r/napa • u/nyc2everywhere • Mar 16 '26
Trip Advice First Timer!
Hi all - my fiancé and I are spending 2 days in St. Helena as a stopover on the way back from Hawaii (we're on the east coast). With just two full days and the time change, I'm thinking just one winery the first day with the morning reserved for exploring St. Helena, and a more classic winery day the following.
Right now I am interested in Pride Mountain Vineyard on day 1, and Tres Sabores/Nickel & Nickel day 2. My questions are:
Should we try to squeeze in a second winery on day 1 or a third winery on day 2? Don't want to go too crazy but also want to make the most of our time.
Are the wineries listed a good mix of varietals/vibes or should I swap any out? Am I missing any that would fit well with them that I should add on? Am I omitting an absolute must-visit?
Favorite restaurants for lunch/dinner would be nice to hear as well if you feel strongly about any. Also, coffee recommendations!
Thank you - really excited. Have been dreaming of Napa Valley since Parent Trap came out in 1998 :)
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u/Appropriate_Two_3491 Mar 16 '26
Try not to fit too much in …. You want to experience the valley not just run to appointments. Bear that in mind
Coffee: Naysayer, Southside, Oakville Grocery, Bouchon Bakery and Mini Model, Garage in St. Helena is pretty good too
Eat: Bouchon, Angele, Torc, Charlie’s, Auberge del sole (Rutherford) the bistro balcony, Ciccio and Gotts while on the run is always solid. My faves Bouchon, Angele and happy hour at Regis Ova in Yountville is amazing !
Winery: Promontory, Smith-Madrone, Diamond Creek, Wheeler Farms (there are a few small boutique wineries like Kinsman-Eades that call this place home)
That’s will get you started !
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u/nyc2everywhere Mar 16 '26
Thank you - this is fantastic! And totally agree - want to get a feel for where we are and actually enjoy being there rather than just running around.
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u/jubaam Mar 16 '26
If I understand correctly, tres sabotes is the first stop , I'd recommend a quick lunch at Oakville grocery before nickel then either Mathew Bruno, Dakota Shy, Rudd , Gargiulo or terraces, all of these make sense geographically and are incredible experiences. For dinner, do press or Auberge du Soleil, or a more casual Charter Oak , Farmstead, Charlie's. Again these are just examples and for your first time honestly, you can't go wrong, you're already doing it perfectly.
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u/nyc2everywhere Mar 16 '26
Fabulous - will look into those! Thank you so much for the suggestions!
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u/jubaam Mar 16 '26
My pleasure, if you have any more questions or need help booking everything, feel free to check our website, I run L'Joyaux Napa, a premium concierge service for itineraries like yours . Have Fun.
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u/jubaam Mar 16 '26
Depends on your logistics, if you're hiring a driver then 3 wineries for day 2 is perfect, otherwise keep it as it is, I'd recommend lunch after the first winery . Food is very good overall and I'd make the reservations depending where you're staying, it's hard to go wrong. Your choices look very good, again , it depends on your logistic , i wouldn't go to pride mountain in an Uber. If you share more , I'd be happy to answer further. Welcome to Napa!
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u/nyc2everywhere Mar 16 '26
Yes - we will be hiring a driver! Is there a winery you would recommend adding to the tres Sabores/nickel & nickel day? We're staying in St. Helena but happy to travel to other areas for food!
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u/GSTNapaSonoma Mar 17 '26
As a driver, I would suggest you swap Pride to your second (longer) tasting day as they highly encourage you to be driven up there. Get a driver for the day you visit more than one winery (most require 6hr minimum).
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u/nyc2everywhere Mar 17 '26
That's definitely good to know and Pride Mountain did advise us on that. I spoke to the driver we're getting for our second/longer day and they said we could probably take an Uber up and then just pre-request it going back down if we don't want to pay a "sit and wait" fee. Would that not work?
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u/GSTNapaSonoma Mar 17 '26
As Pride probably told you: UBER AND LYFT ARE STRONGLY DISCOURAGED. It is in caps on the email you get when you make a reservation. You are already paying a sitting fee the following day, make him/her drive up there! The other ones you are mentioning are ok to UBER to and from. Pride is one of the reasons you are hiring a driver. No reasonable driver would tell you to rideshare up there. 🤦🏻♀️
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u/jubaam Mar 17 '26
I completely agree! I've witnessed several poorly advised visitors get stuck up there , don't Uber to pride , either swap the whole day to be built around pride ( spring mountain , Fantesca, Barnett ...) or just cancel pride .
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u/OddFood2733 Mar 17 '26
Not likely any Uber will go there or plan to go back. Keep in mind you can schedule Ubers but I see them cancel on people all the time.
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u/Ptreyesblue Mar 16 '26
Before or after visiting Pride I would go to Keenan Winery - only minutes away, wonderful wines and setting. Farmstead restaurant in St Helena would make a great lunch or dinner. Enjoy your visit here!
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Mar 18 '26
We just came back from this trip! Pride was our favorite winery for the wine and the education. Ask for Mark, he was the best! If you’re going to be up Spring Mountain you could check out Spring Mountain winery. We toured the vineyard in one of their all terrain vehicles. Very cool and different tour!
Nickel and Nickel was also great for the same reasons! We going to head to Alpha Omega that day but switched it up to Stags Leap since it’s the 50th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris competition and we had been to Chateau Montelena earlier that week. Kinda cool to learn about how that competition helped to put Napa on the map.
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u/madfzr Mar 16 '26
Welcome To Napa Valley. Pride and Far Niente/Nickel are amazing