Castello di Amorosa: Napa Valley
For our first year as a married couple the hubby and I decided we would slip away for the holidays.
We quietly packed our bags and hopped on the short flight to the lovely little town of Calistoga in Napa valley to see this little gem...
The Castello di Amorosa winery, a winery modeled after 12th century castellos in Tuscany. We woke up early and had the hotel shuttle all to ourselves, beating the hoards of tourists that show up later on Saturdays. There are many guided tour options but I'd recommend booking in advance on the weekends as they sell out fast.
We opted for the reserve wine tastings so we could explore at our leisure.
You can see the pride that went into the building of this place. Most of the materials were shipped over from Europe and built in the same way that it would have been in the medieval age that it's modeled after.
We wandered through halls and courtyards drenched in early morning sunshine.
Napa had on her prettiest face for us that day and I couldn't have been happier.
As it started to get crowded, we made for the cellars where the real magic of the place happens.
Sir knight was on hand to guard the precious wine.
The gift shop was located down where the tastings take place, all the better to tempt the tipsy patrons with all the lovely goodies they sell.
Truly, I was tempted before I started drinking! One of the large leather bound Italian cookbooks would have made its way home with me if I'd brought anything bigger than a carry on.
The reserve wines and the server who explained them all were fantastic though I have no pictures of them as I was simply too busy enjoying myself!
The chapel was still waiting to be explored and my new throne just begging to sat in.
After hours of exploring and drinking, we were perfectly convinced that we'd had the best of holidays.
If you don't know where to vacation next, Castello di Amorosa certainly has my vote! Check out their website here.
Also the nearest town is Calistoga and most of the hotels there will give you coupons to the Castello for 5 or 10 dollars off the ticket price.