Being a tourist in the Napa Valley

This is a longer version of an article also published in the Financial Times.

One of the most difficult questions for a wine writer to answer is ‘which wineries should I visit?’ As in so many aspects of our professional lives, we are spoilt. We scarcely notice the red carpet being unfurled beneath our feet as we turn up (late) for a personal appointment with the owner or head winemaker.

Napa Valley being the world’s most visited wine region, and second most visited California destination after Disneyland, I decided to pose as a wine tourist on a recent trip there...