Fall is upon us, and that means shorter days and cooler evenings. It is also when we want most to be outdoors in Napa Valley, for the incredible scenery, all the bustle of harvest, and the luscious smell of crush. How best to enjoy a fall evening outdoors when it can be chilly and a bit damp? Those who live and work in Napa Valley know the value of a nice warm fire to gather around to recap the day or enjoy an evening libation.
Fall evenings can get chilly in Napa, so plan to wear layers, as the temperature variances between afternoon and evening are nearly 30°– 40°F. In October, midday highs can be in the high 70s, while evenings can drop into the low 40s. Most activities in the fall take place outdoors, including those in the evening, so plan accordingly if visiting — i.e., pack a variety of clothing to accommodate the warm days and chilly mornings and evenings.
When crush is in progress from September through November, the entire valley smells like a freshly uncorked bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon. This intoxicating aroma is especially prominent in the morning and evening when the aromatic gases released during volatilization are more compressed because of the marine layer’s cooler temps. Before evening relaxation, soak in the fall views, hike, bike, and kayak, or stroll along quiet country roads. Vigorous outdoor activity and all that fresh air will significantly enhance the enjoyment of the incredible food, wine, and spa treatments that are so well-known in the area. In the evenings, seek out venues to continue the outdoor experience.
Many of the region’s top resorts, restaurants, and nightlife venues offer a continuation of the day’s cobalt blue skies into the star-filled evening. Comfortably enjoy the crisp fall air in one of these many outdoor settings with fire features — settings that, in essence, transform outdoor spaces into comfort zones by providing warmth and eye-catching sparkle.
Photo courtesy of Domaine Carneros
Many wineries also offer fire features, though more often than not, it is in the way of indoor fireplaces as most tasting rooms in the region are only open from 10:00am to 5:00pm, at the warmest and sunniest time of the day. An outstanding exception is the outdoor fireplace and covered tasting lounge at
Round Pond Estate — a great spot to enjoy fall vineyard scenery and wine tasting al fresco year round. Louis M. Martini Winery has a similarly pleasing outdoor fireplace on its covered terrace with long tables for group tastings.
If looking for some indoor fireplace action, consider the sumptuous Persian ambiance and architecture at Darioush or the French chateau-style fireplace in the classical tasting room at Domaine Carneros, whose floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto the rolling, vine-covered hills of the Carneros District.
Most resorts have welcoming fireplaces and cozy gathering spots, which are open for both guests and locals. The Carneros Resort and Alila Napa Valley are especially impressive. The Carneros Resort offers coziness vis-a-vis fireplaces in the guest cottages, along with luxurious chaise lounges and blankets. S’mores supplies and other snacks, beverages, and wine can be purchased at their onsite Market.
FARM, the resort’s award-winning restaurant, is renowned for its beautiful fire features. The outdoor dining area has a commanding fireplace as its centerpiece, with multiple firepits and post-dinner lounge seating surrounding the dinner tables. In addition to this warm and inviting ambiance, FARM’s menu reflects the bounty of the fall harvest, showcasing local farmers, making it one of the best settings in Napa Valley for an autumn dinner.
Alila Napa Valley, one of the region’s newest resorts, offers stylish, zen-like private and common area firepit settings. Alili’s outdoor spaces, where these fire features are showcased, flow seamlessly from sophisticated seating areas to lush vineyard and garden scenery, with woods and rolling hills beyond. One is up close and personal with nature, though subtly protected from the elements, while simultaneously being warmed at the firepits.
Especially romantic are the fire features at The Estate Yountville, where fireplaces blaze amongst the spa’s soaking tubs and in their tranquil massage suites. The Villagio Hotel warms its guests with multiple fire pits on their lobby patio — a perfect happy hour respite to relax at the end of the day.
Also in Yountville is Bardessono, where fireplaces add warmth to their guest suites and whose living room spaces double as private spas. Bardessono also offers comfortable outdoor lounge seating around firepits, where one can enjoy a cocktail or a glass of wine on a chilly evening. Hotel Yountville’s pool patio has one of the most impressive firepits in the region. This huge firepit, whose flames rise from the ground-level patio, sits between the pool’s outdoor cabanas and lounge seating, lighting up and warming the entire patio.
Photo courtesy of Silverado Resort
In the town of Napa, the hotels and resorts with comforting fire features in their common areas and outdoor dining spaces include the Napa Valley Marriott, the Silverado Resort, which also offers fireplaces in many of its rooms and suites, and the River Terrace Inn, which has a beautiful outdoor lounge area off its ALBA Restaurant with fantastic views of the Napa River. Nearby, The Lincoln Restaurant, also touting a Napa River view, has an expansive outdoor patio with cozy cabana seating and fire tables where guests can gather to enjoy libations and delicious food from their menu with late-night seating (open until 2:00am).
Year-round outdoor dining in both the daytime and evening is one of the great luxuries of living in the Napa Valley. At many restaurants in downtown Napa, table seating spills out onto sidewalks and terraces for dinner patrons, and these spaces are festively lit up with candles and string lighting at night.
Great outdoor evening settings in downtown Napa include the Mercantile Social at the Andaz Hotel, with generously poured cocktails, light bites, and firepit settings with tall-back Mission-style chairs for conversing and relaxing. A similar scenario can be had at the nearby Sky and Vine Rooftop Bar at the Archer Hotel, where contemporary-style Adirondacks surround their large firepit with a rooftop view of the sparkling lights of the city of Napa. For an impressive outdoor dinner setting, The Grove at the CIA COPIA’s terrace tables are surrounded by olive trees wrapped in twinkle lights and interspersed with small firepits, providing a cozy backdrop to the restaurant’s artfully plated dinner courses, impressive as one would expect from a world-class culinary school’s signature restaurant.
Photo courtesy of Calistoga Inn & Brewery
In more rural county areas, where restaurants have more outdoor space, patrons can enjoy lounge seating and dining areas warmed by live flames. The Calistoga Inn’s restaurant is lit nightly with string lights and candles in the outdoor dining area; their main attraction is the inviting Adirondack chairs around their firepit. Also inviting in the evenings is the firepit with lounge chairs off the trendy Picobar restaurant at the Solage Resort and Spa.
Photo by Kelly Puleio, courtesy of Charter Oak
Press Restaurant in St. Helena has a massive indoor fireplace whose broad-shouldered mantel supports a baroque timepiece worthy of a French castle – decorative detailing that defines the restaurant and gives it the perfect ambiance for a cold fall evening. Also beautiful in St. Helena are the fire features at the Charter Oak, the most unusual being the restaurant’s large, open wood-fueled oven/grill, where guests can watch all the cooking action. Outside, their wall-enclosed terrace is an expansive fire table flanked on two sides by long rustic wood and leather couches. More guest seating with bistro tables is tucked under lush, uplighted mulberry trees, and the terrace’s walls and buildings are thickly covered in ivy, which, in the fall, turns to brilliant reds.
Fall is the best time of year to take in all Napa Valley has to offer, so grab a sweater—the region’s exquisite evenings are not to be missed.
