Andretti Winery

4162 Big Ranch Road, Napa, CA 94558

Website: http://andrettiwinery.com/

Fountain inside the courtyard at Andretti Winery

Andretti Winery is named after the champion race car driver Mario Andretti. The winery and tasting room is located off the southern end of the Silverado Trail. The outside décor gives a feeling of being in a small Italian town. From the parking lot, an archway leads to a small courtyard with an Italian-style fountain in the center.

I have visited this winery a few times and the hospitality has always been great.  I was told that Mario himself sometimes drops in the tasting room but I haven’t had the opportunity to meet him yet. This winery has a fairly large selection of wines to choose from.  They offer a few white wines and a larger selection of high quality red wines, including some Italian style ones. There are some sweeter selections as well, like Riesling, Moscato, and Port.  The tasting room also includes a small shop that has race car souvenirs, clothing, and wine accessories.

Thieving wine from a barrel at Andretti Winery

There are several different tasting experiences available from the classic tasting at the wine bar to sit down tastings in the Tuscan House or barrel tastings in the Barrel room.  The special tastings require reservations.  Check out their website for details and a 2 for 1 tasting coupon.

This winery often hosts special dinner events.  As wine club members, my husband and I were invited to attend a charity dinner at the winery. Tables were set up in the back of the winery along the vineyard. White lights were strung around the dining area to provide soft lighting as the sun went down. The chef cooked an Italian dinner that included “Nona’s” authentic meatballs. It was a relaxing evening of eating and sipping wine, and we made some new friends from the area.  It is not necessary to be a wine club member to participate in all of the events.  You can view upcoming events and purchase tickets on their website.