Napa Valley excels in many things, but the two most important (and delicious) are wine and food. Many Napa Valley wineries put these two together for unforgettable experiences that will elevate your taste buds to a level that wine or food alone cannot achieve. We’ve collected some of the best wine and food pairings in the Napa Valley for you below, so prepare to drool. A lot.
Image Source: Yelp
Artesa Vineyards & Winery
1345 Henry Rd
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 224-1668
TripAdvisor: 4.5 stars, 567 reviews
Reservations: Required
Artesa Vineyards & Winery offers unique pairings at their futuristic winery with one of the best views in the Napa Valley—on a clear day, you can see San Francisco from the front doorstep! The winery itself is built into a hillside with an avant-garde design inside and out, and memorable water features, including a cascading waterfall staircase. Choose between a Spanish Tapas pairing which highlights the winery’s Spanish varietals, Albariño and Tempranillo, or indulge your sweet tooth with the chocolate pairing. Insider tip: The chocolates are sourced from local chocolatier Koller Chocolates, which has a store in Yountville, so you can stock up on your favorite chocolates after the tasting.
Image Source: Yelp
Chateau Lane Winery
100 Rapp Ln
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 224-0191
TripAdvisor: 5 stars, 10 reviews
Reservations: Required
Discover this Napa Valley secret in the up-and-coming area of Coombsville, where food comes second only to wine. Founder Frank D’Ambrosio has a passion for food and wine pairing, cultivated through his family’s culinary endeavors, which include running two California restaurants and a premium sausage company. This wealth of experience is brought to the estate, where three pairing experiences are offered, from the classic antipasti platter to the extravagant 5-course chef-prepared tasting menu. The estate is hidden (seriously, try to find it without a map) in Napa’s last rural neighborhood, with a peaceful terrace overlooking rolling hills, vineyards and horse pastures. Insider tip: Check out the Napa Valley Horse Company next door, which partners with Chateau Lane to offer trail rides on their rescued horses before your wine tasting.
Image Source: Yelp
Pine Ridge Vineyards
5901 Silverado Trail
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 252-9777
TripAdvisor: 4.5 stars, 129 reviews
Reservations: Required
Pine Ridge’s 5×5 Tasting offers a deep exploration of five of Napa Valley’s unique growing regions, and showcases how the right food pairing can complement each region’s nuances. Cabernet Sauvignons from five top Napa Valley appellations (Howell Mountain, Rutherford, Oakville, Stags Leap District, and Carneros) are paired with bites created daily by winery chef Susan Lassalette. The pairing takes place in the new Cellar 47, a private room tucked away in Pine Ridge’s wine cave, lit by candlelight and framed by French oak barrels. Insider tip: For a more casual and varied pairing experience, try the Taste on the Terrace: four Pine Ridge wines paired with artisan cheeses and local meats, served on the shaded terrace.
Image Source: Yelp
Signorello Estate
4500 Silverado Trail
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 255-5990
TripAdvisor: 4.5 stars, 55 reviews
Reservations: Required
Signorello Estate’s tasting program is built around the conviction that wine and food are simply better together, and we’re not ones to argue with them. They offer three tasting programs in classic Italian style: an antipasti platter, three small-plate pairings, or a four-course, 2-hour pairing experience. The dishes are thoughtfully prepared by winery chef Britny Sundin, who uses ingredients from the winery garden, local vendors, and some of the best ranchers in the country, including Snake River Farms in Idaho. Insider tip: Splurge on the four-course Enoteca Signorello experience with Chef Britny as your guide. Who says one of the best dining experience in Napa Valley can’t be at a winery?
Image Source: Yelp
Robert Sinskey Vineyards
6320 Silverado Trail
Napa, CA 94558
(707) 944-9090
TripAdvisor: 4.5 stars, 136 reviews
Reservations: Required
Keep it casual or class it up, it’s your choice at the Robert Sinskey tasting room on the Silverado Trail. The bar offers ever-changing small bites, from savory cheese puffs to beef carpaccio, paired with each of your wines for an introductory taste to the wines and the kitchen, and the Perfect Circle experience takes it further with a seated wine and food pairing that will blow you away. The winery itself is a feast for the eyes, with stunning architecture and an open kitchen at the end of the long bar. Insider tip: A new wine is released on the first weekend of each month, so plan your visit accordingly to be one of the first to taste the new wine and food pairing.
