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Recipe Feature: Beet Salad
With Fall around the corner, we’re so looking forward to the abundance of the familiar produce that tends to adorn our dining table right through to Thanksgiving. When visiting any Napa wineries, you’ll hear our local winemakers suggesting favorite Fall foods to pair...
Plan your next weekend getaway with some of these ideas
Napa Valley offers more exciting activities packed into a relatively small region than just about anywhere else. Besides the fabulous tours of Napa wineries, wine tastings, and great food, weekend visitors also enjoy the Valley’s incomparable experience while hiking...
Featured Tour Guide: Gary Grossman
Gary Grossman is one of our fine Napa and Sonoma wine tour guides. Gary's long time commitment has been delivering the best experience for our wine country visitors. I asked Gary a little more about his time in Napa as a Platypus Tours wine guide. How long have you...
Top 7: New Restaurants in Napa Valley
I strolled through Downtown Napa recently and marveled at all of the new businesses that have opened since March 2020. I want to share with you all of the new restaurants you may try on your next visit to the Napa Valley. Empress M-There aren’t too many Chinese...
Featured Winery: Auburn James Winery
Since 2005, Platypus Wine Tours has offered highly educational and enjoyable wine tours to Napa Valley and Sonoma County wineries. Safe, fun, and memorable, Platypus tours are available for groups, private, or as join-ins. During the nearly two decades of experience...
Day Trip Ideas Around Napa Valley
Napa Valley and the Sonoma region are well known among locals and visitors alike for providing an array of pristine day trip destinations. Whether you’re traveling alone, with friends, or taking family along with you, there is truly something for everyone. Keep...
Recipe: Summer Green Goddess Salad Dressing
Stroll the Healdsburg square and you will run into Healdsburg Bar and Grill. Dine outside on the patio and enjoy a scrumptious burger and fries with all of the fixings. They have a full bar so you can even enjoy a Moscow Mule. Chef John Hallgrimson would love to share...
Top 7 Places to Visit in Russian River Valley
With the cool fog rolling in from the Ocean, the Russian River Valley is mostly known for its tasty Chardonnay and award-winning Pinot Noir. There are other hip places to visit here. Check out our Top 7 places to visit in the Russian River Valley. Sonoma Zipline...
Featured Winery: Dutton Estate Winery
When a visitor walks into the vineyard garden at Dutton Estate Winery, a journey into family history and the Sonoma County wine story begins. Surrounded by twenty acres of Chardonnay grapevines, visitors are greeted with the story of Joe and Tracy Dutton, and what...
Some of the Best Places to Picnic in the Napa Valley
The postcard-like scenery that Napa Valley wineries and Sonoma wineries allow residents to share in many wonderful outings, especially during the spring and summer months. Not only can you sample some of the incredible vintages these wineries produce, but you can also...
Why is Mountainside Fruit So Coveted?
Growing grapes on a steep hillside is quite challenging. First of all, planting along the hillside requires terraced farming. The soil is infertile and the drainage systems are often complex. Stressing for water, the grapes often have smaller berries and higher...
Top 7 Mountain Wineries in Napa Valley
Are you looking to escape to a summit in Napa and take in the scenery of the valley below? Travelling to one of our Mountain wineries is an adventure. Once you arrive, you will find that these back roads wineries offer genuine hospitality and delicious wines. 1. Hans...
Featured Winery: Pride Mountain Vineyards
Pride Mountain Vineyards (PMV) was founded in 1990 by Jim and Carolyn Pride and since 2004 has been owned by their children Suzanne and Steve. From 2004, the winery has been run and managed by Steve Pride, CEO and general manager, who also directs the farming and...
Featured Tour Guide: Chris Largent
I started with Platypus in 2013. Prior to coming to Platypus I worked in the corporate world for about 30 years. I was in the TV and Movie industry for 15 years where I worked on TV shows such as “The Wonder Years” as well as movies such as “Robocop” and “Lethal...
Moments of History In Wine Country
The Bear Flag Revolt. This almost-revolution took place in the village of Sonoma in June-July of 1846, which was the same year the Donner Party became trapped in the high Sierra on their way to this region. The area was governed by the Mexican government, having...
Featured Winery: Charles Krug Winery
The history of Napa Valley starts at Charles Krug Winery. Founded in 1861 by a Prussian immigrant, this iconic winery and historic Redwood Cellar and Carriage House represents the great legacy of a visionary man. After Prohibition ended, another 1st generation...
RECIPE: Spring Roasted Asparagus, Sauteed Mushrooms and Flank Steak
Recipe: Grilled Flank Steak with Sauteed Mushrooms and local roasted asparagus We are all about sharing simple and fun pairings and recipes so that you can recreate your Wine Country experience at home and revel in the memories you created here. During the springtime,...
Featured Winery: Lasseter Family Winery
Lasseter Family Winery strives to make honest, balanced, graceful wines, and to refresh and replenish the resources from which these wines are made. Since acquiring the property in 2002, the Lasseter’s embarked on an environmentally sensitive upgrading for their...