Take
a sidetrip through lush countryside on twisting and turning Conn Valley
Road, to Conn Valley Vineyards, where one of the Anderson family will likely
climb off a tractor and welcome you to taste Cabernet Sauvignon in the cool
caves.
Before returning to the Silverado Trail, stop in at Meadowood, a posh, 1920s-style, wisteria-draped country lodge in a riparian forest of oaks, maples and fir trees. In the late 1800s, this little bowl-shaped valley was farmed by Chinese laborers who made their home here and grew rice where the present day golf course is located. They built the stone walls which surround Meadowood. Residing regally on a rise overlooking the woods, the resort is the home of the annual Napa Valley Wine Auction, a four-day event attended by deep-pocket bidders and wine lovers from around the world.
Take it easy crossing the narrow old stone bridge at Pope Street going west, and rest a while in the little park there, on the Napa River. You will pass through the town of St. Helena, postcard-perfect with old-fashioned streetlights on tree-shaded streets lined with Victorian houses and steepled churches. In the tiny town park on Main Street are an old-fashioned gazebo and a fountain just for dogs and horses. Thousands of pieces of the author’s memorabilia are in the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum, while, next door, the Napa Valley Wine Library houses a myriad of reference materials on the art of wine making and the history of the valley.
Continue
your St. Helena Winery tour with a stop at Beringer Winery
and
the Culinary Institute and Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant
The article on this page is adapted from the book, Backroads of the California Wine Country by Karen Misuraca (www.karenmisuraca.com), published by Voyageur Press.
Photo Credit: The pictures on this page are by Lisa Moore. www.studioponderosa.com