Napa Valley - help me ballpark costs

[czarcasm]

H and I are considering a trip to Napa with friends. They've got a rental house lined up already, but the people originally going with have backed out. They've also got a rental car lined up. We're definitely going to split those costs with them, even though they've said it's not necessary.

This will be their 2nd trip and our 1st. We'll be there 4 days. Last time they had a driver and visited a ton of wineries. For this trip, they're going the rental car route and are going to visit less wineries per day. They also know about the coupons on 2 for 1 deals that many wineries do. We plan on eating out lunch but cooking most breakfasts and dinners.

Any budget advice for what we should expect to spend per day? Any other feedback is appreciated too. This isn't a trip we've budgeted for, so we're trying to get a handle on the costs before we decide to go or not. I *think* it can be done fairly inexpensively, but H disagrees.

[orangello]

I think it really depends on what you plan to do. We find that 4, maaaybe 5 wineries per day is the limit - 3 is almost best. After a while, all wine tastes the same, plus you're tired and tipsy. I would definitely plan to picnic during the days if possible - there are tons of amazing groceries and small shops with just about anything you could want to eat, and the restaurants get insanely crowded.

Also, another biggie is that the vineyards in Napa (vs. Sonoma) are generally more $ as far as tasting costs go. I was just in Sonoma and Napa this past weekend, there were 3 couples. We used to live in SF so we were taking them around to some of the places we'd usually go, and we all agreed it was very different in Napa vs. Sonoma. Napa, tasting fees are $20 to $25 per place, and are not comped unless you join the wine club. South Sonoma, we were finding fees about $10 to $15, no comping unless joining the club. Northern Sonoma, fees are also $10 to $15, but a lot of times will be comped if you buy a bottle of wine. One thing DH and I do is split tastings - less $, and you can go a little longer.

Also keep in mind that at the actual vineyards it's pretty rare to find bottles for less than $20, especially in Napa. I would say the bottles we purchased for dirnking ranged from $20 - $55. If you're planning to purchase as you go to drink in the evenings, it will not be inexpensive. It WILL be delicious, however.

I would estimate food (no restaurants), misc. drinks without wine, and tasting fees to be around $75pp/day, on the lower to mid priced end. Keep in mind I'm bad at estimating and not known for being good at budget travelling, however!

[mdgirl]

Also keep in mind that at the actual vineyards it's pretty rare to find bottles for less than $20, especially in Napa. I would say the bottles we purchased for dirnking ranged from $20 - $55. If you're planning to purchase as you go to drink in the evenings, it will not be inexpensive. It WILL be delicious, however.

Wise words. It's sucks to pick a vineyard for whatever reason (it's pretty, recommended by a friend, convenient location) and then realize after you walk in their bottles are all $75+.