schramsberg tour

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Schramsberg Vineyards

Napa valley, california.

Schramsberg Vineyards produces a world class sparkling wine at the Calistoga AVA in the Napa Valley. Their 125 years old caves introduce you to the classic method of producing sparkling wine. Many of their Viticultural and winemaking practices are still carried out by hand and their wines can be cellared for up to 20 years.

Their dedication can be recognized for their 1965 Blanc de Blanc, the first commercial use of Chardonnay in American sparkling wine. They also to play a role in world history. Their Blanc de Blanc was used for president Nixon and China’s Premier Zhou Enlai meeting.

Schramsberg Sparkling Wines have been served at official State functions by every U.S Presidential administration since.

By appointment only, They consider each of their wine tastings / tours a special event.

Tasting Price: Varies from $70 - $125

Cave Tour and Tasting Visit takes approximately 1h. Reserve Wines & Tasting You will taste 5 of their limited production sparkling and still wines paired with select cheeses.

Tour Price: $70 to $125 per person.

This winery offers Cave Tours on or nearby their winery facility. Cave Tours typically involve barrel room exploration in either natural caves or man made underground storage rooms.

Cheese Platters

This winery offers Cheese Platters at the tasting room or restaurant.

Food & Wine Pairings

This winery offers a variety of wines paired with food.

Small Bites

This winery offers small plates of food during wine tastings. Typically in the form of cheeses, meats or small sandwiches. 

Wine Tastings

This winery offers wine tastings on the property either by walk-in or appointment.

This winery offers wine tours on their property. Either of the winery facility, vineyards and/or cellar space.

Grape Varieties

• Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Styles

• Dry Red Wines
• Sparkling Rosé
• Sparkling White
• Sparkling Wines
• White Wines

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Schramsberg Vineyards

Price & Hours

• Facilities 5.0
• Atmosphere 5.0

In "The Silverado Squatters," Robert Louis Stevenson describes Schramsberg's founder Jacob Schram's "serious gusto" to produce incredible vintages that America and indeed the world had yet to taste. More than 150 years later, Schram's winery is still producing delectable wines, according to recent visitors. Tours led by friendly guides detail the property's history, the beautiful rows of vines and particularly, the winery caverns. Carved in the 19th century, these caverns hold approximately 2.5 million bottles of precious wine. 

Recent visitors said the winery tour is interesting – especially the historic caves – and worth the extra money. But many advise travelers to book their tour far in advance, as there are a limited number of spots and they tend to fill up fast. And, of course, many rave about the sparkling wine, the vineyard's specialty.  

Located in Calistoga, about a 25-mile drive north of downtown Napa, Schramsberg Vineyards offers cave tours and tastings daily. The vineyard is open daily from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but note that tours and tastings are only accessible via reservation. Cave tours, which include a tasting, start at $70 per person. Tastings that do not include a cave tour are available May through October. These experiences start at $50 per person. For more information, check out the vineyard's  website . If you'd like to visit more than one more winery, consider signing up for one of the best Napa Valley tours .

More Best Things To Do in Napa Valley

#1 O'Brien Estate Winery

From planting to bottling, the entire wine-making process occurs on this relatively small plot of land (comprising 40 acres of vineyards, a winery and the owner's home). And by all accounts, the end result is a hit with visitors. Consider a tasting at O'Brien Estate Winery if you're looking for a relaxed, intimate atmosphere with personalized service.

Recent visitors raved about the staff, who share interesting and educational facts about the winery, but also give plenty of alone time to kick back, relax and savor the tasting experience. Expect stunning views of the Oak Knoll District and a sampling of five of the estate's wines.

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Schramsberg Vineyards

Review by Dave 2 Comments

During visits over the years, it is always interesting to see where visitors walk after stepping out of their vehicle (often it is not in the direction of the visitor’s center). There are three main sections/buildings surrounding the parking lot; as you drive in the parking lot the visitor’s center entrance is immediately on your left side as you pull in the parking lot.

The winery was established in 1862 and was Napa Valley’s second bonded winery, just after Charles Krug in 1861 (although there were several wineries in Napa Valley in the late 1850s and early 1860s who are no longer around). David Fulton Winery in St. Helena was also founded in the early 1860s. Fulton’s final date of completion is missing from historical records. Let’s just say that any winery who started in the early 1860s in the Napa Valley and who is still in business today is in very select historical company. And the property was site of some of Napa Valley’s earliest hillside vineyard plantings.

The estate was founded by Jacob Schram, an immigrant born in 1826 in Pfeddersheim, Germany (incidentally less than a 40-minute drive from Mainz, where the Beringer brothers were born). Schram was trained as a barber in New York City, opened a barber shop in the city of Napa in the late 1850s also cut hair at White Sulphur Springs Resort in St. Helena. During the height of his production, he and his family were producing around 12,000 cases of still wine per year from 50 acres of vineyards. Locally his wines could be found at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco and also at the San Francisco based Bohemian Club (remarkably, both still operating). Historically Jacob Schram never produced sparkling wines. After Jacob passed away in 1905, his son Herman inherited the property for several years before selling. Production stopped in 1912 and the property changed hands several times including being used as a summer home at one point by one of the owners. None of the ventures lasted very long.

In 1919 the property was acquired by Raymond Naylor who raised a large family on site including one of his daughters, Betty who eventually married John Daniel (owner of Inglenook Vineyards). In 1940 Naylor sold the property to John Gargano, a sparkling wine producer from Palermo, Italy. Gargano established California Champagne Company and named the operations, Mt. Diamond Cellars. Due to bad health, in 1951 he sold to Douglas and Katherine Pringle who began producing both still and sparkling wines and also bottled wines under the Schramsberg label. The Pringles also owned what is now Martin Estate in Rutherford. In 1965 Jack and Jamie Davies (from Southern California) purchased the grand old estate from the Pringles and produced their first vintage that year from purchased grapes.

The realtor of record was Davies family friend Jerome C Draper who owned Draper Vineyards on Spring Mountain. His son Jerry (who we have communicated with a number of times and have met in person) recalls that his father helped introduce the Davies family to Katharine Cebrian, the owner of Schramsberg – which wasn’t actually on the market at the time, but the Draper’s knew she might be interested in selling. Incidentally, Katherine and her second husband, Douglas Pringle purchased the old H.H. Harris Winery in Rutherford in the 1940s which remained in the family until 1996 (today known as Martin Estate and home to some of the first ever wines produced by Beaulieu Vineyard).

After the successful sale, Jerry asked his father what their commission would be on the sale. His father simply told him there are no family commissions! The Draper Vineyard manager at the time, Joe Torres helped oversee the initial plantings at Schramsberg under the Davies ownership. And one day when a coyote killed all the ducks in a pond on the property, Jerry quickly took action, found a place in Sonoma that sold Mallard ducks – recalling he had them soon swimming in the pond.

