We rounded up some of the best reasons to love California’s wine country. The region is blasting the competition out of the water (wine?) with brand new hotels, out-of-the-ordinary tasting room experiences, and movie-worthing settings. Here’s why you should love it.
1. The Hip, New Tasting Rooms
Tired of the same old sip and swirl? We gathered together the best of the Napa Valley wineries that are redefining the tasting room experience for newer, younger varieties of visitors. Whether that means getting the perfect shot for your Instagram or time traveling back to the age of James Dean, there’s something for everyone. –Justin Goldman
2. The New Hotels
The wine regions of California and France have been rivals since at least 1976, when Napa wines beat their Old World counterparts in the famous Judgment of Paris tasting. But visitors to Napa Valley can now get the feeling of Bordeaux in the Golden State, thanks to the opening of Francis House. –Justin Goldman
3. The Film-Worthy Scenery
It’s the dream Saturday Night Live fans didn’t even know they had: being a fly on the wall when the superheroines of sketch comedy assemble for an off-duty get-together. That scenario is the premise of Amy Poehler’s directorial debut, Wine Country (premiering May 10 on Netflix). This girlfriend-getaway romp through Napa Valley boasts a packed roster of SNL royals—Poehler, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, and Emmy-winning writers Emily Spivey and Paula Pell—and is loosely based on a real trip they took to celebrate Dratch’s 50th birthday. Filming the art-imitates-life comedy, says Dratch (who stars as the birthday girl, Rebecca), “was like an extended sleepover party.” –Rachel Mosely
4. The Fun Wine Experiences
The Napa Valley Wine Train has been carrying tourists to America’s most celebrated wineries in vintage Pullman rail cars since 1989, but over the past three years the company’s owners, Noble House Hotels & Resorts and Brooks Street, have expanded tour offerings. A popular choice is the six-hour Legacy Tour ($330), featuring stops at three of the region’s most venerable estates (Robert Mondavi, Charles Krug, and V. Sattui) and a four-course meal in the dining car. But perhaps the most fitting tour for this Agatha Christie–esque setting is the three-hour Murder Mystery and Dinner ($250). -Mark Orwoll
