Napa Valley 101: Calistoga

Last spring, I spent a week exploring the Napa Valley. It was my first trip there, and though I stopped at my fair share of wineries, all in the guise of research, there’s plenty to do here even if you never visit a winery or tasting room.

Contrary to popular belief, Napa makes for a great vacation even if you’re a teetotaler.  But there’s no mistaking that you’re definitely in wine country: one radio station goes by the moniker The Vine while another is called The Crush.

And rolling down Highway 29, you’ll see billboards for barrels and barrel storage and office signs for companies that make software for wineries.  Vines are stenciled into the concrete walls lining the highway underpasses and you’ll pass Zinfandel Lane and Vintage Avenue.

Up on the northern edge of Napa Valley is the town of Calistoga, perhaps the most rustic of the towns in the area.  The main street is right out of the Gold Rush era but the food definitely isn’t: stop in Brannan’s Grill for a cheeseburger with caramelized onions or homemade gnocchi.  In December, the Calistoga Lighted Tractor Parade features tractors and farm equipment decked out in Christmas lights as they putt-putt down the avenue at three miles an hour.

Napa in late winter looks a lot different than the rest of the year since mustard is the cover crop most commonly used. There’s a renowned restaurant in the town of Napa that’s popular with locals called Mustards Grill, and there’s a Mustard Mud and Music Jazz Festival in Calistoga in early spring.

Finally, to get your wine dose, stop in The Wine Garage on your way out of Calistoga.  Shop owner Todd Miller takes a decidedly non-Napa view of things by offering a wine list where the highest price is $25 and wine snobs are not welcome on the premises.

By Lisa Rogak

Related posts:

1. Paso Robles: A Family Wine Business
2. I Talk To Strangers
3. Portugal: Wine, Port and Giant Puppets
4. Paso Robles: California’s fastest-growing wine region
5. Rediscovering the West Coast