Jack had a variety of jobs after graduating from Harvard including working with his father in the cabinetry business making office furniture from their Los Angeles based business (Avalon Wood Products). Later he worked at Kaiser Aluminum and two years before moving the family up to the Napa Valley, he was a vice president at Ducommun Inc (the oldest continuously operating business in the state of California with a founding date of 1849). Ducommun was founded by Charles Ducommun as a watch repair shop in downtown Los Angeles during the California Gold Rush and was located on what was Commercial Street at that time (near the corner of Main Street). This business has evolved dramatically since its early beginnings and that has been the key to their longevity. They eventually transitioned into hardware and supply goods, military supplies during WWI, the film industry, aviation and then finally, aerospace.

Jamie co-founded the Hansen-Peterman Gallery in 1957 (Jamie’s maiden name was Peterman); the gallery was located near Union Square on Tillman Alley in San Francisco. The Hansen-Peterman Gallery later changed owners and names multiple times; its last address was just around the corner from Tillman Place at 228 Grant Ave. Over the years the gallery building housed a number of artists and galleries. Today the gallery is no longer in business.

Jack’s early interest in wine came from when he joined the San Francisco Wine and Food Society. He also met Martin Ray; a vintner based in the Santa Cruz Mountains who focused on single varietal wines. Jack had already been introduced to sparkling wines via Martin Ray and he observed that there were a number of still wine production wineries in the Napa Valley but only a few wineries between Napa and Sonoma that were focusing on sparkling wines – and certainly not from varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at the time.

The estate lay in various states of decay for many years; after acquiring the property, initially with 14 other investors, Jack and Jamie began planting a number of acres to grapes including Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Ultimately, they determined this warmer part of Napa Valley was not ideally suited to these varieties which prefer cooler climates and by 1994 they began replanting to Bordeaux red varieties, primarily Cabernet Sauvignon. Their estate vineyard spans a range of about 500 to 1000 feet in elevation.

Schramsberg was the first U.S. based winery to produce sparkling wines using both Champagne grape varieties combined with the traditional method of producing Champagne wines (méthode champenoise).

The original two caves were dug in 1867 and in 1881. The original cave was the first wine cave dug in Nap Valley. 101 years after the previous cave was dug, in 1982 Schramsberg hired Napa Valley wine cave pioneer Alf Burtelson (a general engineering contractor who founded his company in 1964) to significantly expand the footprint of their caves. Alf is well into his 80s now and long since retired although is still living in the northern part of Napa Valley. This was the second modern cave for commercial wine use to be drilled in Napa Valley since Prohibition following Alf’s 60 foot tunnel at Far Niente in 1981.

This 34,000 square foot cave is among the largest wine caves in Napa Valley which includes Palmaz (nearly 110,00 square feet), Jarvis (45,000 square feet) Rutherford Hill (41,000 square feet), Far Niente (40,000 square feet), Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars (38,000 square feet), Inglenook (38,000 square feet), Antinori (35,000 square feet) and Pine Ridge (32,000 square feet).

Alf’s first job was working on building a several mile stretch in the late 1950s of what is now the 280 freeway south of San Francisco. He formed Alf Burtleson Construction company in 1964; his first client was the San Francisco Water Department with work conducted on Twin Peaks. Alf’s first cave job in Napa Valley was in 1972, to repair the original Beringer caves which his company did successfully; this eventually led to more work for Beringer, including drilling new caves.

For a period of time in the 1980s Alf’s company was the only company drilling winery caves within Napa Valley. His drilling rig was a Dosco MK2a Roadheader which was originally used in the UK for drilling coal mines. Alf told us he chose this equipment because it was able to drill curved ceilings rather than some of the American equipment at the time could only drill flat ceilings. He sold his company in 2003; the last winery cave he drilled in Napa Valley was for Bryant Family Winery. A look at Napa Valley’s wine caves including the significant contributions that Alf made to the valley is highlighted in the book, Into the Earth: A Wine Cave Renaissance by Daniel D’Agostin and Molly Chappellet.

Schramsberg’s property is 218 acres of which two historical vineyards are located on site, the original Schram Vineyard and the McEachran Vineyard first planted in 1878. Approximately 41 acres are planted to vines on the estate ranging in elevation between 500 to 1000 feet. One can now see some of these vineyards after the Glass Fire significantly burned through the property in 2020. These vines are located on the left side of the driveway as one makes the final approach to the winery (along with numerous solar cell panels) – prior to the fire, one could barely see them. Their yields are fairly low by Napa standards – at about 2 tons per acre.

Interestingly, for most of their history, Schramsberg has owned very few vineyards for their sparkling wines; more recently they purchased several properties in Carneros. In addition to their long-time owned small Bayview Vineyard on the Napa side of Carneros, they Also own two other sites here including a 20-acre site called the Amigo Three and in 2023 they purchased the nearby 22-acre Amigo Two property. They also own a site in the Russian River Valley of neighboring Sonoma County. They have developed relationships with numerous growers sourcing grapes from select cooler climate vineyards in the southern Carneros region of Napa Valley, parts of Sonoma County, Marin County and Anderson Valley in Mendocino County.

Their sparkling wine has been served to Presidents, Heads of State and other important dignitaries worldwide (a number of photographs of state dinners line one of the walls of the reception room).

President Nixon 1972 visit to Beijing, China on Monday, February 21, 1972 The first time the White House discovered Schramsberg’s wine was in 1972; Regency Wine Sellers in Fairlawn, Ohio played an important role in this story. This shop had the ear of the White House during the Nixon administration. Secret Service would sometimes pay a visit to the wine shop to acquire premium wines like Chateau Margaux. One day the White House called and asked for a sparkling wine recommendation to serve at an upcoming state visit to China by President Nixon to visit then Premier Zhou Enlai. Owner Mildred Neiman recommended they serve Schramsberg’s 1969 Blanc de Blancs. The White House listened. Incidentally the Neiman’s cousin Drew Neiman currently produces limited production premium wines in Napa Valley under his own label, Neiman Cellars.

This diplomatic trip was an extremely important moment as it was the rebirth of relations between the two countries. This was also a time in China’s history where leadership was forming diplomatic relations with other countries. Nixon and Enlai’s meeting led to some remarkable stories centered around wine including the well-told and publicized story involving serving Schramsberg’s 1969 Blanc de Blancs by President Nixon at the “Toast to Peace” State dinner in Beijing (the first time a wine from the United States was served at any state event, domestically or abroad).

And there is a significant story wine directly tied into this state visit from the Chinese side. Impressed by the Schramsberg sparkling wine and recognizing a need to produce fine domestic wines, Premier Enlai put out a national call to improve winemaking in China. At the time, a young man, Yan Shengjie worked at Changli Fruit Wine factory in Changli (about three hours east of Beijing). This operation was founded by his father and was owned by the state (since private ownership was forbidden). Shengjie and his wife were the first employees at this factory – and is where they met for the first time. He started as a cellar worker and eventually became Vice President of winemaking.

Known already for his winemaking work at Changli Fruit Factory – in 1979 he was chosen by the Department of China National Light Industry to become the leader of a national winemaking project – leading a group of 10 people sent to Bordeaux to increase their knowledge about both viticulture and enology. He brought back cuttings from 26 varieties from Bordeaux including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc Merlot, Syrah, Carignan, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscat among others and planted them in Changli. He then determined that Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay grew very well in this part of China.

