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EXPERIENCE WINE COUNTRY NEWS
Suggestions on Some of the Best Places to Stay in Napa Valley
Napa Valley is known for many things. Naturally, the world-famous wines, great weather, and incredible cuisine come to mind. Hospitality, complete with style, grace, outstanding accommodations, and many activities, is widely acclaimed. In fact, visitors can enjoy each...
Platypus Wine Country Tours November Recipe Feature
Salted Caramel and Sticky Date Pudding With the arrival of sweater weather, we will be seeking to serve up something delicious and festive to friends and family. For many Platypus Wine Tours guests across the country, the temperature is already substantially lower...
7 Ways to Celebrate Fall in Wine country
While a comprehensive list of fun and exciting things to do in California’s incredible Wine Country in the autumn is almost endless, narrowing the possibilities requires some serious pruning. But, given the spectacular weather and the natural beauty of the Napa Valley...
Thanksgiving with Friends and Family in Napa
As Thanksgiving nears, we begin pondering those gatherings with family and friends to give thanks for all your blessings and enjoy the traditional food and drink. But, as most of us know, these beautiful experiences all add up to an enormous amount of hard work and...
Guide Feature: Tour Curators Dustin and Patty
Platypus Wine Tours offers a wide variety of fascinating, educational, and enjoyable Wine Tours and winetasting opportunities throughout Napa Valley and Sonoma Wine Country. Whether join-in or privately reserved, Platypus Wine Tours allow visitors to safely relax and...
Recipe Feature: Fall Squash Raviolis Recipe
Here in wine country California, we’re always pursuing the epicurean lifestyle. It’s the endless array of food, wine, art, and leisurely offerings that make Napa Valley and Sonoma such dream-worthy destinations. With the arrival of Fall, we’re excited about so many of...
Top 6 Ghost Wineries of Wine Country
Following the 19th Century discovery that Napa Valley and other parts of California could become one of the most prolific and diverse wine grape growing areas in the world, vineyards and wineries literally sprouted across the landscape. By 1919 when Prohibition and...
What you may find going on at the vineyards currently
The 2021 Napa Valley growing season is here once again, and the grape harvest has begun. Since early spring, vineyard managers and crews have been working diligently to oversee the stages of bud break, flowering, cluster development, veraison, and final maturation...
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...