There is no denying California is our favorite vacation destination. Each year for our anniversary, we take a trip and 6 out of the last 8 years, California has been our destination. We usually pick either Northern California wine country or the Southern California desert. But this year, we decided to do a little of both. We have always wanted to drive down the California Pacific Coast Highway and figured it was time to check that item off our bucket list. I’ve divided the trip into two parts, so I will be sharing our drive down the coast and our stay in the desert next week. Here is a glimpse at our California adventure featuring our Napa travel guide.

You can read about our stay at Andaz Napa here

California Wine Country: Napa

After reading that it is better to take the Pacific Coast Highway from north to south, we decided to start our trip in California Wine Country. We have been to Napa a few times, so we have found some favorites during our time there. This year, we stayed at the Andaz Napa (you can read the full review of the hotel here). We usually stay in Sonoma, but enjoyed being closer to some of our favorite wineries and within walking distance to all the offerings of downtown Napa.

We were only in Napa for three full days and only scheduled a few visits. In years past, we have tried to fit a ton into each day, which can be a lot. Many of the wineries in Napa do not require reservations, so our plan of attack this year was to just schedule appointments at our three favorites, and then stop at other ones that we came across that did not require advanced appointments.

Opus One

One of our all-time favorite wines, Opus One is always featured on our Napa itinerary. While we love the wine, we also love the tour. This is one winery that we have visited each visit to Napa! The tour of Opus One is the most comprehensive tour we have ever taken at a winery and the behind the scenes is such a fun experience! Once you wrap up the tour, you are able to try the wine in their barrel room (pictured above). It really makes for a great picture opportunity! I took a similar picture and had it framed for Richard’s office. It’s quite an impressive barrel room! However, my favorite part is enjoying the rest of the tasting on the terrace that overlooks the property of Opus One and provides for the most gorgeous views of Oakville.

Quintessa & Silver Oak

Quintessa (pictured above, left) is another one of the wineries we made an appointment at before arriving in Napa. It was our second time visiting and it did not disappoint. Silver Oak (pictured above, right) is one place that we seem to visit each time we are in wine country, although we never make an appointment. The tasting room is large and it’s easy to walk-in for a tasting. The sunlight was hitting the famous Silver Oak “lighthouse” so perfectly, I couldn’t help but take this picture!

Cliff Lede

Cliff Lede is another one of our favorites in Napa Valley. And while we didn’t make an appointment in advance, we ending up visiting the winery twice during our trip! When we stopped for a tasting, we found out they were having a release party on our last day in Napa and tickets were still available. Not only did they have the newest wine to try at the release party, they also had delicious food and even a picture opportunity! For as many pictures we take for the blog, it’s very rare for Richard and I to have a picture of us together! Cliff Lede will always hold a special place in our hearts — the first time we were visiting the winery 6 years ago, we found out the bid on our current house was accepted!

Gingham Skirt: J.Crew Factory | Black Tee: J.Crew Factory | Bag: Kate & Alex | Wedges: Steven | Watch: MICHELE | Sunglasses: Le Specs | Earrings: Sheila Fajl

Printed Midi Dress: J.Crew Mercantile (under $60) | Sandals: Steven (under $100) | Hat: J.Crew | Bag: Kate & Alex | Watch: MICHELE | Earrings: Nordstrom

What to Wear in Napa

Depending on the time of the year, figuring out what to wear in wine country can be challenging. These are two outfits I wore while we were in Napa and it would have been difficult to find two more comfortable looks. From the high waisted gingham skirt to the midi dress, both looks were easy to style with my go-to white wedge sandals. Also, you could easily add a denim jacket or cardigan to both of these look for the chilly mornings and evenings.

As for accessories, a crossbody bag is always a good option for wine tasting. I also wore my favorite panama hat the one day. Doesn’t a straw panama hat seem very wine country appropriate?

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I will be back next week with part 2 of our California adventure featuring our drive down the Pacific Coast Highway and our time in Palm Springs. Thanks for reading and see you back here tomorrow for an all new recipe. Have a great start to the week, friends!