It should be noted that China’s winemaking heritage dates back thousands of years – with the oldest documented use of wild grapes in fermentation dating back to 7000 BC (the Jiahu archaeological site located about 4.5 hours north of Wuhan), among the oldest known winemaking in the world along with other ancient winemaking in the countries of Georgia (currently the oldest known site dating back about 8,000 years), Iran, Armenia, Israel and Iraq.

Yan Shengjie produced his first vintage of dry red wine in 1983 in a laboratory in Changli. Through an investment from the Department of China National Light Industry Shengjie was chosen to lead a new winery venture called Huaxia Winery (the precursor to Great Wall Winery). He was the general manager and winemaker and initially began producing Cabernet Sauvignon. His wife provided winemaking technical support. At that time this wine was bottled as Beidaihe – named after the Beidaihe District, a popular summer getaway from the heat of Beijing – and an area also used by the government for their own summer retreats. The name of the brand later transitioned into Great Wall, a subsidiary of state-owned COFCO Group, perhaps the most iconic and well-known winery within China. And today by volume, still the largest producing winery in China. While Shengjie has long since retired, his daughter, Yan Bin is currently the Vice President of COFCO Great Wall Huaxia Winery.

Fast forward decades. Yan’s granddaughter Xinyue Zhang (Xin) began producing 70s Love in Napa Valley with her 2014 vintage.

And remarkably, there is yet another Napa Valley winery whose property and previous owners had ties to this historic visit. An article in The St. Helena Star dated February 24, 1972, references four redwood trees grown from seed at Glass Mountain Nursery on site of what is now Boeschen Vineyards were prepared at the nursery with Pliofilm and then shipped to a military base where they were part of a gift by Richard Nixon to Chinese premier at the time, Mao Tse-Tung. The article mentions one of the original trees sent accompanied President Nixon on his ‘Spirit of 76 plane when it landed in Beijing for his meeting with the premier.

Schramsberg produces world-class sparkling wine; they are one of only four physical wineries focusing on sparkling wine production in Napa Valley and the only one with no direct ties to Champagne, France. For reference, the primary sparkling producers in the valley are Domain Carneros, Domaine Chandon and Mumm Napa Valley. As of the time of this review they make 10+ different sparkling wines including their much-coveted Reserve J. Schram. They even still employ a Riddler – someone who turns the bottles by hand in order to move the dead yeast out of the wine. Today most sparkling wine producers have automated this process and the majority of their production using a machine called a gyropalette which turns an entire pallet of wine at one time.

A friend of Jamie’s was visiting one day and remarked how Ramon was always working whenever she visited the winery. Both women started talking about coming up with some sort of tribute to Ramon. Sculptor Larry (LC) Shank was hired (a number of his works are also displayed in the Napa Valley at select wineries and restaurants including The Greeter at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars) to create a statue in his honor. This bronze statue now greets visitors in the frog pond next to the entrance to the hospitality center. The frog is holding up a glass of Schramsberg’s finest to the light examining the clarity of the wine. A contest was held to name the statue and the winning entry was chosen as The Riddler’s Night Out .

Hospitality The very educational tour winds through the dark and damp wine cellars; one notices the musty smell of the caves as soon as one enters. These are some of the Napa Valley’s oldest and most historic caves. The original caves were hand dug by Chinese laborers in the early 1870s; some of the pickax marks can still be seen on some of the cave walls. The caves were extended in the 1980s – today they are among the largest caves in the Napa Valley at about 34,000 square feet which still pale in size compared to Palmaz Winery with the largest wine cave in Napa Valley at about 110,000 square feet. The Schramsberg caves can hold about 4 million bottles when full. Note the thousands of bottles stacked on top of each other – up to 6 feet deep. Some of the stacks are held in place by bottle caps on the outside of the stack – stopping the bottles from rolling out of the stack.

After you tour the cave, you will either taste within the cave or walk to one of their elegant tasting rooms where you are given select pours of various sparkling wines. Your host will demonstrate the proper way to open a bottle of sparkling wine. Seating is tight in the sit-down tasting room with many glasses sitting on the tables, so be careful not to accidentally bump over a premium glass of sparkling wine.

Food and champagne pairing sessions are available and you can also take a self-guided tour of their gardens which are at their peak in the spring and summer. You must reserve a tasting and tour ahead of time as tours are offered only several times per day, appointment only.

Also of historical note is Robert Louis Stevenson visited Schramsberg in 1880 on his honeymoon (the same honeymoon he and his wife Fanny ended up ‘living’ in the abandoned Silverado Mine bunkhouse on nearby Mt. St. Helena). During his visit to Schramsberg he noted that he tasted 18 different wines. Schramsberg is mentioned several times in his book titled The Silverado Squatters .

Select Wines The 2019 Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs Brut is 100% varietal Chardonnay is medium gold in color; the aromatics show notes of white toast, honeycomb, gooseberry, green apple, a lemon/lime note and citrus blossom. The palate is crisp, refreshing and shows a zippy energy from the attack through to the finish. This wine offers flavors of green apple, kiwi and not yet quite ripe pear. It finishes with a noticeable mouthwatering brightness of acidity. It was fermented in a combination of oak barrels and in stainless steel. Incidentally this is the 50th anniversary Blanc de Blanc of the storied 1969 vintage of this wine which helped elevate modern day Schramsberg’s reputation as a serious producer. The Blanc de Blanc was also the first wine Schramsberg ever produced in 1965. Today production is sizable – nearly 40,000 cases of this vintage were produced.

The 2018 Schramsberg Crémant Demi-sec is a very unique bottling with 59% Flora, 39% Chardonnay and 2% Pinot Noir. This wine is medium to deep gold in color; the aromatics are very diverse including being somewhat minerally along with ginger, quince, yeast, toast, bruised Golden Delicious apple and pear. This wine balances a crispness with a lightly felt sweetness and a light creaminess – and does so quite well. On the palate there are flavors of apple, pear, lychee and honey; the finish lingers with notes of soused apples including a slight lingering bitterness. We recommend pairing this wine with grilled shishito peppers using a bit of olive oil, savory salt and a few sprinkles of lemon juice. And it also pairs extremely well with the Original Blue , produced by Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.

Schramsberg produced their first vintage of Crémant in 1972. We know of only one planting of this variety in Napa Valley and perhaps the only planting in all of California; the Hoxsey family (owners of Napa Wine Company) have 3 acres of White Flora planted in their Blockhouse Vineyard in Yountville. White Flora is a cross between Sémillon and Gewürztraminer created in 1938 by well-liked and prominent grape-breeder, geneticist and UC Davis Professor, Dr. Harold Olmo (one of a number of new varieties that he created over a long career). Several other Napa Valley based producers make or have made wines from this variety including Matthiasson for a vermouth and the Hoxsey’s own label, Elizabeth Rose. A Red Flora also exists, having been created by a cross in the 1850s but is not related to the White Flora.

