The Wine Train – Napa Valley
Happy, Happy Hump day. This Wine Wednesday has us taking a look at a genius mode of transportation across the Napa Valley and thinking a little bit about love. With Valentines Day less than 4 months away and Christmas just around the corner,
The Love Lock Bridge
it is the perfect reason to purchase a unique Christmas gift – Valentines Day travel for that special someone to a winery that epitomizes love.
Not only will you be a genius because you will have knocked out 2 holidays with 1 gift, you will also increase your romance status when you take that special loved one back in time with a trip on The Wine Train to the “Castle of Love“, Castello di Amorosa winery. The Castle of Love is a 13th century Tuscan castle winery authentic in it’s interior and an exterior complete with high walls and five defensive towers that transports you back in time.
The Wine Train
THE TRAIN
As described on their website (www.winetrain.com) The Napa Valley Wine Train is one of the most distinctive Napa restaurants, offering an authentic, memorable experience that echoes
Chardonnay Lounge Car
the glory days of train travel, with fine dining service, multiple course meals, Napa Valley scenery and ultimate relaxation aboard exquisitely restored vintage rail cars. This top dining establishment is housed in a museum quality, antique train that runs on 25-miles of track in the heart of the Napa Valley. The train itself has two engines, three kitchens on board and a collection of early 20th century Pullman rail cars faithfully restored with Honduran mahogany paneling, brass accents, etched glass partitions and plush armchairs that evoke the spirit of luxury rail travel in the early 1900s. Take a trip into the luxurious American past and experience an unparalleled memory-making journey.
Your transportation will be on 12 restored railcars with names such as, cabernet lounge car, champagne vista dome, and le petite gourmet dining car just to name a few. With the majority
Zinfandel Lounge Car
of the cars built in 1915 by the Pullman Standard Company as first class coaches they echoed technological advancement for that era and were constructed entirely of steel. The all steel cars, or heavyweights as they were also known, increased rail safety and enabled new amenities such as electric lights, steam heat, and arched windows.
Originally purchased in 1960 to be used on the Denver Ski Train, The Napa Valley Wine Train acquired them in 1987 and restoration and restyling began. The railcars were furnished with Honduran mahogany paneling, brass accents, etched glass partitions, and velveteen fabric
Le Petitie Gourmet Dining Car
armchairs. The Napa Valley Wine Train went to great lengths to ensure the interior of the railcars exuded the spirit of rail travel at the beginning of the twentieth century.
THE JOURNEY
Just 50 minutes northeast of San Francisco, we recommend you arrive by carless ferry if you are not overnighting in Napa Valley, car or plane. The Wine Train station is located a mere 5 minute walk from downtown Napa. Your journey to the “Castle of Love” begins with none other than a trip across a “love lock bridge”; so wrap up a pad lock and bring your sharpie as a Valentines Day surprise so that you and your love can etch your romantic sentiments before locking
Love Lock Bridge
your souls on the “love lock bridge” throwing the key into the swale below or saving as a keepsake.
The Napa Valley Wine Train meanders through Napa’s thirty miles of richness made possible by the perfectly paired Mediterranean climate, geography, and geology, producing some of the highest quality wine making grapes in all the world.
If traveling by vehicle through the valley, Highway 29, installed around 1964, next to the rail line (built in 1864) will be your path of travel. The Wine Train travels on the rail corridor, originally built to take visitors to the resort town of Calistoga north of the valley and lies on the western side with the Silverado Trail traveling up the east
Castle of Love Winery
After boarding at the McKinstry Street Station, conveniently located in Downtown Napa, guests travel through the old industrial section of Napa. The Wine Train will cross the Rural Urban Limit Line (RUL) about ten minutes into the journey and you will be treated to the spectacular scenery of the famed agricultural preserve of Napa Valley. Napa Valley is an appellation also known as an American Viticulture Area (AVA)s. Within Napa Valley there are 16 sub-appellations, with the Wine Train passing through Oak Knoll, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford and St. Helena, some of the most expensive and famous farm real estate in the country.
THE WINERY
Castello di Amorosa winery
Wine, trains & castles – romantic pairing for two, fabulous queens who rule or single girls getaway before becoming a princess. Whatever the reason, The Wine Train & Castle of Love winery make for a great pairing that is sure to pamper all of your senses. Sitting high in the hills of this magnificent valley, this Italian winery will escort you back in time 500 years with its intricate interior and true to form exterior. In addition to 
The Wine Train Tour, you may choose to visit Castello di Amorosa winery on your own. They have other packages & tours available from Guided Tour & Tasting, Royal Food & Wine Pairing Tour, Cheese & Wine Pairing Tour, to the coveted Ultimate Connoisseur Experiences which are truly amazing and definitely fitting for that special occasion. If you are planning a marriage proposal, bachelor/bachelorette party, anniversary celebration, or even a special birthday, let Taylor & Co. Travel work out all the details
with the Castle of Love.
We hope you have enjoyed your favorite glass of wine while strolling through Napa Valley & visiting such a unique winery on this Wine Wednesday. Remember, No trip to Napa Valley is complete without a thirty-six mile round trip journey on The Wine Train that travels from Napa to St. Helena and back with a winery visit & a few tastings.
Until next week….I would say that a good shoe is exactly like a good wine. These shoes are going to stay and last for a long time. Christian Louboutin
Winery Gift Shop