Event Location: Rubicon Winery or Merryvale Winery

We%26#39;re trying to decide between a Holiday lunch at either the Rubicon (former Neibaum Coppola WInery) or the Merryvale location. I%26#39;ve heard the Merryvale tasting tour is so-so but the room is lovely. I haven%26#39;t heard much about the Rubicon tour or luncheon location. I%26#39;d love some advice!

Event Location: Rubicon Winery or Merryvale Winery

Avocado-

We%26#39;re a bit confused by the title of your post and what you wrote.

Are you scheduling a private event? For how many? Is it catered?

Is that what you%26#39;re asking?

Or, are you and another person planning to drop by one of these spots for an impromptu picnic?

Since you live in SF, we%26#39;re assuming you know that both Merryvale and Rubicon do not serve food unless it%26#39;s a special event (that%26#39;s why we%26#39;re confused).

Sorry-- but we want to give you accurate info.

If you can, please let us know what type of event you%26#39;re planning (large, small, special event catered, etc). We%26#39;ll be happy to give you feedback. :)

Thanks,

-The Innkeepers

Napa Old World Inn

Event Location: Rubicon Winery or Merryvale Winery

We are planning a private event for 50-60 people. At Rubicon, they have a chef on the premises. For the Merryvale, we were looking at Knickerbockers Catering. Both options start with a tour of the winery and end with a 3 course lunch. Many of the people attending are from the Bay Area but haven%26#39;t been to either winery. We%26#39;re looking for a location where people will feel like they were treated to a special event. Which one offers the best ambiance, wine, food, service?

I can%26#39;t offer a comparison but my husband recently attended a private event and Merryvale and was very impressed by the location and the room.

Ah, now we%26#39;re cookin%26#39;.

Some prefer Rubicon for its beautiful grounds and intricate woodwork inside the house. But we%26#39;d have to confess that it%26#39;s a bit too snobby for our tastes (we hosted a VIP event there, back when it was Niebaum Coppola).

Merryvale, on the other hand, does not have the snobbishness, and their Cask Room is flat-out spectacular.

It really depends on your group-- if it%26#39;s more important to have a charming environment with great service, we%26#39;d choose Merryvale.

If you want the exclusivity and bragging rights of a Francis Ford Coppola property, then Rubicon is the way to go.

Both are superb venues for special events.

-The Innkeepers

Napa Old World Inn

PS For really large *evening* events, we%26#39;d suggest Castello di Amorosa ( http://www.castellodiamorosa.com/ ). A candle-lit tour of the catacombs would be something guests would talk about for months! :)

Wow, now I know why you%26#39;re a local expert. That was fantastic advice! I have never heard about the Castle - it looks like it would be an incredible place to host an event. Hmm, maybe to keep in mind for the future!

By the way, I mentioned just those two wineries but do you have any other recommendations for a lunch event for a group that size in Napa or Sonoma? (I have to keep these up my sleeve for future get togethers)

The castle in Napa is fantastic.

In Sonoma you might keep in mind a private party at Benzinger

www.benziger.com/events/events_private.php

Avocado-

There are plenty of wineries that will host special events for groups of this size (even some smaller wineries).

A few hints: Look at which venues do weddings. Oftentimes this means they have a year-round special events permit, which is what you need in the Napa Valley to do lots of special events.

Smaller wineries will need to pull a one-day special events permit-- which is done all the time-- but you need to build this cost into the event (and bear in mind that each facility only gets a limited number of these per year, so your event will have more exclusivity, and might, by necessity, cost more).

Look under weddings at www.napachamber.com -- that%26#39;s a great place to start.

Entire restaurants (like Ad Hoc, or Press) can also be reserved for special events. This is a particularly swanky way to go, if you have the budget.

Lots of different options . . . :)

-The Innkeepers

Napa Old World Inn

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