The 2019 Schramsberg Blanc de Noirs Brut is made from 88% Pinot Noir and 12% Chardonnay is medium to deep gold in color; the bouquet offers aromas of honeycomb, cantaloupe, loquat, notes of lightly toasted bread, red apples and wild strawberries. This wine offers a creamy texture across the palate with light flavors of mandarin, kiwi, apple, under ripe papaya, a flinty minerality along with a long-lasting citrus-like freshness of acidity. We immediately noticed this bottlings’ superb balance; it is very enjoyable to drink. This wine was first produced in 1967.

And Schramsberg had connections to Portugal in the 1980s. In 1988 they entered into a partnership with Portuguese winemakers João Carvalho Maia and Celso Pereira. This connection was made because João worked a harvest at Schramsberg in the 1980s and got to know the Davies family. Jointly they established Caves Transmontanas, producer of the Vértice still and sparkling wines near the town of Alijó in the Douro Valley. While Schramsberg is no longer involved in the operations, Caves Transmontanas continues to produce premium wines in this part of Portugal.

Note: the two photographs of the wine bottle on the left-hand side below – one was taken before the bottle was broken and one taken after. In October 2017 this bottle was being moved into the cave for safe keeping during the terrible fires in October 2017 (anticipating the fires might reach the winery – they did not). There was no backing on the original case holding this bottle and when it was pulled out from the wall in the rush to potentially save it, the bottle fell out the back and broke on the ground directly below the case. The bottle was later pieced back together (using the same label).

Guests looking for what might be the ultimate Schramsberg experience will want to inquire about Camp Schramsberg and Camp Davies, a twice a year offering where “sparkling campers” attend either a 3-day session in spring or fall with detailed on the job training about producing sparkling wine. Select scholarships are given for wine professionals. These sessions are highly popular and sell out months and months in advance. Attendees learn practices both in the vineyard, at the winery or at Meadwood Napa Valley including reasons for clonal selections, pruning or harvesting depending on the time of year, steps to make sparkling wine, how to blend and in the fall harvesting grapes. Food is a big part of this experience with meals included in the cost of the experience.

For more information visit: www.schramsberg.com and also visit their sister winery and tasting room located in St. Helena, Davies Vineyards, which we also review separately on this site. Davies Vineyards focuses on still wines – Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon and these wines are made at an offsite winery located in St. Helena. While their first vintage was rather small (1,000 cases), production has grown significantly over the years; today total production of Schramsberg wines each year as of our latest update to this review is around 85,000 cases with good domestic distribution and some international.

Schramsberg Vineyards ad, Napa Register 1971

October 31, 2019 at 2:02 pm

Had a winery cancel. Any chance you can take 10 of us at 2pm on Saturday?

March 3, 2020 at 9:57 pm

I’ve found summer and fall weekends last minute can be very difficult to get a tasting or tour at Schramsberg – hope you were able to get in 🙂

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Schramsberg Vineyards – Historic California Sparkling Wine

• 6 minute read

Why Visit Schramsberg?

• You want to experience a piece of Napa Valley history.
• You love sparkling wine and want to learn more about the production process.
• You want to explore wine caves over a century old.
• You’re looking to visit a gorgeous estate in Napa Valley.

I first heard of Schramsberg while working at Adelaida pouring wine for a couple in the tasting room. We got to talking about my love for sparkling wine and they told me if I love sparkling wine, then I definitely need to visit Schramsberg in Napa Valley. I was dying to visit, but on each of my trips to Napa in 2018 Schramsberg was fully booked! Needless to say, when my parents, boyfriend, and I decided to take a trip up to Napa for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, I immediately jumped on the Schramsberg website to book our visit. And let me tell you, Schramsberg was worth the wait!

A Historic Napa Valley Winery

Schramsberg was founded in 1862 by German immigrants Jacob and Annie Schram. Actually, the winery was originally founded under the name Schramsberger, but we’ll get to that later. Jacob, the son of a German sparkling winemaker, first immigrated to New York City and worked as a barber. He saved every penny and later moved to San Francisco where he fell in love with Annie. Soon, the Schrams purchased 200 acres of property in Calistoga in 1862 for $1 per acre! They planted this hillside property with vineyards for still wine production and the 2nd bonded winery in Napa Valley was born. The Schrams, along with Charles Krug and the Beringer brothers were the major pioneers of the Napa Valley wine industry.

In 1870, Jacob hired Chinese laborers who were in California working on the railroads to dig into the mountainside on the property, creating Napa’s first hillside caves for wine storage. The tufa soil proved too soft for the use of dynamite, crumbling in on itself with each blow. So the laborers proceeded to dig by hand with pickaxes and shovels. Over the course of 10 years, they managed to dig half a mile deep into the mountainside. Upon visiting the Schramsberg caves today, you can still see the pickaxe scars on the walls of the caves!

By 1880, Schramsberg was producing around 10,000 cases of still wine per year with major distribution as far as London. The wines produced included Zinfandel, Reisling, Sauvignon Vert, and Burgundy. In 1905, Jacob died and his son Herman inherited the property. Shortly after, Schramsberg ceased operation and closed in 1912 as it is thought that Herman did not want to carry on the family business. With the commencement of prohibition in 1920, the winery remained closed for several decades.

The Revival

Just shy of a decade later Jack and Jamie Davies decided to make the move from Los Angeles to Napa Valley purchasing the 200+ acre Schramsberg estate in 1965. The Davies acquired the estate with the intention of fulfilling their dream of making world-class sparkling wines. At this time, the Davies chose to change the name of the winery to Schramsberg from the original Schramsberger and planted varieties intended for sparkling wine production – Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

By 1972, the Davies received an exciting request from the White House for 13 cases of the 1969 Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc. They had no idea what the wine was intended for, but were happy to fulfill the request. The Davies soon discovered their wine was used for the famous “Toast to Peace” during the state dinner in Beijing, China. President Nixon wanted to begin opening trade with China and the Schramsberg bubbles were the sparkling wine of choice for his toast with Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. President Nixon helped put Schramsberg, and thus Napa Valley wines, on the global stage. Somehow, the glasses used by President Nixon and the Chinese Premier even made their way back to the Schramsberg estate. Schramsberg bubbles have been served at each state dinner ever since.

Jack and Jamie also opted to continue the work of the Chinese laborers and dig the wine caves further into the mountainside. What took the Chinese 10 years only took 7 months with the help of modern technology. Today, there are just over one mile of caves at the Schramsberg estate housing 3.5 million aging bottles of sparkling wine. The caves are naturally 58°F with 80% humidity because of the tufa soil, the perfect conditions for cellaring wine. There is also a funky looking fungus growing on the walls of the caves which sounds gross, but looks like a grey cotton candy and actually helps to maintain the optimal humidity levels of the caves.

Schramsberg sparkling wines are produced in the traditional method with the second fermentation occurring in the bottle. This means all 3.5 million of those bottles need to be riddled in order to remove the yeast sediment from the bottle. About one third of the the bottles are still riddled by hand! The other two thirds of the bottles are riddled using the more efficient method of gyropalettes. Most of the bottles are stored within the walls of the caves by stacking bottles directly on top of each other horizontally from floor to ceiling. This is insane to see! Quite literally a wall of sparkling wine bottles built from the ground up. Sometimes a bottle or two will burst due to the effects of fermentation and the vacant space left by the bottle will be filled with PVC pipes in order to maintain a sound structure. If you love sparkling wine, you will love touring the Schramsberg caves! I never been in wine caves quite like this.

