California ‘winter’ has arrived, and with temperate temps and endless blue skies, we have to say we’re here for it. Not to mention many of our St. Helena businesses have pulled out the stops to make it ridiculously enjoyable to aprés all day in wine country!
We rounded up some of our favorite can’t miss outdoor experiences from dining in yurts to wine cabanas and so many more experiences that’ll make your safe and socially distant visit to St. Helena deliciously memorable.
Yurts at Charter Oak Restaurant
In partnership with American Express and RESY, join them as they transform their outdoor courtyard into a series of cozy, heated yurts with a special pre-fixe winter menu. Each yurt has a unique theme, giving homage to a part of our nearby 3.5-acre farm and features botanicals from the local areas. This offering will be available from December 3rd through February 28th, 2021.
BYOB at Brasswood
This is a BYOB situation, bring your own blanket, and they’ll take care of the rest! Book a wine tasting experience and sip some of the valley’s best reds and whites while taking in the rustic mountain backdrop. Or grab a spot on the patio for breakfast, lunch, and dinner under the open sunny skies, they’re serving up your favorite farm-to-table Napa Valley dishes!
Enjoy the Outdoors at Long Meadow Ranch and Farmstead
Choose your adventure when it comes to your time at LMR. Their extensive outdoor patios and verdant gardens (yes, even during winter) are waiting with open arms..and seating! Their connection to rugged mountain terrain, mineral-rich riverbed benchland, and the cool coastal air is tangible through the dishes and ambiance at their restaurant.
The charming outdoor Garden Lounge + Café is nestled under a picturesque blue spruce tree at Farmstead’s north end. Each morning, you can grab a coffee, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and more. Relax and enjoy the full Farmstead lunch menu. Every afternoon and evening, enjoy cocktails, wine, beer, and the complete Farmstead dinner menu, all while socially distancing.
Charles Krug Wine Cabanas
A new way to experience Charles Krug! December weather in Napa Valley is pleasantly cool and sunny, perfect for an outdoor tasting in one of their private cabanas. Groups of up to six are invited to reserve a private cabana. They will tailor an experience just for you, from tasting flights and full-bottles selections to their delicious culinary fare.
Cakebread Garden to Glass
A resident winery chef will greet you upon arrival to offer an inside (while outside) look at their culinary program, which begins in Dolores Cakebread’s 3/4 acre vegetable garden. As the chef guides you through what’s fresh on this organic garden tour and wine tasting, you will have the opportunity to pick ingredients straight from the source and learn how Cakebread Cellars maintains this prized, certified Bee Friendly garden. Afterward, enjoy a seated wine and food pairing featuring fresh garden ingredients for a truly farm-to-table experience.
Sit Amongst the Redwoods at Sequoia Grove
Cozied up outside, beside a covert heater, beneath the soaring redwoods with wine in your glass – sounds pretty perfect, and it’s all happening at Sequoia Grove. Hosted at a private patio table, the Single Vineyard Tasting is designed for both the serious Cabernet Sauvignon aficionado and those who want a better understanding of how terroir influences the characteristics of fine wine. Add a food pairing to this experience for $10 per guest (see below).
Patio Tasting at Merryvale Vineyards
Fans of the great grape of Burgundy will enjoy Merryvale’s Pinot Noir Tasting. This exciting varietal flight is $40 per person and features four single-vineyard Pinot Noir bottlings from their sister winery Starmont, plus a taste of their very limited Merryvale Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. These pours happen on their comfortable patio tables, scattered around a large Italianate fountain that offers the perfect background noise to a leisurely downtown tasting.
Hungry for more?
Right across the street from Merryvale, Tra Vigne Pizzeria has a patio table ready (you can still catch the sounds of the Merryvale fountain), and their menu welcomes you with house-made pizzas, table-side prepared burrata, lush cocktails, beers, and more.
Cook Restaurant is a petite eatery attracts the locals with its locally sourced Northern Italian cuisine & elegant atmosphere. All of which has translated seamlessly to their winter-ready outdoor set-up (heaters, heaters, and warm hearty dishes)!
Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen draws diners with it’s out-of-the-norm for wine country menu and keeps them coming back with show-stopping Himalayan dishes and warm hospitality. Take a seat and be ready to leave full.
The City of St. Helena created a new downtown outdoor space for diners in its temporary street closure of Hunt Avenue between Main Street and Railroad Avenue. “Hunt Avenue Hub” welcomes the public to stop and enjoy their food and beverages in an inviting outdoor space under umbrellas by day and enchanted string lights by evening. Grab lunch to go from Gillwoods Cafe and a glass or two of their best pours from Erosion Tasting – both located right around the corner!