West

10 wine caves around California that offer unique tours for visitors

Published

1 year ago

October 24, 2024

10 wine caves around California that offer unique tours for visitors

California is the largest wine producer in the country. In fact, the Golden State is behind 81% of the U.S.’ wine production, having produced 605,981,608 gallons in 2023, according to the Wine Institute’s website.

Those visiting California can get a behind-the-scenes look at the wine production in the state through the plethora of unique tours offered by different wineries.

One optimal experience several wineries throughout the state offer to guests is a tour of wine caves.

ARE YOU PLANNING A TRIP TO CALIFORNIA? HERE’S A GUIDE OF ATTRACTIONS TO ADD TO YOUR VISIT

Wine caves have been created throughout the state as a way to store large barrels of wine as they age, according to Visit California.

Often, tours of wine caves come jointly with tastings of exclusive wines.

California is full of experiences for wine lovers, including tours of unique wine caves. (George Rose/Getty Images)

California is home to thousands of wineries that all have unique offerings for guests, many of which include cave tours.

Below are just a few of the many California wineries you can visit to explore wine caves.

Alexander Valley Vineyards
Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves
Jarvis Estate Winery
Pine Ridge Vineyards
Benziger Family Winery
Buena Vista Winery
Inglenook
Davis Estates
Schramsberg Vineyards
Brasswood Estate

CAN RED WINE IN MODERATION BOOST BRAIN AND HEART HEALTH? SOME EXPERTS STILL SAY YES

1. Alexander Valley Vineyards

Alexander Valley Vineyards is located in the city of Healdsburg, which is within Sonoma County, California.

This location offers tours of the 48,000 square-foot underground cave on the property.

During this tour, you’ll get the unique experience of learning about the barrel aging program used at the vineyard.

The wine cave at Alexander Valley Vineyards is a popular tourist attraction in California. (George Rose/Getty Images)

Additionally, there are plenty of other experiences you can book, such as scenic hikes of the vineyard.

2. Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves

The family-run Bella Vineyards has wine tastings and cave tours available for guests.

WINE DRINKERS MAY HAVE DINOSAURS TO THANK AFTER 60M-YEAR-OLD GRAPE FOSSIL SEEDS ARE FOUND BY SCIENTISTS

Bella Vineyards and Wine Caves is located in Healdsburg. Over 70% of the grapes used to produce wine are grown from the vineyard, according to the website.

In the “Bella Tour,” which is described as an “immersive winery experience” on the website, guests will be able to explore the process of making wine on the crush pad and through the vineyard.

Guests will also be able to make their way through the wine caves, where they’ll be surrounded by the barrels where wine is perfectly aged.

Wine caves are filled with oak barrels where wine is perfectly aged under ideal conditions. (iStock)

The “Bella Tour” takes around 90 minutes to complete, according to the website.

3. Jarvis Estate Winery

At Jarvis Estate Winery, guests are welcomed into the 45,000 square foot cave where they can expect to learn more about the winery’s “approach to crafting world-class wines.”

UNDERGROUND WINE CITY IN MOLDOVA OWNS NEARLY 2 MILLION BOTTLES, THE WORLD’S LARGEST COLLECTION

The wine cave tour includes a visit to the Cuve Gallery, filled with over a dozen oak vessels, according to the winery’s website, and an underground waterfall at the end of the tour, which helps the cave stay at the perfect temperature for aging, the website states.

After a tour of the cave, guests will enter the Tasting Chamber, where wines can be sampled.

A 45,000 square foot cave is located within Jarvis Estate Winery. (Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

4. Pine Ridge Vineyards

Pine Ridge Vineyards is one of many wineries located in Napa Valley, California.

Pine Ridge Vineyards offers a 90-minute tour of a wine cave, as well as a wine tasting.

WORLD’S OLDEST WINE DISCOVERED IN ANCIENT ROMAN BURIAL SITE

The guided tour takes guests through the cave system, according to the website, and then concludes with a wine tasting in Cellar 47 to try cabernets.

5. Benziger Family Winery

Benziger Family Winery is located in Glen Ellen, which can be found in Sonoma County.

At Benziger Family Winery, wines are crafted from Sonoma Mountain Ranch and Sonoma County Vineyards, according to their website.

During the tour of Benziger Family Winery, guests can learn about the farming practices of the winery, with a glass of wine in hand, of course.

During a tour of Benziger Family Winery, guests will be able to learn more about the winery’s farming practices. (George Rose/Getty Images)

One of the stops along the tour is of the wine cave, and ends with a seated wine tasting paired with cheese.

6. Buena Vista Winery

Buena Vista Winery was founded in 1857, making it the oldest commercial winery in the state of California, according to SonomaCounty.com.

At Buena Vista Winery, guests can enjoy a glass of champagne and sparkling wine at the Bubble Lounge and also enjoy wine straight from the barrels of the cave.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER

The original Buena Vista Winery is about a mile from Sonoma Square, according to the website.

Guests can also visit the Château Buena Vista, which is located in downtown Napa.