Reservations and Tasting Experiences

Reservations are required in order to taste at Schramsberg. If you want to visit this historic winery, I highly recommend booking your reservation as early as possible. All tasting experiences at Schramsberg include a tour of the epic caves. There are three options to choose from! My family chose to do the Cave Tour & Tasting which ended with a tasting at this gorgeous set-up:

Cave Tour & Tasting This experience is offered daily at 9:30am, 10:00am, 11:30am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, and 2:30pm. Cost: $70 per person. You will tour the historic Schramsberg caves, learn about the traditional method of making sparkling wine, and finish with a tasting in the caves of Schramsberg Vineyards sparkling and Davies Vineyards still wines. We tasted 4 delicious Schramsberg sparkling wines and 1 Davies Cabernet Sauvignon on our visit.

Cave Tour & Tasting – All Sparkling Experience Available daily at 11:00am. Cost: $95 per person. Tour through parts of the caves while learning about sparkling wine production and the history of Schramsberg. The tour ends with a seated tasting experience of 6 Schramsberg sparkling wines.

Cave Tour & Tasting – Reserve Wines & Cheese Pairing Available Monday-Saturday only at 10:30am. Cost: $125 per person. Following a tour of the caves where you will learn about the history of Schramsberg and the methods used to produce sparkling wine, you will learn about how pairing food and wine can change the way you experience flavor. During this experience you will enjoy a guided tasting of still and sparkling wines paired with a variety of cheeses.

Visit the Schramsberg website to book your tasting experience online or call (707) 709-2469.

Tasting Notes

As you can see from the photo above, we tasted four of Schramsberg’s delicious sparklers as well as one Davies Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon.

• 2015 Brut Rosé -This was by far my favorite sparkling wine of the lineup. Dry yet delicate and aromatic with notes of melon, peach, and apricot. Very elegant.
• 2009 J. Schram -A sparkling wine dedicate to the winery’s founder. 86% Chardonnay, 14% Pinot Noir. Aged 8 years in bottle. Notes of toasted almonds and pears with bright acidity. More autolytic notes due to extended aging.
• 2014 Blanc de Noirs -90% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay. Youthful with a crisp texture. Easy to see how this wine will benefit from additional aging. Dry with notes of lemon zest and red apple.
• 2009 Schramsberg Reserve -82% Pinot Noir, 18% Chardonnay. Aged 8 years in bottle. The most savory of the lineup. Notes of toasted nuts, baked apples, brioche bread. Lovely and rich. Perfect sparkling wine to accompany a main course.

I don’t recall the vintage of the Davies Cabernet Sauvignon, but I do know there was a bit of Malbec and Petit Verdot blended in with the predominant Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine was luscious and very drinkable. We ended up taking home two bottles of the Brut Rosé and one of the Cab!

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Tasting Experiences

We invite you to join us during your stay in the napa valley., enjoy educational tastings of our davies still and schramsberg sparkling wines., we consider each visit a special event – for you and for us..

WINE TASTING EXPERIENCES

We offer seated tastings at various times throughout the day.

Red Wine Tasting

A sit down tasting of five of our small production Davies Vineyards Pinot Noirs and Cabernet Sauvignons.

Cost: $65 per person (Complimentary for wine club members)

Sparkling Wine Tasting

A sit down tasting of our Schramsberg Vineyards classic and prestige cuvée sparkling wines.

Sparkling & Red Wines Combination Tasting

Best of both worlds. A sit down of a combined portfolio tasting of three of our small production Schramsberg Vineyards sparkling wines, and three of our Davies Vineyards red wines.

Cost: $75 per person (Complimentary for wine club members)

J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon Library Tasting

Explore the evolution of our Estate J. Davies Cabernet Sauvignon from Diamond Mountain by tasting three library vintages (2008, 2013 and 2018), plus two additional current Cabernet Sauvignon offerings.

Cost: $180 per person ($115 for wine club members). Minimum 2 people. Library vintages subject to change.

2018 Pinot Noir Library Tasting

A unique opportunity to taste 5 different 2018 single vineyard Pinot Noirs from various appellations of California’s North Coast. Available June 7 – July 31, 2024, and subject to wine’s availability.

Cost: $130 per person ($65 for wine club members). Minimum 2 people.

Click Here to Reserve Your Experience

For groups larger than six people, please call us at 707-709-4245 to book your experience.

WINE & FOOD EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES

Wine & caviar brunch.

There isn’t a better way to start your day than with a combination of bubbles and reds with amazing caviar and brunch pairings. An educational tasting of Schramsberg Vineyards sparkling wines and Davies Vineyards reds, paired with Regiis Ova Caviar; Tortilla Española; Sautéed Wild Mushrooms, Polenta Cake and Seared local Five Dot Ranch Tenderloin; and a decadent Cheesecake with lemon curd to highlight the principles of wine and food pairings.

Cost: $180 per person ($130 for wine club members)

Available Friday through Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

We may be able to accommodate you on other days. Minimum 4 people. Please call us if you would like to book another day.

Call 707-709-4245 to reserve this experience

A perfect addition to your tasting. Three different caviars to complement your wines. A great way to explore different types of caviar and how they differ in mouthfeel and taste. This flight consists of 15 grams each of the Regiis Ova Caviars – Siberian, Ossetra and Kaluga. Comes with potato chips, crackers and crème fraiche. Perfect for just for yourself or can be shared by 2 people. Amazing with bubbles!

Regiis Ova Ossetra Caviar – $90

Not in the mood for a flight of caviars? Add on 30 grams of Regiis Ova Ossetra Caviar and accoutrements with your tasting. Ossetra is a true delicacy that is beautiful in both appearance and taste with a nutty and buttery flavor profile. Comes with potato chips, crackers and crème fraiche. Shareable or just for yourself!

Cheese Plate – $40

A selection of three artisan cheeses, crackers, marcona almonds and a preserve designed for pairing with any of our tastings. We are featuring the following – Drunken Goat from Murcia, Spain; Point Reyes Creamery Toma from Marin, California; Milton Creamery, Prairie Breeze Cheddar from Iowa. Perfect for sharing for 2 people.

If booking a tasting using our reservations pages, please note “Club Member” in the notes section for us to apply your club discount to the tasting fee. You must be an active club member having received at least one shipment prior to receiving wine club member pricing

Tour and Tasting at our Schramsberg Vineyards Visitor Center:

If you are unable to join us for a tasting at our Davies Vineyards property, please consider joining us at Schramsberg Vineyards for a tour and tasting there. Click here for more information about the tour and tastings offered at the Schramsberg Vineyards

Notes for all tastings:

• If you arrive more than 15 minutes after your start time, we may not be able to honor your seated reservation, or at our discretion, might be able to provide a shortened standing tasting experience. • All visitors to Davies Vineyards must be 21 years of age. • We are unable to accommodate babies, children or pets. • Tastings are by appointment only.

