Schramsberg Vineyard: A Review

A visit to Napa should definitely include a trip to Schramsberg for an inside look at sparkling wine (champagne) production.

The vineyard sits up a hill just south of Calistoga in a picturesque part of the valley.

The tour and tasting cost $40 and was well worth the price. There is a very nice pond outside the tasting room with a statue of Riddler's Night Out in the water--and that is very appropriate for the vineyard. I did get to meet the Riddler in the tour and watch him. He is pictured on their website.

The tour was very informative about the history of the estate and the wines that are made--mostly of the sparkling variety (a/k/a/ champagne). I was impressed that the White House serves these sparkling wines at State dinners--according to the tour. Of all of the cave that we visited at the various wineries on our Napa vacation--these were definitely the most interesting and some of the oldest.

I learned a lot about sparkling wine production and even got a chance to see some bottling in progress.

We did get to sample a Cabernet sauvingnon--which for the red wine lover in me, really appreciated the opportunity--but I learned so much that I would definitely repeat visit this place.

RECOMMENDATION: Visit this winery. They require appointments--so get an appointment. Make it your one expensive winery of the day visit for one of the days you are visiting Napa. Ask questions and enjoy the expensive sparkling wine they will serve as part of the tasting.