| Hop on board the Napa Valley Wine Train, and you're | | | | bottles of wine to take back home but, in Napa, we've |
| immediately enroute to wine-lover's heaven. | | | | noticed a trend in recent years toward charging more |
| The Napa experience is all about wine, of course, but | | | | for wine tasting. Or it may be a case of charging the |
| it's also about enjoying the finer things in life. The typical | | | | same but getting less wine. Part of this, we're |
| Napa visitor will spend considerable time visiting several | | | | suspecting, has to do with how busy Napa is on |
| of the local wineries where each will offer up its | | | | weekends and is a way of reducing the line at the |
| special formulas and vintages - usually for ten to 15 | | | | tasting bar. |
| bucks for a few sips - and there are few lodgings in | | | | One of the least expensive tastings is at V. Sattui |
| Napa that are not upscale. Fine dining is also | | | | Winery, which was buzzing with people lining up for the |
| considered de rigueur for any serious visit to what is | | | | the $5 wine tasting. Located in St. Helena, this is a |
| now the home base for hundreds of wineries. | | | | great stop for visitors who want to grab a bottle of |
| It's fitting, therefore, that the Napa Valley Wine Train | | | | wine and picnic on the beautiful grounds. The winery |
| would be one of the most popular tourist attractions in | | | | even sets up a buffet line out on the grounds, offering |
| a place that is the definition of elegance. Just like | | | | barbecue for those who didn't bring their brown bags. |
| visitors taste expensive wines for a fraction of their | | | | Interestingly, V. Sattui does not sell its wine anyplace |
| cost, the visitor who boards the Wine Train gets a little | | | | other than the winery, by mail order, or from the |
| taste of pampered rail travel - think Orient Express - | | | | company web site. |
| for a fraction of what it would cost for the real thing. | | | | While V. Sattui is typical of a relatively small family-run |
| We stayed the night before in San Francisco, but we | | | | winery, the other end of the scale is Domaine |
| were still able to make our way to the Wine Train's | | | | Chandon, which we found in Yountville. With |
| station in Napa by about 10:30 a.m. to board the lunch | | | | spectacular park grounds and a four-star gourmet |
| train. The Wine Train also offers a dinner excursion but | | | | restaurant just footsteps from where the wine is |
| that was fully booked when we called for reservations | | | | made, Domaine Chandon is an example of a winery |
| weeks ahead. The lunch train, though, has its | | | | owned by a large conglomerate that distributes its |
| advantages: the entire three-hour ride is in daylight no | | | | product world-wide. On a previous trip we took the |
| matter the time of year, and it costs a little less. | | | | 45-minute tour of this massive facility, which we |
| You'll want to plan on being patient during the boarding | | | | thought was well worth the time. Small groups are |
| process. With hundreds of guests and passengers | | | | taken step-by-step through the process of |
| allocated to different dining areas and even, in some | | | | wine-making all the way from growing the grapes to |
| cases, different meals, it just takes a little time to get | | | | bottling the product. |
| everyone signed in and out onto the train. But during | | | | We concluded our busy first day in the Napa Valley |
| the hour we waited for actual boarding, the Wine Train | | | | with a short drive to our lodging for the evening, the |
| offered a lecture on Napa Valley wineries and - | | | | Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa. Like several other |
| always a crowd-pleaser - a couple of glasses of wine | | | | Napa Valley accommodations, the Silverado is |
| to sample. | | | | steeped in luxury and offers a feast for the senses. |
| Once on board, it's clear that the Wine Train has pulled | | | | Located adjacent to an 18-hole golf course, the |
| out all the stops to make this as luxurious as possible. | | | | Silverado is really a series of individual cottage suites |
| We settled down into plush chairs facing one another | | | | which are reached by winding walkways through and |
| with a table in between. Others in our car sat in | | | | alongside picturesque, colorful gardens, golf fairways, |
| comfortable over-stuffed swivel chairs positioned side | | | | courtyards and ponds. |
| by side so that guests could constantly view the | | | | Each of the cottages at Silverado has a unique d?r |
| passing scenery or easily chat with one another. This | | | | and ours felt like a small one-story vacation home with |
| particular rail car was styled in red and gold with | | | | a complete kitchen and living room area, dining table, |
| natural wood accents, giving a sense of luxury and | | | | fireplace and separate bedroom. A wide-screen flat |
| feeling quite different from a typical passenger car on, | | | | TV was in the living room, while just outside the sliding |
| say, Amtrak. | | | | glass door was a patio and chairs where we could sit |
| This is a historic rail car and, in fact, there is quite a | | | | and watch the golfers just a few yards away. |
| history behind this train and railroad. The rail line was | | | | The Silverado reminded us a little of Harrison Hot |
| first built in 1864 by San Francisco's first millionaire, | | | | Springs, B.C., a favorite of ours is quite similar -- they're |
| Samuel Brannan, and was used to take visitors to his | | | | both village-style accommodations connected by paths |
| new spa resort called "Calistoga." In 1885, Southern | | | | that meander through the property with surprises at |
| Pacific bought the Napa Valley Railroad, which | | | | every turn. With 1,200 acres altogether, Silverado |
| provided regular passenger service to the Napa Valley | | | | guests encounter many pleasant surprises on grounds |
| until the 1930's. It was used for freight for awhile after | | | | that are lush with trees and vegetation and impeccably |
| that, but it was not until 1987 that a group of | | | | maintained. |
| concerned citizens founded the Napa Valley Wine train | | | | Silverado was the perfect complement to our day on |
| and purchased locomotives and restored 1910-era | | | | the Napa Valley Wine Train and another great |
| Pullman rail cars to provide the new service. | | | | example of the spirit of Napa Valley. |
| During our three hours on board, we were treated to | | | | AT A GLANCE |
| waves of meal and beverage service starting with | | | | WHERE: The Napa Valley is about 45 miles northeast |
| wine (not included in your meal price, by the way), | | | | of San Francisco or about 60 miles southwest of |
| appetizers, salad, a main course - which during our trip | | | | Sacramento. |
| was a choice between salmon and a beef entr?- and | | | | WHAT: The Napa Valley has become famous |
| dessert. Everything was exquisitely prepared and the | | | | because of the grapes grown in this location. Grapes |
| presentations rivaled what you would find at an | | | | grown in different climates, soils and locations have |
| expensive gourmet restaurant. | | | | different characteristics and Napa Valley grapes are |
| The trip took us part way up the valley to St. Helena | | | | judged to be some of the best in the world for making |
| and then back to Napa. There are gorgeous views all | | | | several varieties of fine wine. Accordingly, more than |
| along the way of the colorful vineyards and hills just | | | | 300 wineries now have located in the Valley. Fine |
| beyond the valley. On weekends the Wine Train | | | | restaurants, lodging and shopping have also come to |
| offers a variation of this lunch service that allows | | | | the Valley. |
| passengers to disembark and spend some time at a | | | | WHEN: Any time of year. A special bonus comes in |
| local winery before making the return trip to Napa. | | | | August and September during the annual grape |
| We arrived back in Napa totally relaxed and decided | | | | harvest. You can sometimes see first-hand how the |
| to visit a few wineries before checking into our resort. | | | | grapes are crushed. Hint: Most of them don't do it like |
| The choices are endless and, in Napa, there are | | | | Lucy Ricardo did. |
| several major wineries that have put Big Money into | | | | WHY: The Valley has an almost mystical ambiance |
| their visitor centers. There are also a few smaller | | | | that is hard to describe, but easy to discern. |
| family-run wineries. They all want you to buy cases or | | | | |