Due to the nature of our permit, we are limited by the number of guests we can see daily. Reservations are required in advance for all tastings. The splitting of tastings is not permitted.

A credit card is required at time of booking, as space is limited. There is a 24-hour cancellation policy for tastings.

Please refrain from the use of perfumes, colognes, aftershaves or any other fragrances the day of the tour.

Private Virtual Tastings:

If you are missing getting out and exploring the nuances of different wine offerings, we have begun to offer private virtual tastings with one of our wine educators. To find out more, click here.

Map and Directions to Davies Vineyards

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Winery Cave Tours & Tastings in Napa Valley

March 11, 2024.

Above-ground tasting rooms aren’t the only formal places to sip wine in Napa Valley. Many wineries also offer caves for tasting experiences. These caves serve dual purposes – they are cool and humid locations to store wine while it ages to perfection in barrels, and they are both beautiful and unique spots to taste wine.

Dug deep into the earth, underground caves provide a steady cool temperature – at around 55 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the perfect temperature for wine storage and for aging wine in barrels, and means no air conditioning or heating is necessary.

Napa Valley has over 65 wineries with caves, and many offer their caves to visitors for wine tastings. Head underground for a markedly different tasting experience from the ones above ground – the underground experiences often have a speakeasy vibe and can range from luxurious to a little spooky (in a good way, of course).

Here are some of the Napa Valley cave tasting experiences that have caught our eye; reservations are required unless otherwise specified.

Schramsberg

The dark, historic caves at Schramsberg date back over 150 years. Chinese laborers chiseled them by hand, and if you look closely, you can still see pick marks in the walls of volcanic rock. Known for their sparkling wines, Schramsberg offers multiple cave tour and tasting experiences depending on interest, such as a sparkling wine only tasting, a sparkling and red wine tasting (the still wines are courtesy of their sister winery, Davies Vineyards ), and even a tasting paired with artisan cheeses.

Joseph Cellars Winery

All tastings at this Calistoga winery include a tour through the extensive hillside caves before seated tastings outside or upstairs. Cellar Club members have the additional option of tasting underground; this experience includes a short tour of the cave and five wines paired with small bites.

Davis Estates

This circa-2011 Calistoga winery boasts more than 11,000 square feet of caves, and the Cave Tour & Tasting winds guests through some of the underground area before a seated tasting in a Howard Backen-designed tasting salon. All wines are paired with small food bites.

Pope Valley

Pope valley winery.

Located in the northeast corner of Napa Valley, Pope Valley Winery’s cave dates to the late 1800s and took eight years to dig by hand. The cave still features the original hand-hewn redwood beams and sits at the bottom of the three-story gravitational flow winery established in 1897. All wine tastings begin with a walk through a portion of the cave (which is also their barrel room).

CADE Winery

The first organically farmed LEED Gold Certified estate winery in Napa Valley features 15,000 square feet of caves that include event space. All visitors of the winery are shown through the caves as part of the standard tasting and tour, while larger groups can arrange special events, lunch, and dinner there. The design of CADE Winery’s caves is in the shape of the PlumpJack shield, and at the center, they have a large steel dining room table that was built from the hull of a World War 2 submarine while the table legs were salvaged from a vacant building on Mare Island.

Del Dotto Estate Winery & Caves

Cave tastings at this Venetian-inspired St. Helena winery feature red wine varietals thieved from barrels. Guests taste a side-by-side comparison of a single-vineyard Cabernet aged in French Oak alongside the same wine aged in American Oak. Visitors also sample bottled wine served with house-made pizza.

V. Sattui Winery

If you’re a Gold Card member at V. Sattui, this one’s for you: V. Sattui offers an exclusive wine tasting experience in their cellar cave, complete with cheese and a charcuterie board. Guests will find themselves nestled amongst the winery’s older wines, including their Reserve wines.

Brasswood Estate

Brasswood’s caves cover 17,000 square feet, and guests who book their Cave Tasting experience will get the full immersive experience. The tasting includes a tour of the caves, including the largest cave tunnel in Napa Valley (in width and height), and a flight of Brasswood Cellars current release wines.

Rutherford Hill Winery

The caves at Rutherford Hill are located behind the winery and carved deep under the hillside cliffs. The mile-long cave system stores 7,000 French Oak barrels and are the largest of their kind in Napa Valley. The “ATV vineyard and cave tour” takes guests on a ride up the hill to the Estate Vineyard and then into the caves for a tour, finishing with a tasting of reserve-tier wines.

HALL Rutherford

HALL’s Rutherford property (they have another property in St. Helena) has a 14,000 square-foot cave system finished with Austrian brick and limestone dating back to the Hapsburg Empire. Seated tastings take place under Donald Lipski’s dazzling “Chilean Red” chandelier, designed to look like the underground root system of a vine. This is truly one of those “only in Napa Valley” experiences.

HALL Rutherford, photo by Michael Cuffe

Far Niente Winery

This winery, having constructed the first new caves after Prohibition (the first in the US in the 20th century), now boasts one of Napa County's most expansive cave systems, covering 40,000 square feet. Accessing the underground labyrinth requires descending a narrow wooden staircase within the circa-1885 winery building, which has been refurbished and transformed into a tasting center. Once below ground, guests will encounter hundreds of French oak wine barrels housing Cabernet and Chardonnay vintages, along with an inviting cave system and a "main area" illuminated by a three-tiered chandelier.

Vine Cliff Winery

Tours of this historic Oakville winery, found in a canyon above the Silverado Trail, include a stroll through some of the 15,000-square-foot cave system, parts of which have been used for storage for nearly a century. While tastings take place in the outdoor garden or inside the winery, wine club dinners are often hosted underground.

Several private tasting experiences at B Cellars unfold in special tasting rooms in the winery’s 15,000 square-foot cave, which is tunneled under a hill – salons are separated by glass walls. The cave not only serves as a place for special tastings, but also acts as barrel storage for the winery. While underground in one of the elegantly designed rooms, guests can sample wines from various vintages. Each tasting is paired with local cheese, charcuterie, and accompaniments from the B Cellars kitchen.

Pine Ridge Vineyards

The first thing guests will notice upon arriving at Pine Ridge Vineyards’ 47-acre property is the hills surrounding the estate. Tucked deep below the vineyards on those hills sits an intricate cave system of 37,000 square feet of underground caves. The Cellar 47 tasting offers guests an escorted tour of the European-inspired cave system where they can experience floor-to-ceiling views of the rock that supports the hills. Guests on this tour enjoy a selection of highly limited estate Cabernets. Wine lovers can also opt for a “vineyard to cave experience” to get the full winery experience.

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

A Foucault pendulum – one of only about 50 in the world – swings in the center of the caves at Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. The pendulum is suspended from the ceiling and marks the passing of time, and the aging of wine. The caves cover 34,000 square feet of tunnels and house 6,000 barrels. The cave entrance takes guests to the Great Room, with copper sconces and quartzite floors, and right outside the doors sits the ARCADE, a glorious arched patio designed for tasting with sweeping views of the Stags Leap Palisades.

