The Napa Valley, located in Central California, is notorious for the vineyards and wine it produces. People love to go touring the beautiful and scenic private vineyards on horseback for anniversaries, bachelorette parties, and even just to have a weekend away. Visitors from all around the world come just to taste some of the most delicious wine straight from the vine!
However, not everyone knows some of these intriguing and little known facts about the Napa Valley! How many do you know?
1 Small, But Mighty
Napa Valley, being as famous as it is for wine production, only produces 4% of California’s wines and only .04% of the world’s wine! Who would have known with how immensely popular it is!
2 Get a Taste of Italy in California!
Another fun percentage fact is that only 2% of the world’s surface is covered by area that has dry, Mediterranean climate. And our beloved Napa Valley is part of that small percentage!
3 Good Wine Makes for a Good Economy
According to a study in 2014 from the International Wine & Food Society, Napa Valley is responsible for over $50 billion towards the American economy! That’s because of the over 300,000 jobs they provide each year, plus the wine sold straight from their own vineyards.
4 It’s All in the Family
There are 420 physical wineries in the Napa Valley that produces over 815 different wine brands. And of those wineries, 95% of them are all family owned. That’s some real family love right there!
5 Ain’t No Mountain High Enough (Ain’t No Valley Low Enough)
With all those wineries, where can you put them all in such a small area? Well, the vineyards elevations can range quite drastically – anywhere from sea level to 2,600 feet. This takes incredible skill to understand how the grapes can grow in those different areas. Wine making isn’t a walk in the park!
6 Would You Like Red or White?
Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme as the most popular wine to come out of the Napa Valley with over 40% of the grapes harvested in the area picked just for that specific wine.
7 15 Minutes of Fame Turned Eternal
Back in 1976, “The Judgement of Paris” occurred. This event was when two Californian wines, Chateau Montelena Chardonnay and Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon, were put to a blind taste testing where they completely dominated over the other, world renowned French wines. This is the moment that little ole Napa Valley, California wines got themselves on the map and taken seriously in the wine world!
8 Tourism From Around the World
Because of Napa Valley’s rise to fame from the Judgment of Paris, tourism shot through the roof for the small winery town. Once word got around how beautiful the valley was and how stunning the views were from nearly every vineyard, the people started flocking. In recent years, they welcome nearly 5 million visitors each year.
9 It’s All About the Aesthetic
With its rich history and family legacies rooted in from the late 1800s, Napa Valley is no stranger to unique architecture. Many of the famous and older wineries aren’t some industrial, factory sized buildings. They are typically in castle-like structures that give a feel of a true Victorian age that is hidden in the midst of California.
10 We’re More Than Just Wine
Although we would like to think we could just spend the whole day sipping on our favorite wines, fresh from the vineyard, Napa Valley has so much more to offer. Between hot air balloon rides, diverse cuisines, and music festivals – there is something for everyone in Napa Valley.
Our Deluxe Sonoma & Napa Valley Wine Country Tour from San Francisco is jam packed with amazing adventures for you and yours to come experience. We will take you from the San Francisco area for a luxurious trip to the highly anticipated wine country. From there, you will spend the day doing wine tasting, a guided tour, and beautiful views from the Golden Gate Bridge and the majestic wineries.