If you don't
live near
Wine Country
you owe yourself
a visit. Wine
Country is quite
beautiful
lending itself
to rolling
hillsides and
flourishing,
perfectly
straight rows of
grape vines. The
pastoral
countryside and
quaint villages
make this a
wonderful area
to visit.
Napa
Valley is in
northern
California at
the northeastern
tip of San Pablo
Bay about an
hours drive from
San Francisco.
To the west is
Sonoma Counties,
to the east is
Lake Berryessa,
Yolo, Solano
County, and to
the north Lake
County. Napa is
actually just
one of many
valleys in Napa
County but is by
far the largest
and best known.
According to the
Napa Chamber of
Commerce, Napa
Valley is 30
miles long and
one to three
miles wide, and
is home to at
about 240
wineries.
Napa County has
a population of
about 110, 000
people, and five
incorporated
cities. North to
south they are:
Calistoga, St.
Helena,
Yountville,
Napa, and at the
southern end,
American Canyon,
Angwin, Deer
Lake, Lake
Berryessa,
Rutherford and
Oakville are
communities with
post offices but
aren't actual
towns.
The county's
primary
industries are
wine-grape
growing, wine
production, and
tourism. Thanks
to the stringent
and ongoing
efforts by the
vast majority of
voters, there is
little
development in
the county
itself. Most
commercial and
residential
development is
in the cities.
This preserves a
huge amount of
agricultural
land allow in
Napa County to
avoid the urban
spread that has
affected almost
of all of other
San Francisco
Bay Area
counties. The
result is an
attractive place
for residents to
live and
tourists to
visit.
Most of the
wineries are
open daily
year-round for
tasting. If you
are coming to
Wine Country it
would be wise to
make your plans
and reservations
prior to your
visit. The
busiest times of
the year are
July thru
September and
January thru
March.