Taste of Planning

I love heading to wine country during this time of year, because it is so beautiful. The valley is full of colorful bright red leaves and green and golden vines. For California, it truly feels like fall as you drive through the vineyards. This is also the time right after harvest season, when there are really great events for the holidays.

In June, I was looking for a fun Napa event and stumbled upon Flavor! Napa Valley. It appeared to be one of the biggest food and wine events of the year. It was a ways away in November, but it looked like something that would sell out quickly. Reading into it, I saw that there were four crazy days of amazing Michelin star rated cuisine, paired with premium California wines. The events ranged from cooking demonstrations, to winemakers meals, to guided wine tastings. I was really excited after reading the event summaries and seeing names that I recognized like Thomas Keller, Michael Chiarello, and wineries like Schramsberg, Merryvale, Duckhorn, Silver Oak, Nickel & Nickel...I had to know more about the events so I could decided which one to go to.

After further research of the past events by googling Flavor! Napa Valley, I decided that the Appellation Trail, a wine and food tasting event featuring 30+ restaurants and over 100 wineries segmented by their Napa neighborhood, was THE EVENT to attend. It was a little pricey, at $150/person, but it seemed worth while. Once we had decided to go, I bought the tickets and the planning began! I wanted the focus of the weekend to be on the event, and was willing to find budget options for the rest of our trip to make this a great weekend without burning a huge hole in our pockets.

Planning 

First, I booked the hotel. Since I planned this trip so far in advance, we were able to use Starwood points to book a room at the Westin Verasa Napa. We have other places in Napa that we LOVE to stay at, but this worked in our budget for the trip.

Next, it was time to figure out what our best option for getting to and from the Culinary Institute. It was located about 20 miles away from our hotel, and it was not an event that either of us were willing to give up our good time to be a responsible driver for. I came across a service while deciding between a cab or a sedan called My Napa Valley Driver, which provided a driver to meet you at your hotel and drive you in your car for $35/hour. There was no minimum time required and they were extremely flexible about drop off/pick up times - so we booked it!

Lastly, I knew that the next day we would want to visit a winery or two on the way home so I booked tastings at two wineries, Flora Springs and Honig. Once the planning was complete, I was able to relax and get ready to enjoy the exciting weekend to come!