Golden Gate Gazette

If you enjoy wine tasting you know that one of the drawbacks to being able to fully enjoy the experience (as in: sampling wines without reciprocal fear of driving to the next destination while impaired), then you might want to consider the Napa Valley Wine Train.The train provides a relaxed three hour thirty-six mile round-trip journey between the historically quaint town of Napa through one of the world’s most famous wine valleys to the destination of picturesque St. Helena, and then back again.Dedicated to preserving a past way of life, the Napa Valley Wine Train is instrumental in maintaining and using historic rail cars that no longer exist on the American landscape.Guests can opt for either a freshly prepared lunch or dinner as they take in the lovely vineyard views and wineries all from the comfort of a 1915 1917 Pullman dining or lounge car, or a 1952 Vista Dome rail car all of which have been stunningly restored to original detail.Daily winery tours include the Valley First winery, Grgich Hills winery, Domaine Chandon winery, and Raymond and ZD winery as well as onboard wine tasting which encompass anywhere between 40 to 50 bottles of wine (available to taste) at any given time.Most guests enjoy the lunch train since they believe the valley is best viewed in daylight hours, but keep in mind, too, that the dinner train can be equally lovely as sunset descends upon the vineyards and night enters the train’s cars thereby allowing them to take on a beauty and romance all their own.Prices vary depending on season and event, so we suggest you check the website for pricing and reservations.And last, for those history and trivia buffs, the Napa Valley Railroad was built and operated by Samuel Brannan in 1864 as a tourist railroad to take visiting San Franciscans as they arrived by ferry in south Napa to his resort town of Calistoga.