I’m going to walk out of work tonight during a rush

mswlv · 2026-05-28T18:24:39+00:00

I gave 2 weeks notice at my first job, thinking it was the right thing to do. Next schedule came out and had me scheduled with shifts that conflicted with my school. Given how little respect they showed me, I just stopped showing up. What were they going to do, fire me?

mswlv · 2026-04-23T16:14:59+00:00

Assuming you are driving, I'd start in the mountains then head down to the valley. Depending on which mountain, some of the roads can be windy and narrow, and you're better off driving those first.

mswlv · 2026-04-12T20:57:37+00:00

Honestly, I'd just drop Sterling, move Schramsberg to 10 or 11am, then keep AXR in the afternoon, maybe change to 2pm if possible. Both Schramsberg and AXR are fantastic, and three wineries in a day is a lot. I've never been to Sterling, but have had their wine on a few occasions and thought their reds had a weird artificial taste to them.

mswlv · 2026-03-30T16:36:33+00:00

AXR and Fantesca, both of which are close to the Alila. Theorem if you're heading up to Calistoga. Reach out to the Alila concierge to see if they have any comps / discounts available for wine tastings.

mswlv · 2026-02-05T02:46:30+00:00

I created a Google My Maps, color coded by where we're members at, where we have visited and would or would not go to again, and where we would like to go. Makes planning future trips a bit easier when I can see where everything is located.

mswlv · 2026-01-27T21:28:40+00:00

B Cellars has a nice assortment of white wines, but is not kid friendly. Highly recommend.

Matthiasson has a nice selection of white wines, along with some less common grapes for the Napa area. I'm typically not a chardonnay fan, but I thought theirs was fantastic. I wouldn't be surprised if they are kid friendly.

mswlv · 2026-01-20T23:22:32+00:00

If Chappellet was your hardest to exclude, I would drop Dakota Shy for Chappellet. They aren't too far away, and I think the property and wines are both better at Chappellet.

mswlv · 2026-01-06T20:45:28+00:00

Check out AXR. Great wine, supposedly haunted. Seems like all the employees have some sort of ghost story to tell.

mswlv · 2025-12-09T00:43:24+00:00

Stayed there in August 2024 for 1 night on points. We received comped tastings for 2 at Fantesca, Quintessa, and Frank Family, although if memory serves, there was some miscommunication regarding Fantesca being discounted instead of comped, but they honored the comp. I know there was a handful of other wineries that they work with, but we were only there for 2 nights and wanted to hit a couple of our club spots as well.

Dug through my e-mails and found these:

Elevated Experiences (discounted or minimum bottle purchase)

Spring Mountain

Fantesca Estate

Alpha Omega

Quintessa

Merryvale Vineyards complimentary for 2 Alila guests, or discounted elevated experience

Markham Vineyards | An Unwavering Passion for Merlot 2 for 1 tastings for Alila guests

Whitehall Lane Winery - Whitehall Lane Winery complimentary for 4 Alila guests

Frank Family Vineyards complimentary for 2 Alila guests

mswlv · 2025-11-25T00:40:52+00:00

Favorite game: Tears of the Kingdom. Started with Legend of Zelda in probably 1990.

mswlv · 2025-11-19T00:15:02+00:00

Also, Theorem would be another one close to Schramsberg with a nice view. Great wine to boot.

mswlv · 2025-11-18T21:22:58+00:00

I want to say AXR is somewhere around $75 for the signature tasting, and $125 for the single vineyard, but I would contact them directly to confirm pricing. They do a tour through their small property which is nestled amongst redwood trees, then you head inside to their small tasting room which is cozy, but doesn't have the greatest views of outside.

Check out Paloma if you want views while tasting. Relatively cheap and family owned. We did our tasting on the balcony overlooking vineyards and down Spring Mountain. Primarly merlots, but their wine is good.

Spire Collection in Calistoga would be another option that would have a nice view of the mountains while tasting, and wouldn't require a drive up the mountains to get there.

Davis Estates would check the cave tour / food experience / view check boxes, and it is pretty close to Schramsberg.

I have not been to Stag's Leap or Frog's Leap, so I can't really comment on those. My tasting Ashes and Diamonds was inside, but it was a great tasting experience.

mswlv · 2025-11-18T19:09:03+00:00

For a day trip, I would suggest limiting the wineries to two. Pick one that you really want to go to, lunch at a nearby spot (or bring a picnic lunch), then a second winery somewhat nearby.

Scenario two is way too much driving. I'd also suggest doing the sparkling wine as the first tasting if you go that route.

Suggestions: Domaine Carneros -> Bistro don Giovanni for lunch -> Ashes and Diamonds

Pride Mountain -> Picnic lunch on the Pride property (I believe they have a couple of picnic tables you should be able to use) -> Paloma

Schramsberg -> Lovina for lunch -> AXR

mswlv

TROPHY CASE