29982 Fri Jun 25 13:45:13 -0700 2004 11 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 128004 I'm not a wine drinker, but I'm spending the weekend of July 4th in the Napa Valley and San Francisco area. I have been on tours at the Robert Mondavi winery years ago, and seem to recall they charged no fee for a tour. From the looks of it (looking at some travel sites), things have changed. The admission is not excessive at Mondavi and in other wineries. They seem to top out at about $20 for tours. But since I do not drink, I would really like to forgo any tours that charge because wine tastings are part of it. Do you guys know of any cool winery tours that free of charge or charge little. Basically the best bang for the buck... Fri Jun 25 13:45:13 -0700 2004 0 elmomonster 1 128007 Basically, an educational experience on California's wine country is what I'm after on this trip, also a bit of sightseeing and a beginner course on how to slowly appreciate wine. I have a few restaurants that I plan on visiting too. Perhaps Mustard's Grill and the CIA. Fri Jun 25 13:53:40 -0700 2004 128004 0 elmomonster 2 128243 The CIA is an interesting facility to visit. Built into a beautiful old 19th century winery. But the menu is downright wierd. Eclectic is too kind. I recommend Bistro Jeanty. Mon Jun 28 19:27:24 -0700 2004 128007 0 Abner 1 128029 I can recommend the free tour at Clos Pegase. The guide takes you thru the outside grounds where there are several sculptures, and then the tour goes into the wine caves. I didn't taste any of the wines though. Link: http://www.clospegase.com/visitors.html Fri Jun 25 17:43:10 -0700 2004 128004 0 Bernie Bickerstaff 2 128034 Excellent! Thank you! This is exactly the kind of thing I'm after. This one is now definitely on my list. So I will first check out Clos Pegase, then perhaps go to V. Sattui for a picnic lunch and small tasting. Then Neibaum Coppola, and maybe Beringer, then perhaps a stroll down downtown St. Helena, before dinner at CIA. I wonder if there is anything else that I'm missing. Fri Jun 25 18:09:15 -0700 2004 128029 0 elmomonster 3 128050 You may want to pick up the June 15 issue of the Wine Spectator. Most of this issue is dedicated to the Napa Valley, including restaurants, wineries, hotels, architecture, and other things/places to do/visit. Fri Jun 25 19:38:18 -0700 2004 128034 0 Steve Drake 3 128142 I remeber once reading on this board - "Friends don't let friends go to V. Sattui." For a quick lunch, the Dean and Deluca across the street or the Oakville Grocery a bit south has much better food. Sun Jun 27 18:11:08 -0700 2004 128034 0 caliston 1 128040 It's been a few years but I Really enjoyed the Mumm Napa tour. The tour guide we had was very knowledgeable and took his time showing us around. You knew he truly enjoyed his job, sharing his love of the winery, and the appreciation of champagne! Apparently the tour is still free. A bargain; didn't get a sales pitch, either. Highly recommended. Link: http://www.mummnapa.com/visitors_center_tours_tastings.html Fri Jun 25 18:56:18 -0700 2004 128004 0 rssfromsf 2 128044 btw, I remember when the Mondavi tour was free. Used that tour to introduce friends to the winery experience, especially because the first tour of the morning started before the other wintery tours. Too bad there's a charge for the intro tour now, especially for those who don't taste afterwards. If you don't mind paying for a good educational tour, I also recommend St. Supery's tour. (Current price is $10.) Link: http://www.stsupery.com/visit/ Fri Jun 25 19:07:14 -0700 2004 128040 0 rssfromsf 3 128177 Just did both Mumm and St. Supery. The former currently has a fantastic photo exhibit including many ORIGINAL Ansel Adam's prints. This comes after the main tour and is great. The tour is good, too, especially after learning about wine somewhere else. The latter has a self guided tour that I enjoyed quite well. I've worked at a winery a few times so I didn't want to relearn info, but the tour does really go into the science of the micro climate and more. Mon Jun 28 08:06:01 -0700 2004 128044 0 Dennis S 1 128085 The San Francisco Chronicle has a wonderful searchable online Wine Country Guide. You can search on features such as Complimentary Tastings, Tours, Picnic Facilities, etc. and theres even an archive of tasting room reviews. Here's the link: Link: http://www.sfgate.com/wine/ Sat Jun 26 11:54:51 -0700 2004 128004 0 Nancy Berry 1 128183 Domaine Chandon does an excellent and free tour of their sparkling wine production. Mon Jun 28 11:36:59 -0700 2004 128004 0 nja