Location: St. Helena
Top Things to do in St. Helena
What to do and see in St. Helena, California (CA): The Best Wineries & Vineyards
St. Helena (/ˌseɪnt həˈliːnə/ saynt hə-LEE-nə) (Wappo: Anakotanoma, "Bull Snake Village") is a city in Napa County, California. It is part of the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 5,814 at the 2010 census.
Restaurants in St. Helena
1. VGS Chateau Potelle
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 175 reviews
VGS Chateau Potelle Winery offers two unique visitor experiences. At our Tasting House & Garden in St. Helena visitors enjoy an intimate tasting of 6 wines, highlighted by their own unique Riedel glass and punctuated with food bites from Michelin star rated La Toque Restaurant. Open year-round daily 10AM-5PM; $50-$75 per person. Reservations REQUIRED.
Reviewed By julialmey
We spent a wonderful afternoon tasting wines that had been magically paired with fantastic small bites from La Toque restaurant. Luis shared stories and knowledge making our experience an unforgettable one. All the way from France, Jean Noel brought his dream to realization in the fertile Napa Valley soil! Merci bien, M. Jean Noel!
2. Schweiger Vineyards
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 138 reviews
Located 2000 feet above St. Helena, Schweiger Vineyards discovered by those in search of the authentic family winemaking experience. Enjoy incredible views overlooking Napa Valley, savor artisan style wines at this lovely Spring Mountain winery and just relax. Sip wines on the balcony, sit down to a paired tasting or tour the barrel room. Savor the signature Bordeaux-style blend “Dedication”, and the Cabernet Sauvignon along with the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Tastings are by appointment.
Reviewed By Olybug
I had the pleasure of visiting Schweiger Vineyards & Winery the day before the LNU Complex fire began. Wendy Vogt, the vineyard’s hospitality manager, was extremely knowledgeable and a pleasure to speak with. The view was absolutely spectacular overlooking the Schweiger vineyards as I sipped on several of their delicious wines, including a cabernet that is still on my mind two weeks later as I write this, and a port wine that was to-die for. Fred purchased the first eight acres of the Schweiger Vineyards in 1961. Schweiger Vineyards & Winery officially launched in 1994, and since its inception, Andy has been Schweiger’s wine maker. Today, the sprawling fifty-five acre property sits atop Spring Mountain and includes thirty-five acres of planted vines, as well as their personal home. Schweiger Vineyards & Winery is Napa Green certified. They produce approximately 5000 cases each year, and Schweiger’s Cabernet Sauvignon, their most popular wine, encompasses approximately half of that. The soil in which the vines grow is comprised primarily of ash. Unique to this property are the natural springs running under the land. This allows for the very rare occurrence in Napa where the vines rarely, if ever, need to be watered. The roots of the vines can grow 20 feet below the surface to receive all the water they need from the natural springs. If you find yourself in Napa, add Schweiger Vineyards & Winery to your must-visit list. They also allow visitors to partake in a grape stomp every fall, although this year they have had to cancel it due to COVID. We’re definitely putting it on our calendar to come back and check it out next year!
