Sonoma and Napa Valley Wine Tour: Luxury Northern California Food & Wine Tastings

Begin your Sonoma and Napa Valley wine tasting journey in San Francisco, checking in to the luxurious Cavallo Point Lodge at the Golden Gate. Located inside Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Cavallo Point is perfectly positioned for visiting San Francisco, the scenic Marin Headlands, and Sausalito. 

The afternoon is free to explore the area at your own pace. The Sausalito Boardwalk is just minutes away, and San Francisco beckons just over the Golden Gate Bridge. For nature lovers, Point Reyes National Seashore and Muir Woods National Monument are within driving distance. 

Relax at Cavallo Point, rejuvenating with a treatment in the Healing Arts Center & Spa, or simply enjoy the Golden Gate views as you sip your first glass of California wine. 

For dinner tonight, enjoy seasonal menus with local Napa and Sonoma wines in one of Cavallo Point’s two restaurants, or dine out in San Francisco or Sausalito. We will be happy to assist you with reservations.

Enjoy a delicious fresh breakfast in Sula restaurant at Cavallo Point Lodge. To reach San Francisco today, we recommend taking the ferry from Sausalito to the San Francisco Ferry building.

Spend the morning visiting the famous Alcatraz Island, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Reach Alcatraz Island by ferry (tickets included) from Pier 33 in San Francisco for a self-guided audio tour visit of the Alcatraz cellhouse and historic outdoor areas like Eagle Plaza, the Recreation Yard, the Sallyport, and the Rose Garden. 

From Alcatraz, return to Pier 33 by ferry and walk along the Embarcadero to the San Francisco Ferry Building. Meet your local guide to begin a private San Francisco food tour of the Ferry Building’s delicious array of restaurants and artisan producers. Your private tour will include food tastings, craft beer and wine tastings, and gift bags.

The remainder of the afternoon is free to explore San Francisco at your own pace. Return to Cavallo Point Lodge by ferry or stay in the city for dinner and return later in the evening by taxi or private transfer. We are happy to assist with San Francisco restaurant recommendations and make reservations.

Depart Cavallo Point Lodge after breakfast and drive towards Point Reyes National Seashore for a morning discovering local culinary artisans. Rendezvous with your guide in Point Reyes Station, then embark on a Northern California food and farm tour. Learn about sustainable oyster production while you visit one of Tomales Bay’s famous oyster farms. Food tastings will include fresh-baked local pastries, fresh and BBQ oysters, locavore vegetables, and a seafood lunch. 

Your Point Reyes explorations will also include an unusual California wine tasting—mead, technically. Visit Heidrun Meadery to taste their naturally sparkling mead wines, made in the Méthode Champenoise. Their dry-style, elegant meads express the delicate flavors of both monofloral and wildflower honeys produced by their own bees. At Heidrun Meadery, wine lovers will discover an ecological and vinicultural project unlike anything else in the winemaking world. Enjoy a guided visit to their beekeeping farm and learn how they produce sparkling honey wines. 

Following your mead tasting experience, continue driving to Sonoma’s Russian River Valley and check in to your boutique 5-star accommodations at The Farmhouse Inn. The rest of the afternoon is free to relax at the hotel or explore the surrounding natural areas on your own. For dinner tonight, we recommend a table at the hotel’s farm-to-table restaurant.

After breakfast at The Farmhouse Inn restaurant, meet your private driver at the hotel before setting off on a full-day private Sonoma wine tasting at two of our favorite producers.

Begin today’s Sonoma wine tour by discovering Flowers Vineyards & Winery. Along the rugged far Sonoma Coast, they cultivate organic and biodynamic vineyard parcels of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Flowers Vineyards was among the first California winemakers to recognize the far Sonoma Coast’s combination of altitude, Pacific Ocean fog, and ample sunshine as ideal for growing cool-climate varietals. Visit their tasting room House of Flowers in nearby Healdsburg for a private Sonoma wine tasting which will reveal the distinct expression of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown on the Sonoma Coast.

Continue your Sonoma wine tasting tour with a visit to Capo Creek Winery in the beautiful Dry Creek Valley outside of Healdsburg. At Capo Creek, winemaker Mary Roy produces outstanding small batch wines with a special attention to Rhône varietals like Grenache, Syrah, and Viognier. Her wines have won awards and plaudits from critics and casual wine drinkers alike.   

