One of our favorite excursions while visiting the Napa Valley is hopping  aboard the Wine Train.  Whether it’s a roundtrip up and down the valley enjoying the views and the phenomenal food or a one-way trip with that same gourmet cuisine and then a visit to a nearby winery, the Napa Valley Wine Train is a must-experience when you’re in town.

On a recent visit to wine country we enjoyed the one of a kind, whimsical Valley First Winery Tour that visits Raymond Vineyards for 2 hours prior to your lunch experience on the train.  As always, you’re welcome to arrive to the train station 30 minutes before your scheduled departure for registration.  Here I always like to enjoy a nice drink to get the day off on the right foot.  Since it was close to lunch time, I enjoyed sweet sparkling moscato while we waited. For the Valley First Winery Tour, you and the group board a shuttle bus at the train station and are driven to Raymond Vineyards in St. Helena. During the ride along Silverado Trail you learn about the wineries along the way and talk about the terrain, climate, and grapes grown in this region.  Upon arrival, the scene is set for a unique experience.

We were handed a glass and our first tasting as we were prepared to explore their Theater of Nature, facilities, and eclectic style of proprietor Jean-Charles Boisset.

Their two acre Theater of Nature is the largest educational exhibit on Biodynamic farming in the Napa Valley. It showcases how all the “actors” in the Theater of Nature play a crucial part in crafting quality wine, from the soil to the larger forces such as the lunar cycle.

Our guide refilled our glasses with about 5 wines and then we took a test, don’t worry, it’s really fun.  A table is set with glasses and a worksheet with pen for what is the Sensory Evaluation portion of the tour.  Can you name the components you smell in each individual wine?  I have a really sensitive sniffer, it’s a blessing and curse really but I was sure I’d be able to determine the aromas from each wine.  With choices of things like anise, espresso, tobacco, clove, and berries, I only got two of the four right. We entered the barrel cellar and were greeted by neon lights and mannequins that well shocked us at first, then we decided that this Vegas meets Victoria’s Secret meets 50 Shades of Grey display just sets this winery experience apart from any other.The Crystal Cellar was also a sight to see.  Cellar boasts stainless steel walls, a mirrored bar and a collection of historical crystal decanters from Baccarat, the world’s premier hand-crafted luxury crystal maker.  For $100 ($80 for club member) you can be a winemaker-for-a-day, blend your own wine and create your own bottle label.  At any time you can purchase the wine you create for gifts for family and friends, or this experience itself makes a fabulous bachelor/bachelorette party or girl’s getaway activity!In the corridor of the senses, experience the color, smell and texture of wine beginning with the Touch Station where they can get a feel for how wine can display various textures on the palate. See the different color shades of wine displayed on the wall, and smell the distinct, complex aromas found in wine, all while enjoying a glass.

Of course, before you leave visit the tasting room where you’ll find a variety of gifts for purchase along with your wine selection (I went with a ’14 Pinot Noir Rose) and a wall straight out of Willy Wonka’s mind!

Back on the shuttle we meet up with the Wine Train at their halfway point in St. Helena.  Here we board the 1917 Pullman dining car for lunch and our trip south back to the station.  We’re greeted with a complimentary glass of Raymond Chardonnay or Cabernet, fitting considering our trip and we enjoy the sights as we trek along.  An extensive wine list is also available for purchase plus beer and cocktails if you prefer and if you bring your own wine the corkage fee is $15.  Our first course of baby lettuce salad arrives and I make sure I grab the candied walnuts off my husband’s plate before he notices.Our main courses include Roasted Beef Tenderloin and Pan Seared Breast of Chicken, both fork tender no knife needed.  The beef is accompanied by potatoes and zucchini in a Cabernet reduction that you want to include in each and every bite. The chicken’s lemon-garlic-thyme burre blanc is a perfect tangy pairing to the carrot chickpea salad. The meal is topnotch as it consistently is aboard the wine train and don’t forget to make room for dessert! Usually we each get a different dessert to share, but this time we were both craving chocolate.  The chocolate sin cake was smooth and fudgy just how I love my chocolate and we fell directly into a food coma after that.Sufficiently wined and dined we concluded our trip at 2:30 in the afternoon, just in time to check into our hotel and take a nap by the pool!

This tour had it all, a gourmet meal, a feast for the eyes, delicious wine tasting, and a wine education!  For more information on the Valley First Winery Tour to Raymond Vineyards and other great Napa Valley Wine Train adventures, visit, WineTrain.com.

We were invited to experience this hosted excursion, all opinions 100% our own.

We are spoiled.  Our family lives in the best spot in California in my eyes.  We’re less than 30 minutes from the Monterey/Carmel coast line and beautiful Pacific Ocean.  We are just 90 minutes from San Francisco and only 4 hours from the beautiful Lake Tahoe in the Sierras.  Along with those beautiful cities we are a short 2 hours from the most gorgeous wine country our state boasts!  As you can imagine, our year includes many weekend trips to these iconic travel destinations and lucky for us some can even be conquered in a day.  We love Napa’s wine country and who doesn’t, even our kids have enjoyed a ride on the fabulous Napa Valley Wine Train and my youngest still talks about taking our next train trip, “but longer!”