3. Pride Mountain Vineyards
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 622 reviews
Pride Mountain Vineyards specializes in red wine production, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The property is only open for wine tasting appointments to guests with a prior appointments. In compliance of our local codes and use-permits all appointments must be made in advance of arrival. Thank you, Pride Mountain Vineyards
Reviewed By brettbarry1
This was our 4th or 5th visit to Pride over the years, but this past visit was by far the most informative and entertaining/enjoyable. Our wine guide Paul was so exceptional at his work representing Pride – a caring & knowledgeable person, never arrogant – always on point (funny) and frankly one of the best wine tour guides my wife and I have met in over 30 years of visiting Napa. He is just WOW ???? I know everyone felt that way – especially my wife’s family and friends from Norway who were visiting Napa for the 1st time. We arrived 90 min earlier than our appointment - after our tour at neighboring vineyard Keenan which was abruptly ended at the start because their boisterous big dog had gotten into something poisonous and was foaming at the mouth and in distress. So we left early…(we later found out that the dog was OK thank goodness after an emergency vet run). That was jarring & scary enough, but when I arrived early @ Pride with a busload of 10 and asked Paul what to do – he didn’t hesitate or miss a beat… rolling with the situation, and starting us early on easily the best Cave tour we have ever had???? Many Napa vineyards seem to have gone into a kind of automatic mode – going through the swirling motions, not listening to their customers on tour – pushing customers to buy/buy at the end without ever connecting with them. However what you have with Paul is a truly gifted “connector” – a man who plainly loves his work, knows Pride inside the caves & out – and makes each guest feel as though they have had a very unique experience. We have always loved Pride as both a winery and source of outstanding juice. We are Spring Mountain fans for 20+ years (we knew Barbara and Jim at Paloma + we love Schweiger, Sherwin Family, and we are longtime Spring Mountain Vineyard club members). When you try the wines on Spring Mountain you will discover the biggest and richest reds in Napa - complex wines with aging potential. Our stop at Pride last Sunday was the last stop on our 3 day tour, and it left a delicious taste in everyone’s mouths. It made my wife's 50th even more memorable. The vino at Pride Mountain is TOP drawer - their famous Merlot is a monster of deep richness and structure, with massive aging potential. We are fans of the Cab as well & Chardonnay - all the wines at Pride are some of the best you will taste in Napa. Well worth a drive up the mountain. You will not easily find these incredible wines are your local store - do yourself a favor and experience the magic of Pride (and seek out Paul).
4. Conn Creek Winery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 129 reviews
TEMPORARY TASTING ROOM CLOSURE Our priority continues to be the safety and wellbeing of our employees and our customers. While our team has taken numerous precautions to minimize risk, we believe that closing our tasting room to the public is the responsible decision. Our winery will be closed starting on 3/14 while we monitor the situation.
Reviewed By lillbluebear - California, United States
Heads up: this is a long review. Short summary: highly recommended. Do the blending experience. Now if you aren't lazy in reading, please continue: Both Dragos and I throughly enjoyed being winemakers of the day. We ended up booking one main activity each day (Sonoma winery, where we met the owners and winemakers), French Laundry, and the blending experience to be winemakers at Conn Creek Winery. Honestly, I knew I would like and enjoy this experience because it sounded unique and more to offer than a regular wine tasting, but I had no idea how much I would like it. We didn't just like it! We loved it! First of all, Steve, kindly informed me that they would like to reschedule our blending experience due to the excessive heatwave we experienced that weekend. We agreed to scheduling it in the morning of our last day. Originally we had it at 230pm the previous day and it would be switched to 1030am the following day. Steve was gracious enough to custom our blending experience for an hour later at 1130am per our request. Much appreciated! One of the lovely staff members, Jessica, greeted us warmly. Thomas was our wine guide for our wine blending experience. He is extremely knowledgeable, humble, and a great sense of humor. He is also very personable (congrats to a new papa!) and got a majority of our preferences for chocolate, how we take our coffee, etc based upon our wine choices. I found that fascinating! Dragos and I loved the blending experience. He prefers clay soil. I prefer volcanic. I will let him drink his preference glass first and then give him a glass of my preference afterwards. He liked my wine afterwards. You cannot got wrong with quality wine! The grapes are so sweet. And interesting on what I thought was aesthetic decor was actually quite calculated for maximum sunlight, protection, and nourishment for the grapes. Everything handpicked by a trained eye and skilled set of hands to cut only the best choices: plump, ripe, and juicy bunches of grapes. Labor intensive for sure. Learning about it gives me more appreciation for the wine I consume. Out of our excursions this Napa trip, we highly recommend this one! This was both our favorite our of the three activities that we booked on this trip. It was the best one for us and perfect because we unknowingly saved the best for last! It was meant to be! Thank you Thomas for making winemaking experience a ton of fun! We left with high spirits, empowerment in choosing our cab wines, and a beautiful souvenir (our very own bottled blended wine) of our cherished time in Napa county. If there were another star to give for ranking, I'd give all the stars!!
5. Amizetta Estate Winery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 74 reviews
Reviewed By P1013GNphilipr
If you enjoy red wine these are some of the best Napa Valley has to offer in an idyllic setting overlooking the valley.
