'Sideways' meets 'Thelma and Louise'

One of my favorites was Domaine Carneros, where tastings are served tableside, while you snack on a cheese plate. The 2000 Napa Valley Cabernet at Silver Oak was good enough for me to consider buying a bottle at $100, while the homespun family feel of V. Sattui warmed me.

A good tactic, we found, is to share a tasting, or to only taste what you are particularly interested in. And make use of the spit bucket! We quickly learned to dump what we didn't love. Otherwise you can end up drunk, with a tired palate.

One way to combat midday tipsiness, which we showed symptoms of one early afternoon, is to break with a big lunch and much sparkling water.

We stopped at Bistro Jeanty in Yountville, just north of Napa, where you can sit in lush but casual surroundings and eat a wonderful homey French meal. We had butter lettuce salad that tasted as if its leaves had just been plucked from the backyard (and I imagine they had); quiche that was to die for, and a tomato soup "en croute" that I would eat every day if I were lucky enough to have the bistro in my neighborhood.

The rest of the afternoon is best spent hitting the wineries again, since most close around 4:30 p.m. We had dinners near our hotel in Sonoma, where we could have more than a sip of wine without worrying about driving. Everybody in town recommends The Girl & The Fig as the best eating, and with good reason.

The cozy restaurant features regional ingredients prepared with great care. We had chilled asparagus and steak au poivre and finished with a cheese plate. We couldn't get enough of the fresh produce and after dinner ordered green salads.

Our last morning in wine country we were ready for a nonalcoholic activity, so we booked appointments at the Calistoga Spa Hot Springs. Calistoga, which resembles an old cowboy town, is about an hour north of Sonoma. We weren't sure what to expect, but after being dipped into mud baths (a combination of peat moss and volcanic ash from nearby Mount Saint Helena), mineral waters, and then steamed and massaged, we walked out rejuvenated and rosy-cheeked. The whole treatment, which lasted almost two hours, cost $96 each.

A helpful local advised that wines not exclusively for sale in the wineries can be found for better prices in the stores. He was correct; at JV Wine Warehouse, our last stop in Napa, we found several bottles we wanted for $5 to $8 less than in the wineries.

After debating whether to save time by taking the interstate back, we decided the views on Highway 1 were stunning enough to merit a second look.

Going southbound the winding roads seemed even more spectacular, though more stressful to drive, with the Pacific now practically within arm's reach and often no guard rail between you and the water.

A must-stop along the way, which we had missed the first time, is Nepenthe, a restaurant and bar perched in the cliffs, 800 feet above sea level in Big Sur. The food is simple and healthy. You'll pay $13 for a veggie burger, but it's worth the view.

As the miles between our convertible and Los Angeles became fewer and the traffic got heavier, we mused about our journey. We may have been a bit less wild than our Hollywood counterparts, but we came back happy, suntanned and well-fed. And with a trunkful of wine.

If You Go:

LODGE AT SONOMA: 1325 Broadway, Sonoma, Calif., www.thelodgeatsonoma.com/sonoma-valley.html or (707) 935-6600. Cottages start at $209; lodge rooms are less.

BISTRO JEANTY: 6510 Washington St., Yountville, Calif.; www.bistrojeanty.com or (707) 944-0103. Entrees, $14.50 to $29.

THE GIRL & THE FIG: 110 W. Spain St. Sonoma, Calif.; www.thegirlandthefig.com or (707) 938-3634. Entrees around $20.

CALISTOGA SPA HOT SPRINGS: 1006 Washington St., Calistoga, Calif; www.calistogaspa.com or (707) 942-6269. Two-hour treatment, $96.

NEPENTHE: Highway 1, Big Sur, Calif.; http://www.nepenthebigsur.com or (831) 667-2345. Entrees $13 to $34.50.

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