francisco and get a taste of the city's rich Victorian past. Into the country, our objective is the Carneros region, the grape-growing area on the southern edges of Sonoma and Napa Valleys. Here a picnic at a small winery nourishes us for a scenic warm-up walk.

Our lodgings in Yountville (2 nights) define wine country style, and it’s just a short walk to our favorite restaurant where an acclaimed chef prepares dinner. From here, we’ll make forays to a wine tasting…a cooking lesson using hand-harvested ingredients from the chef’s garden…and a walk among 60 different vineyards on a single estate.

We’ll also make the rounds of Sonoma County farms to shop for honey, jams and mustards before we settle into our inn in Sonoma (3 nights). We’ll visit Jack London’s Beauty Ranch where “The House of Happy Walls” sits in a redwood grove. After free time for a massage or a bike ride, a friend invites us on a private tour of Sonoma Mission.

A morning walk on the scenic Sonoma Overlook Trail is capped by an olive oil tasting. Then we’ll help create our own farewell dinner at one of the area’s finest culinary schools. As we return to San Francisco, we’ll take an exhilarating walk across the Golden Gate Bridge and explore the shops in the Ferry Building Marketplace.