Stag's Leap Wine Cellars

Baldacci Family Vineyards

Baldacci Family Vineyards features over 19,000 square feet of wine caves in their hillside knoll, where their wines are crafted and barrel aged. The private Cave Tour & Estate Tasting experience begins with a splash of brut sparkling wine before journeying through the spectacular wine cave. Guests have the chance to taste wine directly from the barrel and see behind the scenes of the winery’s production area. This experience concludes in the Estate House with an indoor seated tasting.

Porter Family Vineyard

You won’t see a big winery building at this Coombsville brand; the entire winemaking operation here happens underground. There are 17,000 square feet of caves in all, and private tours include a walkthrough of at least some of the operation – there’s even an underground wine library. The Bordeaux varietals are outstanding.

Jarvis Estate

Jarvis Estate is unique because the entire winery exists underground in a cave – the first in the nation to be built in this way. The 45,000-square-foot cave system includes an underground waterfall, which serves to enhance the cave's inherent humidity, creating an ideal environment for making and aging wine. There is also a “gallery” of a dozen oak fermentation tanks, assembled on-site by a team of French coopers. All tours end with a seated tasting experience where guests sample six estate wines.

Be sure to check out these other wineries with caves:

• Castello di Amorosa
• Caves at Soda Canyon
• Clos Pegase Winery
• Covert Estate
• Fantesca Estate & Winery
• Miner Family Winery
• Palmaz Vineyards
• Pride Mountain Vineyards
• Vineyard 29

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Discover one of Napa’s Oldest Wineries—Schramsberg Vineyards

Napa Valley is renowned for its stunning vineyards and incredible wines. Charles Krug, the first official winery in Napa Valley, began planting grapes in 1861. German immigrant Jacob Schram soon followed his efforts. Jacob planted his first grapes in 1862, making Schramsberg Vineyards the second oldest winery in the Napa Valley.

The Early History of Schramsberg Vineyards

On a recent visit to Schramsberg Vineyards, I spent the day chatting with the Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer, and Chief Financial Officer Fred Zammataro and Marketing and E-commerce Manager Matthew Levy. Fred explained the early history of Schramsberg Vineyards.

The Founder of Schramsberg Vineyards

Jacob Schram was born in Pfeddersheim, Germany, in 1826. In Germany, young men turning 16 must enlist in the Army, so in 1842 Jacob left Germany and took a boat to the United States where he studied to become a barber.

Jacob met Annie, his bride, in New York, and they traveled to California in 1849. Here he set up shop on what is now Montgomery Street in the financial district of San Francisco. When Jacob and Annie moved to San Francisco, it was still a relatively small city. According to Wikipedia, “The Gold Rush began in January 1848, and San Francisco grew from a small settlement of about 200 residents in 1846 to a city of about 36,000 by 1852.

As time went by, many affluent men sat in Jacob’s chair. These were not prospectors but businessmen who thrived in the growing city. They owned hotels, stores, saloons, and other profitable yet less respectable establishments. These men would chat with Jacob regarding financial opportunities while getting their hair cut and/or a shave. Jacob soon parlayed his money, and during his travels to Napa Valley, he fell in love with the area and purchased 400 acres in Calistoga. Fred said, “Can you imagine your hairdresser today trying to buy 400 acres in Napa?”

The First Hillside Vineyards

With only one other vineyard in the area, why did Jacob establish his vineyards on the hillside known as Diamond Mountain instead of on the lowlands where it would be easy work? The answer lies in Jacob’s roots. Where he grew up in Germany, grapes grew on steep, terraced hills. Jacob knew that stressed vines produce exceptional grapes. The winery grew over the years, and soon he had more than 30,000 vines.

The First Caves in Napa Valley

Jacob understood that Napa Valley often endured hot summers and substantial amounts of wine could be lost from the heat. Between 1863 and 1869 approximately 15,000 Chinese workers helped build the transcontinental railroad. After the railroad’s completion, Jacob hired a team of Chinese workers to build a cave structure on the vineyard property. Picks and shovels were used to dig the cave; it was all hand-dug without dynamite. Jacob stored and aged his wine in the cave.

The Rebirth of Schramsberg Vineyards and a New Label

The winery did well producing delicious sparkling wines, but after many years the business fell into disrepair. However, in 1965 Jack and Jamie Davies purchased Schramsberg Vineyards and brought sparkling wine production back to life. The couple also began making cabernet sauvignon and pinot noirs under the Davies Vineyards label. Today, Hugh Davies, son of Jack and Jamie, is the owner of both Schramsberg Vineyards and Davies Vineyards.

The Current Operations at Schramsberg Vineyards

Today, Schramsberg Vineyards is busting at the seams. Owner Hugh Davies said, “We are using every corner of our facility.” Hugh explained how they separate the juice. Grapes from every vineyard and block are divided into individual lots. The fruit is all hand-picked, and each lot gets separately placed into the Bucher, known as a bladder press. The free run-off is what Hugh calls “The good stuff.” These “best” lots go into the J. Schram Blanc and J. Schram Noir; these are Schramsberg’s top sparkling wines. After finishing the free run-off, the bladder turns a few times, and the pressure is set to two bars to squeeze out the remainder of the juice.

This juice is reserved for the next level of Schramsberg sparkling wines and sold to other wineries. The reserve stock is used for non-vintage blends and stored for later use. The 130-140 lots of juice collected is turned into approximately 300 lots; some juice goes into stainless steel containers while other juice makes it into French oak barrels. Juice in some oak barrels will be inoculated with lactobacillus culture, initiating malolactic fermentation. Different juices with varying preparations are blended to make Schramsberg’s 16 sparkling styles each year.

The Schramsberg Sparkling Style

Some wineries change styles regularly. Everyone involved with Schramsberg believes in sticking to their successful style of sparkling wine. Fred said, “With sparkling wines, you can get button-holed into a house style, and you hang your hat on it. That is what you are proud of, like a chef known for a signature dish. If you hire a sous chef, you don’t let that person go crazy and change your dish because that dish is what put you on the map.”

The Schramsberg Vineyards

Several old buildings, along with most of the newer ones, survived recent fires thanks to the hard work of the local Fire Department. These older buildings made it onto the National and California Historical registers: the beautiful home built in 1875, the historic barn built in 1884, and the carriage house built sometime in the 1880s.

During my visit, it was fun to look at the older buildings, taste wine under the shade of the old trees in the grove, and learn about the bronze frog at the winery entrance.

The Unintended Icon OutFront

Just in front of the winery entrance is an enchanting pond with a bronze sculpture of a frog. Jamie Davies was a fan of art, and in 1990 she commissioned Larry Shank to make a sculpture for the winery. Winemakers have always had a bit of celebrity status, but another staff member, typically behind the scenes, is managing the caves. This person is known as “The Riddler.” The riddler works tirelessly to eliminate the dead yeast from every bottle of bubbles, as that yeast can affect the end product.

