Napa Valley Vineyards

Its that time of year when many people start planning their Napa Valley trips for spring and summer. For the unlucky majority, only crowds, frustrated hosts, and traffic await them. With the amount of money many people spend on a vacation, they are only setting themselves up for disappointment.

It hardly needs to be that way, with only a few tips a visitor can avoid the crowds and get the star treatment. I'm going to outline 6 tips to live by when visiting the Napa Valley. These tips will give you a golden experience without spending lots of money.

Avoiding The Crowds

1. Go Early In The Day And Avoid Weekends

The easiest way to avoid the crowds is to visit on weekdays and focus on your favorite wineries in the morning. During the peak summer months, on a Friday morning I have often found myself the only person or one of only a few people at a tasting bar.

2. Stick To The Silverado Trail

While there may be bumper to bumper traffic along highway 29, locals zip around Napa Valley on the Silverado Trail. Many of the smaller, less crowded wineries are located along the Silverado Trail or on the lanes that cross the valley. Many of these smaller wineries are by appointment only, which leads us to our next tip.

3. Make Reservations

While it may take some additional planning, many of your best experiences are going to be at appointment only wineries. Staffing is always a big problem for wineries, and by making reservations this allows wineries to make sure that they have plenty of staff throughout the day to meet their visitors' needs.

Many wineries require reservations which are stipulated by their operating permits. These permits set the maximum number of visitors a winery can have per day to limit country road traffic levels. Since a winery can be audited, reservations are required because they provide an audit trail and also help them restrict the number of daily visitors.

4. Take A Tour

Making reservations for tasting is a good idea but scheduling a tour is even better! Besides getting a great insider view of the winery, many tours end with a private tasting where you can taste additional reserve wines. Many wineries pride themselves on their tours and limit their size to no more than 12 people. Tastings can cost from $10 to $20 and up. Tours with complimentary food pairings can be higher. However, it is generally true that you get what you pay for.

Being Memorable In The Tasting Room

5. Ask alot of questions

While researching this article we asked hosts, "Who makes a good customer?" The overwhelming answer was, "Visitors who ask lots of questions!" Hosts chose their jobs for their love of wine and hospitality. Wineries hire hosts to be ambassadors of their wines. Take advantage of your host's wealth of knowledge and a host will share.

Do not be intimidated when asking questions! If you are not familiar with a type of wine, speak up! Not familiar with the philosophy of the winery/owner/winemaker, speak up! Ask about the farming practices of the wineries, since many wineries are passionate about becoming green, organic, and even biodynamic. Learn about the location of vineyards different wines come from and you will learn about the subtleties of the wine.

6. Take Notes

I carry a moleskin notebook for tasting notes and always get comments from hosts. Hosts say no more than 5% of their visitors take notes. Talk about a great way to stand out from the crowd! Taking notes indicates you're serious about your visit, and will help you remember what wines you liked and why.

You do not need to carry around a notebook to take notes, the best option for many is to ask for a tasting sheet to write on. A tasting sheet outlines the wines you will be tasting and often the characteristics of each.

(Bonus Tip) Show Your Appreciation With A Purchase

I thought I would sneak in a bonus tip. I do not like to advocate buying something as a way to get special treatment, but rather as a way to purchase the wines you like. Ultimately tasting rooms provide sales for the winery and allow your favorite wineries to keep producing wines. While there is no expectation for you to make a purchase, and I would avoid any winery that did, purchasing a wine that really stood out and made your trip worthwhile will help you stand out.

With a little bit of planning and effort you can effectively use these 6 tips to have a great Napa Valley experience. What are your favorite tricks and tips? How do you beat the crowds? let us know in the comments.