Tag Archives: napa

Grgich Hills Winery

wpid12455-C59F1385.jpgWe took a quick tour around the Grgich Hills winery when not on the Napa Valley Wine Train. I was surprised to learn that the name is a combination of a Mr. Grgich (of course) and a Mr. Hills (not so obvious). It was a relatively short tour but still informative. We also sampled some of the wine. I won’t tell you much about the wine making but here are some shots of the winery as we went around.

Napa Valley Wine Train

wpid12445-C59F1406.jpgWith Dad and Jan visiting, it was a chance to get out and see some of what the area has to offer. Dad likes trains and is also quite partial to wine so what better trip to make than a visit to the Napa Valley Wine Train. For those who are not familiar with it, the service runs from the town of Napa up through the Napa Valley. It pretty much parallels the main road (or you might argue the road parallels the rail line) and passes by many of the vineyards and wineries as it goes.

wpid12451-C59F1463.jpgWe took the trip that included the tour of the Grgich hills winery as well. Lunch was served on the train shortly after we departed Napa and we ate as we gently rumbled through the countryside. Since it was a rather damp day, being inside and watching everything outside while eating seemed to be a good plan. When we reached the winery, the train stopped to drop us off. It then continued up to the end of the line where they ran the locos around to pull them back down the route.

wpid12453-C59F1471.jpgOnce we had finished our tour of the winery, the train reappeared to pick us up. At this point, we boarded a different car. This one was a lounge car where we were served our desserts. Sitting inside facing seats eating dessert while watching the vineyards roll past was a great way to wrap up the trip. They ran a second trip later in the day with dinner served on board but, since it is dark so early at this time of year, I think our time was a far better one for the trip.

Napa

wpid5841-AU0E8619.jpgA weekend break took is to Napa in the California wine country. This wasn’t a trip about wine (although a few glasses may have been consumed while we were there). Instead it was a chance to look around the area and enjoy some temperatures a little above those in Chicago in March!

wpid5839-AU0E8615.jpgNapa is a pretty little town on the whole. We had a good chance to wander around and to see some older buildings and some very attractive houses. The markets had great food and there were plenty of places to dine. A nice place for a weekend away and probably somewhere we shall explore further at some point.wpid5837-AU0E8603.jpg