Hot Spots of California Wine Country

The most enjoyable part of collecting wine is drinking it. A close second, however, is buying and storing wines from vineyards you visit. More than 90% of the wine in our cellar comes from vineyard visits: relaxing afternoons that involve tasting the varietals, romping through rows of Cabernet or Chardonnay grapes and getting to know the style and personality of both the wines and winemaker.

Nothing is more satisfying than pulling a bottle of wine off a rack that brings back fond memories of a trip to Napa or Sonoma, California or even more off-the-beaten-path locations like the wineries of Virginia and Hawaii. A tug of the cork releases not only the wine's aroma but also fond recollections of trips through vineyards and tasting rooms.

If you're a newcomer to the experience, a trip to any wine country can be overwhelming. With that in mind, here's a list of don't-miss travel spots in California:

Best Winery Tours

If you're looking for an all-around wine experience, I highly recommend a trip to the Robert Mondavi winery in Napa Valley. While it's commercial, sometimes crowded and somewhat impersonal, few other wine-country tours provide such a thorough experience. You can tour the vineyard and check out the grape-crushing, fermentation and bottling processes. Although the tastings are highly structured, they're good for newcomers; they typically offer a couple of reds and a couple of whites, usually with a "specialty" wine thrown in as well.

Mondavi's well-trained guides provide a good explanation of the winemaking process and the sample wines. After the tour and tasting, you can roam the wine shop, which offers a great selection of Mondavi wines as well as trinkets to make wine drinking that much more enjoyable -- and expensive. I also recommend the additional tasting in the wine shop, featuring some of Mondavi's more exclusive labels. It's worth the extra cash.

A word to the wise: Weekdays are the best time to visit Mondavi because weekends get very busy. Call ahead, as you can make a reservation for a tour. Those who just show up for a tour are likely to be disappointed or find themselves waiting hours for an open tour.

Another fun and educational tour is offered by the Sebastiani Winery in Sonoma. While you don't get a vineyard tour, the guides who take you through the old storage facilities do a great job of describing the winemaking process and the history of winemaking in the region. The tasting room is worth the visit alone. Although you won't find a lot of high-end product, you will find very drinkable wine, affordable prices and friendly people.