Buena Vista Winery was founded in 1857. (Craig Lee/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)

7. Inglenook

Inglenook is a winery that was founded in 1879, located in Rutherford, California.

During the tour, guests will get to take a look inside the Italia Cave, where there are 120 fermentation tanks, according to Inglenook’s website.

For more Lifestyle articles, visit foxnews.com/lifestyle.

Additionally, guests will get to visit the Infinity Cave, where barrels are stored for aging.

At the end of the tour, those visiting Inglenook will go to one of the cellars to enjoy wine and cheese.

8. Davis Estates

Davis Estates is complete with 11,000 square feet of caves, according to its website. The estates are located in Calistoga, California, in Napa County.

Tours are offered at Davis Estates, where guests can get a behind-the-scenes look through the vineyard at the estate and the winery featuring the caves.

There are plenty of tasting spaces to relax and enjoy a flight of wines.

Tours of wine caves are often paired with delicious wine tastings. (iStock)

9. Schramsberg Vineyards

Schramsberg Vineyards is one that specializes in sparkling wines.

The tour of the cave at Schramsberg Vineyards can be paired with a sparkling, white wine or red wine tasting.

Schramsberg Vineyards is in Calistoga, California.

10. Brasswood Estate

Brasswood Estate includes 17,000 square feet of caves, according to its website.

During a cave tour at Brasswood Estate, guests will get to sip on wines created by a team headed by Angelina Mondavi, per the site.

One unique feature of Brasswood Estate is the wine cave library, which is where wines can be enjoyed at the long table in its center.

Brasswood Estate is located in Helena, California, in Napa Valley.

Ashlyn Messier is a writer for Fox News Digital.

Read the full article from Here

San Francisco, CA

What is next for San Francisco 49ers and who to root for Week 18

Published

56 minutes ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

What is next for San Francisco 49ers and who to root for Week 18

With a loss against the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers officially lost the one seed and a chance at a bye week. They will be playing next week, but it’s not quite determined who they will play and when. A few games on Sunday will determine this.

Who the San Francisco 49ers will play in the Wild Card Round

The 49ers will either be the five or six seed. They will be the five if the Los Angeles Rams lose to the Arizona Cardinals. However, if the Rams beat the Cardinals, the 49ers will be the sixth seed in the NFC.

A few notable starters, such as Davante Adams and Kevin Dotso,n will be out, but Matthew Stafford is going to play, and he is competing for the MVP. Arizona has not won a game in a few months their front office would like to lose for draft pick purposes and they are heavy underdogs in this game.

The most likely outcome is that the Rams will be the fifth seed and they will get to face the NFC South winner. Meanwhile, the Bears will take on one of the Philadelphia Eagles or Chicago Bears. While the 49ers beat the Bears and lost to the Bucs, most fans would rather see the Bucs, so the 49ers will be rooting for the Cardinals, even if that is unlikely.

Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Chicago plays the Detroit Lions, and if they win, they will get the two-seed. That would mean that the Philadelphia Eagles will host the 49ers in the Wild Card Round. If the Bears lose and the Eagles win, the 49ers would head to Chicago to take on the Bears.

Then, if the Bears and Eagles lose, the 49ers would head to Philadelphia. Philadelphia is taking on the Washington Commanders, and they have not won in about as long as the Cardinals. They are also looking at starting Josh Johnson again this week, which should ensure one more loss.

So, with the Rams and Eagles being near locks to win, it will come down to the Bears. The Lions are not bottom dwellers like the other two, and we know Dan Campbell will play to beat the Bears.

Detroit is not quite a playoff team, but they can compete with any playoff team, so they could end up giving Chicago a run for their money. 49ers fans are going to want Detroit to show up and play well. While it is not easy to beat a team twice, with the second being in their home, they would like to avoid the Eagles, who have a defense that can compare to Seattle. We saw what happened against that type of defense.

Source link

Denver, CO

Grading The Week: From Bo Nix’s dog days to Mackenzie Blackwood and Nikola Jokic, Denver sports’ 2026 off to rocky start

Published

1 hour ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Grading The Week: From Bo Nix’s dog days to Mackenzie Blackwood and Nikola Jokic, Denver sports’ 2026 off to rocky start

The Lumberyard is breaking boards already?

The Colorado Avalanche is becoming the Colorado Ambulanche. The Nuggets’ center options went from Nikola Jokic and Jonas Valanciunas to the 1-2 punch of DeRon Holmes II and Zeke Nnaji.

Hang on. Hang on. Wasn’t 2026 supposed to be “Denver’s Year?”

At least, that’s what the Grading The Week (GTW) crew told each other at the annual holiday soiree a fortnight ago, just before we sent everybody home for Christmas.

Well after the last eight days or so, Team GTW thinks it might be wise now for the Broncos to double Bo Nix’s security. (Just don’t bring any guard dogs.)

Because if it wasn’t for bad luck, to paraphrase the late, great bluesman Albert King, Front Range sports fans wouldn’t have no luck at all.

