Napa, CA

We stopped Randy briefly in SF to pick up a few more amigos, witness the debauchery of Bay to Breakers, and soak up SF's fantastic vibe (it's fast becoming one of my favourite cities). But quickly I wanted to be back on the road, especially as we were heading up to wine country.

When we stopped in Santa Barbara I thought it was Arcadia personified, but I was wrong. Napa steals that title easily. The valley has a unique microclimate perfect for growing grapes. Early in the morning, cool, moist sea air sweeps in off the ocean just 40 miles west, and dumps its languid humidity on the valley. Then through the morning, as the heat builds, it burns off fog to reveal brilliant blue skies. Temperatures hover around 80 degrees, not to hot, not to cold. This grape-growing mecca has produced a bounty of vineyards and master viticulturists, attracting swarms of thirsty day trippers as well as seasoned wine snobs.

The crew spent a day in Sonoma tasting the zinfandels of Martinelli (fruit forward and powerful) and the bubbly of Korbel (average - stick to the real stuff), and then cruised up to Napa to sample the single-terroir cabernets of Nichel & Nichel (strangely earthy, each distinctive) and the delightful pinots and blends of Pine Ridge. If in town, I highly recommend the buzzy Mustards Grill (we drank a delightful bottle of Prisoners) and Taylors Automatic Refresher where you can eat burgers to die for under big oak trees.