Post Travels: Winter in Napa Valley Wine Country

Winter can be a great time to visit wine country. And Dana Rebmann shows that a hot air balloon might be the perfect way to see it.

Hot air balloon in the sky above Napa Valley

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We are pleased to bring you this new column by writer Dana Rebmann, filled with travel tips, fun destinations, and beautiful videos and photo galleries of places you’ll be longing to visit!

 

There’s something to love about every season in wine country. Thanks to the harvest frenzy, fall may be the most popular time to visit, but the winter season has its perks. Crowds thin, and cool, clear days still often require sunglasses. Grapevines and the people who tend tirelessly to them, take a much-needed rest. Life slows down, wine makers can be found behind the bar pouring, rates at luxury hotspots drop, and sought-after reservations at Michelin starred restaurants can be easier to come by.

After October’s devastating firestorm, there were whispers it was best to stay away, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Wine country is open for business and welcoming visitors with open arms and smiles like never before. There’s no denying the damage was severe; residential areas, particularly in Sonoma County, were hit hard. But areas popular with visitors were virtually untouched. And as snippets from a recent hot air balloon flight with Napa Valley Balloons shows, wine country is stunning as ever, even in winter.

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