The time is now to visit California’s Wine Country.

“We are incredibly grateful for the work of first responders who fought to save Wine Country, and we are relieved that firefighters have gained the upper hand. Now we need to do our part to help the recovery.   We can all help: Now is the time to visit Wine Country. If you’re already planning a trip, don’t cancel — Wine Country residents need your business now more than ever.”   – Caroline Beteta, President & CEO of Visit California

As the threat from wildfires subsides, California’s Wine Country communities now face the daunting task of healing. Visiting #CaliforniaWineCountryNow will help the entire region. Consider a trip this fall, when the weather is beautiful, vines show autumn colors and there’s plenty to see, taste and experience.   The region has more than 1,200 wineries, and fewer than 10 were heavily damaged. Most tasting rooms have reopened. And vintners expect the 2017 vintage to be excellent — 90 percent of this year’s grapes were harvested before the fires struck. 

Crowds are smaller, too, which can be a real game-changer for some of the most popular places in Napa and Sonoma. For example, at Russian River Brewing Company on October 22, you could walk right in with no waiting. Better yet, Happy Hour prices were in effect all day—$3.75 for a pint of Pliny the Elder is about as good as it gets for beer aficionados—and 100% of the sales of its Sonoma Pride beer will be donated to the fundraising effort. Similarly, many popular Napa Valley restaurants that often require booking far in advance have tables available now, including Terra, Redd, Bouchon, and Ad Hoc. And the majority of wineries in this region are open and would love to welcome you to their properties, including Robert Mondavi Winery, Rodney Strong Vineyards, St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery, and Domaine Carneros.

We are doing everything we can to tell the world it’s time to visit.  

#CaliforniaWineCountryNow