Fred told me the history of the sculpture “The Riddler’s Night Out.” When Jamie commissioned the artwork, Ramon was the current riddler. Larry decided to immortalize Ramon. He sculpted a frog dressed to the nines wearing a tuxedo and bow tie. In his left hand is a bottle of J Schram, the winery’s finest bubbles. In his right hand is a glass raised up against the moonlight. The frog is ecstatic, kicking up his feet with his head thrown back, mesmerized by the stream of bubbles rising to the top of his glass as he admires the clarity of his handiwork.

Although Jamie never intended this sculpture to be more than a decorative piece of art, this whimsical creature has become Schramsberg’s little icon over the years. He is a beloved member and representative of Schramsberg Vineyards.

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• Schramsberg & Davies Vineyards Northern Delights 2024 Vintner Cruise WAITLIST ONLY

July 12 - July 26

• Cruise & Tours
• Register Now
• Optional Land Tours
• About the ship

Ports of Call

Terms & conditions, the schramsberg & davies vineyards northern europe cruise is currently on a waitlist status..

Program Highlights

• Personally hosted by Vintners, Hugh & Monique Davies
• Private events including welcome & farewell receptions, wine tastings & seminars, and winemaker’s dinner featuring host wines
• $200 per suite shipboard credit
• Food & Wine Trails optional private pre-cruise Stockhlom land program and wine-themed shore tours in select ports, curated exclusively for Schramsberg & Davies guests
• All-suite, all-inclusive accommodations
• All open-seating restaurants, dine whenever, wherever and with whomever you choose
• Gourmet cuisine in the main dining room – Compass Rose
• Complimentary specialty restaurants –  La Veranda, Prime 7 and Sette Mari
• Butler service for penthouse suites and above
• Serene Spa & Wellness fitness center
• FREE Round-trip Business Class Air (Intercontinental flights)
• FREE Unlimited  Regent Seven Seas  Shore Excursions
• FREE Unlimited beverages, including fine wines and spirits
• FREE Pre-paid gratuities
• FREE Open bars and lounges plus in-suite mini-bar refreshed daily
• FREE Specialty restaurants
• FREE Transfers between airport and ship
• FREE Unlimited WiFi
• FREE Valet Laundry Service

We are thrilled to be able to offer you the opportunity to join Napa Valley Vintners, Hugh & Monique Davies for a truly all-inclusive experience in Northern Europe.

Grandiose history, natural wonders, beautiful seas, exotic ports, delicious food, and extraordinary wine await as we board the luxurious all-suite Seven Seas Navigator on an 14-night adventure of a lifetime.

Our cruise itinerary takes us around the Baltic and North Seas, starting in Sweden, and docking in Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Sweden, Poland, Denmark, Germany (an overnight in Hamburg), England, Belgium and ending in the canal city of Amsterdam, Netherlands.   In addition to visiting cities steeped in history and undergoing culinary renaissances, you will also be invited to wine receptions and seminars while on board, including a vintner’s dinner paired with a selection of incredible Schramsberg and Davies Vineyards wines. Our guests love these on-board events, as it is during these times that you really get to know your fellow travelers, hosts and wine enthusiasts.

SAVE THE DATE for Food & Wine Trails optional pre-cruise land program in Stockholm, and very special sparkling wine-themed shore tour in Southern England, curated exclusively for our group.

Cruise Line

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Stockholm to Amsterdam

Hugh & Monique Davies

Vintners, Scramsberg & Davies Vineyards

Schramsberg & Davies Vineyards

From/To: Stockholm to Amsterdam Dates: July 12 – 26, 2024 Length: 14 Days Ship: Seven Seas Navigator

F&WT Optional 2-night pre-cruise Stockholm land program: Stockholm – The City Between Bridges

F&WT Onboard Event: Schramsberg & Davies Vineyards Welcome Reception

 F&WT Optional Shore Tour – Tallin: From Medieval to Modern

F&WT Onboard Event: Schramsberg & Davies Vineyards Intimate Dinner (group 1) in Prime 7

F&WT Onboard Event: Schramsberg & Davies Vineyards Winemaker’s Dinner

 F&WT Optional Shore Tour – Copenhagen: A Smorgasbord of the North

F&WT Onboard Event: Schramsberg & Davies Vineyards Intimate Dinner (group 2) in Prime 7

F&WT Optional Shore Tour: Esbjerg: A Mystic Maritime Town

F&WT Onboard Event: Schramsberg & Davies Vineyards Still Wines Seminar & Tasting 3:30 – 5:00PM in Compass Rose

F&WT Onboard Event: Schramsberg & Davies Vineyards Sparkling Wine Seminar & Tasting

F&WT Optional Shore Tour: Kent – The Wine Garden of England

F&WT Onboard Event: Schramsberg & Davies Vineyards Farewell Reception

F&WT Optional Land Programs

7/10 - 7/12/2024

Now available f&wt optional 2-night pre-cruise stockholm land program.

NOW AVAILABLE! F&WT Optional Tallinn Shore Tour

NOW AVAILABLE! F&WT Optional Copenhagen Shore Tour

NOW AVAILABLE! F&WT Optional Esberg Shore Tour

NOW AVAILABLE! F&WT Optional English Sparkling Wines Shore Tour

Per person prices - waitlist only, *air credit for those electing not to use the free air travel included with the price of the cruise is $3,000 per person and subject to change..

REQUEST PRICES FOR SINGLE/TRIPLE/QUAD OR CATEGORY NOT LISTED.

Prices: Prices are per person based on cabin double occupancy and include shipboard accommodations, roundtrip Business Class air for intercontential flights (see Air terms on Registration Form), airport/ship transfers on day of embarkation and debarkation, 1-night pre-cruise hotel stay for concierge suites and above, shipboard gratuities, Regent shore tours, unlimited onboard beverages, onboard meals, valet laundry all surcharges, government taxes, limited travel management services and private wine program. Prices do not include Food & Wine Trails optional pre or post-cruise land programs or shore tours, and items of a personal nature. F&WT reserves the right to correct pricing errors or omissions. Prices will not increase after you make full payment, except for charges resulting from increases in government-imposed taxes, fees or fuel surcharges. .

Ask your Travel Consultant about prices for the Navigator Suite, Grand Suite & Master Suite

About The Ship

Click Here for ship’s deck plan

Serene ocean views enhance the soothing color palette in each  Seven Seas Navigator ® suite, with just 496 guests in all-suite accommodations. You’ll also find luxurious bath amenities, a cozy robe and Regent’s superior Elite Slumber ™  beds to ensure a relaxing and revitalizing all-inclusive luxury voyage.

As you gaze at  Seven Seas Navigator , imagine what you’ll hear as well. Listen for sounds of happiness like forks clicking on Versace dinnerware, a ball clacking on a roulette wheel, and a martini being shaken to icy perfection.

Penthouse Suite

Veranda Suite

Compass Rose

Galileos Lounge

Stars Lounge

Coffee Connection

Click Here for a complete list of terms & conditions

Top Wineries in Napa Valley

“The coolest part about visiting Schramsberg Vineyards is the chance to tour through its miles of underground caves, where millions of bottles of nascent wine are stored as they undergo the secondary fermentations that make them fizzy.”