Jun 11, 2015

Vintage Napa Valley Wine Train

Napa Valley Wine Train Love Locks on Napa Valley Wine Train Cabernet Car on Napa Valley Wine Train Napa Valley Railway Napa Valley Wine Train Gourmet Meal Riding the Napa Valley Wine Train Riding the Napa Valley Wine Train Riding the Napa Valley Wine Train Riding the Napa Valley Wine Train Riding the Napa Wine Train Charles Krug Winery Charles Krug Winery Charles Krug Winery Charles Krug Winery Raymond Vineyards Raymond Vineyards An artichoke plant at Raymond VineyardsA female albino peacock at Raymond VineyardsA half-albino male peacock at Raymond Vineyards Gardens at Raymond Vineyards Gardens at Raymond Vineyards

Continuing on my theme of travel past and present, I’m sharing my experience on the Napa Valley Wine Train from my trip to Downtown Napa. The wine train is considered vintage, with most of it’s cars dating back to 1915. Before becoming Napa Valley Wine Train it was owned by Southern Pacific Railroad. With the rise of automobiles the railway was almost lost until Vincent DeDomenico, inventor of Rice-A-Roni and former owner of Ghirardelli Chocolate and Golden Grain Pasta, purchased majority share of the company and transformed it into the luxury railway that it is today. On September 16, 1989, the Napa Valley Wine Train took its inaugural passenger trip and has been steadily running through the valley ever since.

I got to join in on a Wine Train Ambassador Tour which appropriately welcomed us with a taste of wine. During our hour and a half railway journey, we enjoyed a multiple course gourmet lunch before moving to the dessert car to finish our trip. When our time on the train was done, we went on exclusive tours and tasting at Charles Krug Winery and Raymond Vineyards before heading back to the station. Before boarding the train experience seemed like it could be a little touristy, but the impeccable service, food, and entire experience proved itself to be a very enjoyable one.

This experience was part of a trip sponsored by Downtown Napa. All opinions, text, and images are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make life here at Team Wiking a little sweeter.

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[…] Napa Valley Wine Train Rich history and culture take you on a fun ride through the valley. 1275 McKinstry Street, Napa, California 94559 (www) […]

[…] at Model Bakery in Oxbow Public Market. Afterwards we did some exploring in the market, rode on the wine train, and went to Eight Noodle for dinner. The next morning I checked out of Andaz (review coming […]

This looks so nice. I looked up prices and it is expensive though!

This looks absolutely amazing! Definitely something to add to my bucket list for sure.

Such beautiful blog and so happy I have found you. We live in Sonoma so enjoying the wine country is second nature to us. The Wine Train is a wonderful experience and your photos are lovely.

Beautiful Pics. Definitely need to visit there. Great post.

Ah, this post came at a perfect time for me! My husband and I are just beginning to plan our trip to Napa Valley this summer, and I’ve never been. Great to see some photos that aren’t just from the company!

That was such a fun trip! Let’s go back! Your photos turned out beautiful as always 🙂 xx

what a great way to experience Napa. 😉

Hi Jessica! YES! This has been on my list of Napa to-dos for a while, and somehow I never seem to make it happen when I’m in wine country. I LOVE the look of the inside of the cars and all that history. Thanks for sharing! 🙂 Give me a shout if they invite you back! PLUS ONE!

so cool – i have been wanting to try an old school train like this one (or the orient express! 😉 ) Looks like beautiful scenery!

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