Blackwood to the IR — D.

This past Friday, the Avs took a break from wiping the ice with the rest of the NHL to place goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood, the younger half of its “Lumberyard” pairing of netminders, on injured reserve with a lower body injury.

You want lousy timing? Blackwood’s absence piles it on with several layers of awful.

For one, the Thunder Bay native finished December on a heater — posting an 8-1-0 record, a 2.13 Goals Against Average and a save rate of 92.3%.

For another, Colorado is in the teeth of one of the tougher road trips of the season, with visits to division leading Carolina on tap for Saturday, followed by a matinee Sunday at Florida to cap off a night game-into-day-game back-to-back, capped off by a Tuesday evening visit to Tampa Bay.

For yet another, Blackwood only faced 13 shots on New Year’s Eve, his last start, during a 6-1 Avs win over St. Louis at Ball Arena.

Scott Wedgewood (17-1-4, 2.13 GAA, .919 save percentage as of early Saturday) has been more than good enough to shoulder the load in net, granted. But you also don’t want to overload a 33-year-old goalie who’s having a career year in his eighth full season in the NHL. Wedgewood, largely a “1B” netminder since ’15-16, had already logged 24 starts this season going into the weekend. His career high for starts is 32 and his season average has been 20 per year. Depending on the severity of Blackwood’s injury, Wedgewood, at least in the short term, is going to have to ramp up the quantity to match his quality.

In isolation, it’s a lousy way to open 2026. Add in the freak knee injury Nuggets icon Jokic suffered this past Monday night in Miami and Valanciunas’ calf strain two days later in Toronto, you wonder what Denverites did to anger the sporting gods. Or if we’re getting payback for October-December being so absolutely glorious ’round these parts.

Regardless, let’s put a pin in those multiple-championship-parades-in-one-year plans — at least until Nix and the Broncos get to Santa Clara next month in one piece.

CSU women’s hoops rolling — A.

May whatever karma that’s haunting Ball Arena spare the good folks up in FoCo. The CSU Rams’ women’s basketball team finished the December part of its ’25-26 slate with a flourish on Dec. 31, stomping Grand Canyon in Phoenix 61-47 and improving to 12-2 overall, 3-0 in Mountain West play. CSU has won 12 straight away games dating back to last season. The Rams get a two-game homestand against Fresno State (Saturday) and New Mexico (Wednesday) before returning to the road on Jan. 10 (at Boise State) and Jan. 14 (at Air Force).

Source link

Seattle, WA

Seattle’s Defense Wanted To Show It Was The ‘Best Defense In The NFL With Dominant Win

Published

1 hour ago

January 4, 2026

Press Room

Seattle’s Defense Wanted To Show It Was The ‘Best Defense In The NFL With Dominant Win

Santa Clara—When Seattle’s defense stepped on the field for the Week 18 matchup against the 49ers, they had a few goals in mind, winning was of course one of those, but they wanted to show everyone watching they are the best defense in the league.

“We made up our mind that we were going to be the best defense in the NFL,” linebacker Uchenna Nwosu said. “We were going to show the world tonight and that’s what we did.”

As has been the case for the entire season, the Seahawks’ defense was once again a highlight in their 13-3 win. The Seahawks won, in part thanks to a dominant performance by the defense that held the San Francisco 49ers to just three points. The last time Kyle Shanahan’s offense was held to just three points was in his 49ers head coaching debut in 2017. Since then, San Francisco has scored at least 6 points in every game, until Saturday.

Coming into Saturday’s game, the 49ers were riding a three-game streak of great performances by its offense. Throughout all three of those games, San Francisco was averaging 42.3 points per game, 455.3 yards per game and 29.3 first downs per game.

Seattle’s defense held San Francisco to just 53 rushing yards, which included 21 yards from quarterback Brock Purdy, 127 yards through the air, a lone field goal, and just nine first downs. They also picked off Purdy once, sacked him three times and forced the 49ers to punt four times.

“They’re a tremendous offense,” head coach Mike Macdonald said following the game. “Probably top whatever in the league and have been doing it for a long time. They have great players, they have great coaches, and the numbers back it up. Our guys played great complimentary football today. They really did. I can’t say enough, but I can’t wait to watch the tape. There’s a lot of assists going on in there, guys rushing unselfishly to free somebody else up or to let somebody else have a two-way go so they can cover for them. How we played in the back end, it felt like we were ahead of plays. These guys did a great job. I’m looking forward to watching it.”

Christian McCaffery, one of San Francisco’s top offensive playmakers in both the run and passing game was held to his lowest rushing yards all season with 23 yards through the night and his fourth lowest receiving yards with 34.

Nick Emmanwori who had a team high seven tackles, as well as a tackle for loss and quarterback hit said, “Our front seven is the best in the world. Our D-Line is the best in the world. Got dudes like Jarran Reed, Leonard Williams, Byron Murphy. Our edges are dogs. They handle business every week. We’ve got the best run defense I the league. It makes it easy for us on the back end.”

Source link