Image Source: Yelp
B Cellars
703 Oakville Cross Rd
Oakville, CA 94562
(877) 229-9939
TripAdvisor: 5 stars, 70 reviews
Reservations: Required
B Cellars co-founder Jim Borsack is known affectionately as the “Mad Chef” for his prowess in the kitchen (7-course Monday Night Football meals are not unheard of), and so he creates blended wines with layers of flavor and flexibility to allow them to pair seamlessly with a variety of dishes. This philosophy plays out in the tasting room, where perfectly crafted bites, like salmon canapés and garden-fresh stuffed mushrooms, are paired with each rich wine. B Cellars has recently relocated to a brand new facility in Oakville, featuring a beautiful tasting room centered around the open kitchen, for an immersive experience. Insider tip: B Cellars posts recipes paired with their wines on their website so fans can recreate the magic at home. If you have a favorite original recipe to share, submit it online and they may publish it!
Image Source: Yelp
Round Pond Estate
875 Rutherford Rd
Rutherford, CA 94573
(707) 302-2575
TripAdvisor: 4.5 stars, 216 reviews
Reservations: Required
The MacDonnell family has been farming their Rutherford estate vineyards for over 30 years and are known for their classic Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, but Round Pond Estate also produces olive oil, red wine vinegar, organic vegetables, eggs, honey, and more on the property. All of this bounty goes into the many food and wine pairing experiences on offer, from the Estate Tasting with savory bites, to the Il Pranzo lunch pairing, to the incredible Garden to Table Brunch (which includes a garden tour and cooking demonstration). Insider tip: For a different kind of pairing, head across the street to Round Pond’s olive mill for an expertly led pairing featuring the estate’s olive oils, red wine vinegars, and sweet/tart citrus syrups.
Image Source: Yelp
VGS Chateau Potelle
1200 Dowdell Ln
St Helena, CA 94574
(707) 255-9440
TripAdvisor: 5 stars, 42 reviews
Reservations: Required
If you can’t get a reservation at La Toque in Napa during your stay, don’t despair: you can still taste Ken Frank’s genius at VGS Chateau Potelle, paired with their beautiful wines. Housed inside the little house with the yellow door off of Highway 29, the whimsical tasting room is a fun backdrop for one of Napa Valley’s newest and best food and wine experiences. The small bites and delicious wines are a perfect example of how food and wine can truly enhance one another. Insider tip: Experience the ultimate from VGS Chateau Potelle with Lunch Above the Clouds, complete with vineyard views and a 5-course meal prepared by La Toque. The experience is available only to wine club members, but the wine club is still accepting new members (for now).
Image Source: Yelp
Del Dotto Vineyards
1445 St Helena Hwy
St. Helena, CA 94574
(707) 963-2134
TripAdvisor: 4.5 stars, 156 reviews
Reservations: Required
Chef Jason Schwartz earned his chops at the French Laundry, Bouchon and Per Se, and it shows in his masterful creations that pair beautifully with Del Dotto’s full bodied wines. The current food pairing is Delicacies by Del Dotto, a sumptuous experience including barrel tasting and five bites paired with the wines. It is offered only on specific dates, so check the website. The tasting is hosted at the Venetian Estate winery in St. Helena, which is modeled after traditional Venetian palaces and lends a sense of grandeur to the experience. Insider tip: Visit Del Dotto’s Napa location to tour one of the earliest wine caves in Napa Valley, built by hand in 1885, which now ages all of Del Dotto’s wines.
Image Source: Knights Bridge Winery
Knights Bridge Winery
1373 Lincoln Ave
Calistoga, CA 94515
(707) 341-3391
Yelp: 4.5 stars, 10 reviews
Reservations: Required
Knights Bridge Winery is making exquisitely structured wines from Sonoma and Napa Valley vineyards, and they can now be tasted at the historic Calistoga National Bank Building in downtown Calistoga. The news gets even better though—the geniuses at Knights Bridge have partnered with Evangeline Bistro across the street, a French bistro with a “Creole soul,” to create unforgettable pairings (think oysters on the half shell, house-made duck rillettes with pepper jelly, cubes of chilled Snake River Flatiron steak… shall we go on?). The bites pair perfectly with the wines, which are often library selections of single-vineyard wines like the Knights Bridge To Kalon Cabernet Sauvignon. Insider tip: If you’re looking for a shorter experience, try the cheese and charcuterie platter paired with four Knights Bridge wines.
Hungry yet? Be sure to reserve your spot far in advance, as these tasty experiences fill up fast. Choose one (or three) and get ready to sit back, relax, and experience what Napa Valley does best.