Wineries in the Napa Valley number in the hundreds, and it’s a rare facility open to the public that turns away imbibers with leashes in hand. While some facilities relegate four-legged guests to their picnic grounds, others invite furry friends to belly up to the bar with their people (yes, Lucy, that’s a jar of treats on the counter…). Here are some weatherproof suggestions for winter wine tasting with a dog at your side.
Calistoga's Winter is a great time to visit the 26 dog-friendly wineries at the valley’s far end. Among those welcoming dogs in their tasting rooms are August Briggs, Clos Pegase, Bennett Lane, Lava Vine, Tamber Bey, Laura Michael/Zahtila, Carter Cellars, Frank Family Vineyards and Von Strasser, each offering a different take on the tasting experience, along with water bowls and treats for four-legged visitors.
In and around St. Helena, dogs get a warm welcome at St. Clement, a boutique establishment whose tasting room is in an imposing hilltop Victorian edged with rose gardens just outside St. Helena. Benessere Vineyards, Whitehall Lane and the much larger Anderson’s Conn Valley and V. Sattui are other solid dog-welcoming choices. (V.Sattui has an Italian deli with everything you need for a picnic at the gorgeous grounds outside.) Don’t overlook Frenchie Winery at Raymond Vineyards, where visiting tail-waggers can retreat to a “dog suite” (i.e. fancy kennel) and lounge in a wine-barrel bed while their people sample the wares.
In Yountville, Domaine Chandon is a big name with extensive visitor facilities, while Hopper Creek offers a more intimate tasting-room experience. In neighboring Rutherford, St. Supery expresses its pup-welcoming attitude with treats and doggie bandanas offered to four-legged guests in the tasting room.
In and around Napa town, our favorite dog-friendly haunts include Ca’Momi and Vintner’s Collective, downtown tasting rooms within walking distance to many shops, restaurants, hotels and attractions; Regusci, a so-called “ghost winery” with a 19th-century stone cellar in the Stag’s Leap district on the Silverado Trail; and Clos du Val, also on the Silverado Trail, with an ivy-covered tasting room set amid manicured grounds. In the Carneros district straddling Napa and Sonoma counties, Cuvaison, Jamieson Ranch, Falcor and Trinitas at the Meritage Resort all welcome four-legged companions in their handsome tasting salons.
• For a list of more “weatherproof” wine-tasting venues, click here.
Photo Credit: @xenaandwillow
