Napa Valley Wines
Wine Train - Give the Gift of Memories
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Message from Napa Valley Wines
Life is about celebrating and food is the thread that binds all together, throughtout the holidays and throughout life. The Napa Valley Wine Train is Napa's most distinctive restaurant offering a wide variety of wonderful dining experiences. A romantic evening out, a tour of Napa Valley, a vintage train ride, a champagne lunch, moonlight dining, family fun and so much more. The Wine Train offers a unique experience for everyone on your list.
Editorial by
The SceneThe journey begins in a dignified lounge car, where cushy swivel chairs face curtained windows that frame fabulous views of well-known wineries, rows of vines and surrounding hills. Polished mahogany, brass accents and spinning fans overhead re-create a genteel era. As the train chugs along, guests are free to mill about and sample wine (for a fee) in the tasting car. Meals are served in a 1917 Pullman dining car.
The Food
Passengers choose from champagne brunch, gourmet lunch, dinner, or casual fare in the cowboy-themed Silverado car. Lunch begins with a palate-pleasing appetizer including olives, cheese and smoked salmon. Next up, a refreshing spinach salad with candied walnuts and goat cheese in vinaigrette, or creamy tomato-basil soup. Entrees disappoint; a bland filet, piled with mushrooms, gets lost in a pungent red wine-shallot reduction, and moist, pork tenderloin is overpowered by a brandy mushroom glaze. Rich desserts include crème brule and a dense chocolate nut tart.
Key Points
- Gourmet Dining
- Wine Tasting
- Gift Certificates
The Inside Scoop
- Save Money - Try the wine tasting option; for $5, you can choose any four wines off the extensive menu, including selections only sold by the bottle.
- Know Before You Go - Wine is not included with most meals. Guests can order from an extensive menu, which includes wine sold by the glass ($6-$12) and the bottle ($19-$66.)
- When to Go - For the best scenery, plan your trip just before harvest season (end of September) when grapes are plump and ready to be picked. Just after harvest, expect bare vines.
- Where to Sit - While the views on both sides of the train are good, the scenery on the west side is slightly more picturesque.
Latest reviews from Citysearch.
We went years ago just to try the monthly appellation dinner. It was delicious! The appellation dinners are held once a month only and each course is paired with a specific wine from the region that is being showcased for that month. We were there for the Washington State wines dinner and had a blast.
The dinner was fabulous as was the service and the wines just went perfectly with all the chosen courses. We went back a few years later (during our honeymoon) and were a little disappointed. This time we went for the Sicilian Wine Appellation Dinner. The wines were a lot drier than we were used to...not only that but we were seated with another couple at a table for 4. Talk about awkward! There was nothing wrong with these people....we just had nothing in common with them! Make sure that you ask for a table for 2 if you want to be seated by yourselves.
Pros: Great if you can get your own table, Different from your usual dressy dinner
Cons: Might be seated with strangers
Posted 11/23/06
We arrived at the Wine Train expecting a clean and pleasurable experience. We found the station to be a dowdy and unattractive building located in the industrial area of Napa City. We had been told earlier by a brusque wine train employee named Erica that the station was "State of the art" This was clearly not the case. The train did pass by some nice areas "upvalley" , but I found the cuisine overpriced and the train cars slightly dingy. When I called up "Erica" after the experience in order to help her improve customer experience, she was rude and told me she was "too busy" to deal with "people who look for problems" I wish the wine train well, but we will not be recommending the train to our friends or clients until changes are made for the better
Pros: The wine country is very pretty
Cons: The Wine Train is touristy and cheesy. The food was below par
Posted 09/03/06
It was very relaxing on the Wine Train. You can get a half-glass of wine for just $5, which is a pretty good deal to me, considering the price of the bottle doesnt matter. Also, the food is great, but a little too pricey for being a small amount. While on the train, the toilet was broken, and urine was floating around in the toilet, since no one could flush the toilet.
Otherwise, I think it was fun and relaxing, and I would recommend this to you, whether you drink wine or not.
Pros: Food, Wine
Cons: Price, Restroom
Posted 08/07/06