Napa

Napa needs 2 days: driving Route 29 through world-famous Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards, with tastings at at least 3 wineries, on one, and riding the Napa Valley Wine Train, a historic train touring the valley while lunch is served among the vines, on the other. September-October is harvest season, with the landscape at its peak while grapes are pressed. It's expensive, among California's priciest weekend destinations. The valley has over 400 wineries packed into just 48 km, and at the 1976 Judgment of Paris its wines beat the French in a blind tasting that permanently changed the world's perception of California wine.