Planning a day trip to Napa Valley? If you’re like us, you want to taste the wines and see the beauty. Here is our perfect day in Napa Valley, one that allows you to drink in the beauty and then drink in the wine.
Begin your day with something you would never do at home: see the valley from the sky by taking a hot air balloon ride over the vineyards. Then, taste your way through the best wineries in Yountville, located in the heart of Napa Valley.
Take a hot air balloon ride
Appreciate the beauty of Napa Valley and the Mayacamas mountain range from a vantage point you never thought was possible: the sky. The sunrise rides are spectacular not only because the balloons take their smoothest flights in the morning, but because you get to watch the valley light up with color.
Your pilot will take you around 2,000 feet in the air for 45 minutes to 1 hour. During this time, you’ll learn a little bit more about the region as well as the history of ballooning in Napa.
Keep in mind that the entire experience can take up to 3-4 hours.
Book a Yountville wine tasting
Now that you’ve seen the valley from the sky, it’s time to get right to the heart of it: Yountville. This small town has an exquisite culinary scene and plenty of walkable tasting rooms that will make you feel like a local by noon.
A Yountville wine tasting will take you through some of the flagship Napa Valley wines. You can expect to encounter Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc, and many unique grapes and styles that will vary among wineries.
Be sure to stop by Cornerstone Cellars
One of the best wineries in Yountville to visit following a hot air balloon adventure is Cornerstone Cellars. We specialize in single vineyard wines, creating varietal bottlings from Howell Mountain, Oakville, Rutherford, and Calistoga. Each plot of land imparts a unique personality on the wine, and a tasting here will allow you experience everything you admired from above in a new way.
We can’t think of a more magical way to get to know Napa Valley in one day.