The first wine trail was quite the adventure. To say that the Napa Valley  is scenic would be an understatement. Everywhere you look there are verdant green hills and grape vines, and we were excited to be out on the road on our first trail. We traveled south down Highway 29, which runs through Napa, and then east into the hilly suburbs of several smaller towns. Trying not to be too ambitious, we decided to visit three wineries on this particular road trip.

The Hess Collection is a lovely winery. Their price point is the middle of the road, but what is so nice about Hess is that they offer a pairing of 4 different wines and cheeses that you can enjoy under a trellis overlooking a Zen garden. When you are finished with the pairing, be sure to go inside the winery, where Donald Hess, who is a collector of contemporary art, has his collection for display in the The Hess Collection Contemporary Art Museum. And, if you have some extra time on your hands, travel one road over for a picturesque glance at the valley. Be sure to keep going until you get to the end of the road. It is spectacular!
The Hess Collection, 4411 Redwood Road Napa, CA 94558 (707) 255-1144

Onward down the road, Joseph Phelps Vineyard was the next stop. Joseph Phelps produces higher end wines, but what makes this winery worth the visit, are the picnic tables set up around the vineyard. The local grocery store or your hotel can provide a lunch for you to take over there. Make sure you make reservations, because Joseph Phelps does not like people who just show up unannounced. Oh, and they won’t let you taste if you tell them you have a buzz from the winery you went to before theirs. Although we didn’t get to taste their wine at the winery, we did order some at dinner that night, in their honor, and although pricey, very tasty!
Joseph Phelps Vineyard, 200 Taplin Road, St Helena, CA 94574 (707) 967-3732

The final stop on our first wine trail was Silverado Vineyards. This winery is the most touristy that we visited. Like Disney Land, you stand in a line with the masses to purchase tickets to ride up the hill in a tram to the winery. This was the only winery where we actually saw kids, and although the ride up and down was nice, we decided not to get off the tram. We waited an hour to get on the ride, and did not want to wait another hour to ride back down the mountain.
Silverado Vineyards, 6121 Silverado Trail Napa, Calif. 94558 (707) 257-1770

After a fabulous day on the road, our first wine trail was a success!

Cheers to happy road tripping for wine!!