Two weeks ago I ventured to Napa Valley for a close friend’s wedding, and of course, my friends and I had to make the most of our trip to one of the world’s most renowned wine regions. So upon landing in San Francisco and driving north to Napa Valley, we hit up our first winery of the trip.

We opted for evening reservations at Mumm Napa as our first stop because we knew we’d be tired from a long day of travel and would want something a little more relaxed. Mumm Napa offers both wine tastings by the glass and by flights.

Mumm Napa is known for its sparkling wines, but it’s not Prosecco or Champagne like you’d think. Rather, they specialize in sparkling white wines, rosés, bruts and even a sparkling Pinot Noir. We all opted for different glasses of wine so we could try one another’s.

I got the Blanc de Blancs (actually made with pinot noir grapes but without the skin, which is why the wine remains white), while my friends selected the sparkling Pinot Noir and brut reserve. Each glass even came with its own special coasters, denoting the wine we were drinking (in case we got them mixed up with all the swapping and sampling).

The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm without any humidity, and we sat back on the outdoor terrace and sipped away at our crisp, sparkling wines. I gained a new appreciation for sparkling wines, especially the Pinot Noir, as I’m not a big red wine drinker but found this one particularly interesting.

Mumm Napa also offers flights for those who can’t decide on one wine, as well as small snacks to accompany tastings. There’s a wonderful gift shop if you find a wine you have to bring home with you, as well as neat clothes, hats, wine coolers and more.

Wines by the glass here range $15–25. Tasting flights are $48–55, depending on the flight. Very reasonable for a Napa Valley winery!

— Aoife O’Riordan, managing editor