Expert: Ernest Tufft - 6/14/2007

Question
Ernest,

I am tentatively planning on visiting Napa Valley with my fiance.
I was hoping to visit either the end of August or beginning of October (airline tix are much cheapter in October). In your opinion, which would be better? What is the weather like at both of those times in the area?  We are hoping to do our share of wine-tasting as well as various other outdoor activities.
Thanks for your time.
Edward


Answer
Thanks for the question.  The end of August generally has some of the hottest days of the year, but the gondolas transporting grapes up and down the valley begin to appear, signalling the beginning of a new vintage year.  Early October is a very pleasant time to visit, as most grapes are harvested and wineries have a good idea about the quality of the vintage year.  Nobody will be tasting anything yet, but at least the hospitality workers can be more informative.  More new wines are released from the cellar in October than in August, generally speaking.  I recommend visiting my pages at Virtualtourist.com for more indepth discussion and recommendations about specific wineries, restaurants, etc.  In the destinations box, enter "Napa", "Saint Helena", and "Calistoga".  These are the main cities, with Saint Helena and Calistoga more central to the wine country lifestyle than Napa.