Enjoy a guided tour of Capo Creek Winery, then sit down for a special experience hosted by owner and winemaker Mary Roy. In her garden overlooking the vineyards, savor a private 6-course vintner’s lunch and Sonoma wine tasting. Each dish is prepared by Mary herself and paired with a different Capo Creek wine. 

After a memorable afternoon at Capo Creek Winery, return to The Farmhouse Inn with your private driver. Relax until dinner later tonight, either at the Farmhouse Inn or a local restaurant in the Russian River Valley.

Savor this morning’s last breakfast in Sonoma at The Farmhouse Inn before your Northern California wine tasting tour continues to Napa Valley. Drive to charming St. Helena in the heart of Napa Valley and arrive at your 5-star hotel accommodations at Alila Napa Valley. 

After leaving your bags with reception at the Alila, meet up with your guide in St. Helena for a small group experience e-biking through vineyards along the Napa Valley Vine Trail. This bike and pedestrian-only trail connects Napa Valley’s towns and vineyards along a mostly flat, entirely protected scenic route. This morning you’ll cover about 16 miles, round trip, stopping along the way to enjoy a Napa wine tasting (tasting fees paid locally) and a picnic lunch catered by Chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery. 

Following your e-bike tour, refresh in your room at Alila Napa Valley before heading to nearby PEJU Vineyards, just minutes away, for a private cooking class and Napa wine tasting. Founded in 1983 by husband and wife Tony and Herta Peju, it remains one of Napa Valley’s few family-owned wineries. Sisters Lisa and Ariana continue their parents’ legacy as Peju remains one of Napa Valley’s most beloved and acclaimed producers. Winemaker Sara Fowler oversaw Peju’s transition to organic farming in 2007 and produces some of the Napa Valley’s most highly rated Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Sauvignon Blanc. 

Your private cooking class will feature organic seasonal ingredients from the estate’s culinary gardens. Enjoy your creations during a wine pairing dinner harmonizing recipes from executive Chef Nicolas Montañaz with winemaker Sara Fowler’s acclaimed PEJU wines. 

Return to the Alila Napa Valley and enjoy the rest of your evening at leisure or check out Main Street in St. Helena.

Early risers today can opt for a Napa Valley sunrise hot air balloon ride, while the winds are calm, the light is soft, and the vineyards are still covered in dawn mist. 

After breakfast at the Alila Napa Valley, meet your private driver at the hotel to begin a full day of private Napa wine tasting. 

Open your palate this morning at Chandon, with a private Napa wine tasting of three brut sparklers, including reserve and vintage bottles. Arriving in Napa Valley in 1973, Chandon California was the first French-owned sparkling wine house in the U.S. to produce Méthode Champenoise wines from estate-grown Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Meunier.

Following this morning’s sparkling wine tasting, your private Napa Valley wine tour continues to Round Pond Estate in the Rutherford AVA, famed for growing some of California’s best Cabernet Sauvignon. The gravelly, sandy, and loamy soil in Rutherford permits moderately fertile, well-draining vineyards. The terroir encourages balanced vine growth and concentrated Cabernet Sauvignon with the signature earthy-coca character dubbed “Rutherford Dust.”

In addition to their premium Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc, Round Pond Estate’s gardens grow Mediterranean olive trees to produce their own range of extra virgin olive oils, and a wide selection of organic herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Embark on an immersive Napa Valley wine and culinary experience as you visit the Round Pond winery, vineyards, and produce gardens, then enjoy a four-course lunch menu curated by Chef Fernando Arias, pairing the estate’s seasonal produce with their premium Napa Valley wines. 

End a perfect day in Napa with a visit to a remarkable small-production winery for a private tasting at one of Napa Valley’s most celebrated wineries, Morlet Family Vineyards. Born from a Franco‑American love story, Morlet Family Vineyards unites fifth‑generation French winemaking heritage with Napa Valley’s exceptional terroir. Luc and Jodie Morlet craft limited, world‑class wines that marry Old World elegance with New World vibrancy. Since founding Morlet Family Vineyards in 2006, their organically farmed, low-yield Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah have become some of Napa Valley’s most celebrated wines.

Savor your final morning in Northern California wine country with breakfast at Alila Napa Valley. Time permitting, enjoy a last morning stroll in the vineyards or some shopping in St. Helena before driving to San Francisco Airport to return your rental car and depart for home.