This past weekend my dear friends Yvonne and Lucy flew out for an amazing power weekend here in San Francisco. We go way back – Yvonne and I were roommates freshman year of college! Of course I played tour guide and we had a great time visiting Alcatraz and touring San Francisco, but I HAD to take them up to Napa. And not just anywhere in Napa. I wanted to take them to The Castle.
As I was researching fun, new wineries to visit with Yvonne and Lucy, I stumbled across photos of Castello di Amorosa and I swear my jaw dropped because:
- There’s a freaking castle in Napa Valley??!!
- How did I not know there’s a castle in Napa Valley?!
So yeah, I made that our #1 stop. We rolled in to Napa to a beautifully crisp day. The clouds were the kind of clouds that looked like they were painted right into the sky and framed among hills was this beautiful castle. And guys, they really got all the details down in this place. The vinters did their research when building the castle in the 1990’s. For instance, in Italy at some point the government decided a family’s tax rate based on how many windows and doors the home had. More windows and doors = more tax, so people who owned castles started sealing up extra windows. In the main courtyard of Castello di Amorosa, look around and you’ll see windows and a door sealed up. They paid THAT much attention to history!
Anyways, we had a great time exploring the winery before wandering down to the cellar to finally try the wine. Robin and I did all reds while Yvonne and Lucy did all whites and – while I loved the reds – they let me taste the whites and DANG! the whites are good! I’d suggest either doing a mix of white/red or just doing the whites flight if you visit. I’d also suggest taking the guided tour. We didn’t, but I listened in on a few and it’s full of history facts and access to rooms general public can’t reach.
I’ll be honest – Castello di Amorosa isn’t the cheapest winery in the valley. Normal tastings are $25 and the guided tour is $40 – but I hands-down think it was worth every penny. How many times do you get to hang out with your friends in a castle? I totally felt like I was transported to Tuscany and that’s priceless to a travel addict like me. And, the other great parts? They had so many animals wandering the grounds. If you follow me on Snapchat (@TheWhimsySoul) you know that I love love love animals. Yvonne and I straight up ran towards to sheep and tried to give them hugs. They did not approve of our love.
I’d go back to Castello di Amorosa in a heartbeat. If you’re visiting Napa Valley, put this place on your list!