On a recent romantic getaway, my husband and I had the chance to experience the Napa Valley Wine Train once again but this time for their Gourmet Dinner ride that included watching the sunset over gorgeous vineyards and a moon-rise that could put love into anyone’s eyes.

Each ride begins at the McKinstry Street Station in Napa.  Here you pick up your boarding pass and you can also visit the gift shop for clothing or the wine shop for area wines and the chance to purchase a lock for the Love Lock Bridge and have it engraved a personal message.  Also there is a bar inside the station to whet your appetite.

Once the train arrives you head over the Love Lock Bridge and snap on a memento of your love.  Don’t worry, your seats on the train are reserved, take you time and and read some of the notes on the locks, I think it’s such a romantic gesture! Whether it be for an anniversary, birthday, or “just because” the locks’ sweet messages are something you should plan on bringing or purchasing in the station!Photos are taken of your party before you board and you can purchase them at the end of the night.

Stepping onto the train you jump back in time to circa 1915.  Our Gourmet Dinner Express package had us in the the 1915 Pullman Lounge Car for “second seating” which means appetizers and our taste of either a local red or white wine traveling north to St. Helena.  Expertly refurbished, the cars offer large picture windows on either side to maximize the view along the way.  Honduran mahogany paneling, etched glass partitions, and brass accents provide an authentic feel and just add so much to the overall experience. The swivel chairs face the windows but also can face your company for eye contact and smiles throughout the ride.

Summer months offer beautiful twilight views on the first half of the 3 hour ride.  An appetizer plate for each person includes a plethora of items such as fruit, meat, cheese, fish, bread, and spreads. One thing I can tell you is that you must ride the train hungry because you get such an amazing amount of food! During this time, you also have the option to wine taste and walk about the train.  Wine tasting can be done at your seat with a white, red, or mixed wine flight or you can walk to the tasting bar in the Zinfandel lounge car (at an additional cost).  You can also choose watch the master chefs at work in the Kitchen Viewing car as they prepare each feast to order.

Right before we reached our midway point, we grabbed our wine and rode outside our car and felt the summer breeze against our skin.  Once stopped, the locomotive disconnects from the north facing side of the Train and reconnects to the south facing side of the Train in preparation for the return journey.  It’s here we enjoy seeing parents with young children parked alongside the tracks to watch the action! Okay, even for us adults it’s pretty neat to watch.

Our return trip has us gathering our belongings from the Lounge Car and heading to our assigned tables in the 1917 Dining Car.  Here we have dimmer lighting, the sun has set, and the bread and butter, salad, entree, and dessert is served. This gourmet restaurant on the tracks is just something you need to think about for a minute.  The kitchen team is led by Chef Kelly Macdonald and he and his staff use environmentally responsible ingredients; humanely raised, hormone-free meats and fresh, and line-caught fish for a freshly prepared meal for each guest.  All while on a moving train!  I have trouble getting up from my seat and walking 5 steps without holding on to the chair next to me!

First course is your choice of soup of the day or a baby lettuce salad with candied walnuts, smoked goat cheese and a honey cider vinaigrette. Unfortunately my photos were too dim to show, but both were delicious and so very flavorful. Wine pairings are listed on the menu for each course and can be purchased for an additional fee.  Just before dinner is served you get a cool and refreshing palate cleanser consisting of 3 mini scoops of raspberry, coconut, and lemon sorbet.  Remember, pace yourself because the best is yet to come!

Dinner is a choice of 5 phenomenal dishes that includes a beef, pork, salmon, ravioli, and ‘special of the day.’  We really wanted to try something different so we could share but we had the roasted beef tenderloin on our brain and it was so moist and tender it just melted in our mouths.  Served with baby vegetables, shiitake mushrooms and a tangy balsamic onion marmalade, it was over-the-top delicious!  Clearing our plates with happy stomachs we were left with one final choice between desserts.  Creme brulee has the best crispy topping that I love to crack through, while my husband hardly left any of his chocolate tiramisu truffle for me to sample!

At this point we are so happy that we walked to the train station from our hotel, the amazing meal from start to finish was divine and so very filling.  The darkness was upon us and the moon rise was spectacular!

The remainder of the ride had us sitting next to eachother snuggling with our coffee as the car’s lights dimmed to enjoy the moon and lights prevail out the windows.  Sometimes I wonder how each of our date nights or getaway weekends can be topped after adventures like this.  Walking back to our resort, we vowed to indulge in this romantic escape every few years because it doesn’t get old, only better.  If you want to book a Napa Valley Wine Train Gourmet Dinner ride, visit  http://winetrain.com/ to plan your getaway.  This package is available for $119 per person and it’s worth every last penny, I promise!

We enjoyed our hosted ride and gratuity was ours, all opinions 100% our own.