6. Tres Sabores Winery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 73 reviews
Tres Sabores ("three tastes") was founded in 1999 by winemaker and owner, Julie Johnson, to explore the 'three savory flavors' in every glass of wine: the taste of the vine, the terroir, and the good company around the table. The property is filled with growing history as olives and vines were planted here over a century ago. Today, the farm is a certified organic (CCOF) grower of Cabernet, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, and Petit Verdot, pomegranates, Meyer lemons, and Olives. We also raise Guinea fowl and sheep who serve not only as lawn mowers and the mobile fertilization team for the ranch but also 'go to market' and are served in some of the finest farm to table restaurants in the Bay Area.
Reviewed By 484kelly - Charlotte, United States
This was our favorite stop so far. What an amazing place. Loved being greeted by the friendly dogs and then getting a great tour of this sustainable winery / farm. Everyone was extremely friendly and gave us great information about the property, the area, and the wine. I would say that the quality of the wine was just as good if not better than most of the more expensive wines we tasted at other places. This certainly goes on my must visit list for anyone headed to the area and looking for wineries to go to.
7. Modus Operandi Cellars
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 320 reviews
Reviewed By PugglePower - Boca Raton, United States
We had a amazing wine tasting experience with Caitlyn of Modus Operandi at Brasswood. To begin with the wines were truly amazing, it was wonderful trying a wide selection of Jason’s wines as we learned about the history of the winery and his approach to his wine making. While I knew little about the wines of MO prior to my tasting, Jason has produced some terrific wines that are a pleasure to drink. Cailtyn was an outstanding hostess; she was engaging, warm and very knowledgeable. To top it off, the tasting room at Brasswood was beautiful. Having a private tasting with Caitlyn at Modus Operandi was the perfect way to spend s few beautiful hours in Napa, great company and great wine in a magnificent setting.
8. Moone Tsai Winery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 81 reviews
Moone-Tsai Vineyards is a Napa Valley winery that crafts extraordinary limited production wines that are prized for their character, complexity, structure and scarcity. With world-renowned winemaker Philippe Melka (from Chateau Haut Brion, and Petrus), we use only the most extraordinary fruit from coveted vineyards in Napa. Our private wine tasting experiences are by appointment only.
Reviewed By btsk16
Our group of four enjoyed a wine-paired lunch hosted by Steve Gage -- it was an amazing experience! Moone-Tsai hosts their tastings and wine-paired lunches at the Brasswood property right down the road from Downtown St. Helena. We happened to visit on an amazing weather day and were lucky enough to have our tasting/lunch out on the patio (highly recommend). The food was delicious, the wine was phenomenal and Steve was great company. If you're looking for a unique way to enjoy some of Napa's best wine, this is it!
9. V. Sattui Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,376 reviews
V. Sattui Winery is a family-owned property located in the heart of Napa Valley, which was founded in 1885 and makes more than 60 different wines with dozens of 90+ point rated wines among its current vintages. It is a stunning, must-see Napa Valley destination for picnics, weddings and events, offering an impressively robust Cheese Shop with more than 200 selections, an excellent Deli directed by Chef Gerardo Sainato, and a Salumeria directed by Stefano Masanti. The sprawling estate includes two-dozen picnic tables nestled beneath ancient Valley Oak trees and tri-level terraces that overlook beautifully manicured gardens and vineyards.
Reviewed By 581excursion777777 - El Cerrito, United States
A day well spent in the company of great wines amazing hospitality and lovely cheese and food!!! Got a great shaded place in the grow and had great few hours of wine tasting. After food had yummy scoops of ice cream!
10. Merryvale Vineyards
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 510 reviews
Merryvale's inviting tasting cellar is located in the heart of Napa Valley in the quaint town of St. Helena. We offer wine tasting flights until 5pm, with our retail room open until 5:30pm everyday. We offer a variety of tasting options to suit every palate including our legendary Profile Library tasting and wine and cheese pairings. Our wines are produced from sustainably farmed Napa Valley vineyards, including three estate properties. Guest favorites include our Bordeaux blend known as Profile, our St. Helena Estate Cabernet, and our Napa Valley Cabernet Franc.
Reviewed By 424michellep
Fantastic wine tour and wine tasting!! Loved the attention to detail and amazing tour guide!! Would highly recommend!
