Beringer Vineyards

Beringer Vineyards is the place to understand how old Napa Valley really is. Brothers Jacob and Frederick Beringer, immigrants from Mainz in Germany, founded the winery on the north edge of St. Helena in 1876, and it has made wine every year since, kept going through Prohibition by producing sacramental wine, which is why it can call itself the valley's oldest continuously operating winery. 2026 is its 150th year. The estate looks the part. The Rhine House, the many-gabled Victorian mansion Frederick built in the 1880s and modeled on the family home on the Rhine, is the visual symbol of the place, with stained glass, carved wood and wide lawns under old elms; behind it, cellars were dug into the hillside by Chinese laborers in the 1870s and 1880s, among the earliest wine cellars of their kind in the valley. Beringer is a big producer, and that is an advantage for visitors: it is open daily, the range of experiences is wide, and prices start lower than at most famous names. The Discover Beringer experience is designed for first-time guests and families and is the rare Napa tasting that welcomes children and dogs; cave-focused tours walk the old cellars; the Taste of Beringer pairs wine with seasonal bites; and the Collectors' Experience pours library and reserve bottles, including the Private Reserve Cabernet made since the late 1970s. Reservations are recommended, though the Welcome Center can sometimes fit you in on the day. It is busier and more polished than a boutique visit, but for history, gardens and a relaxed first tasting it is hard to beat.

A walk through history. Start at the Rhine House even if your tasting is elsewhere on the estate: the interiors are a showpiece of Victorian craftsmanship, and the gardens in front are the most graceful lawn in St. Helena. The older stone winery and the hillside cellars behind it tell the practical story, how wine was made and stored before refrigeration, using the cool of the hill. Guides on the cave-focused tours fill in the family history, from the brothers' arrival through Prohibition to the modern era, and the 150th-anniversary year has added events and special releases to the calendar.

Choosing an experience. Discover Beringer is the best entry point for mixed groups and families, since it is the experience that welcomes all ages and dogs. Wine lovers should book a cave tour and tasting to see the historic cellars, while food lovers will enjoy the Taste of Beringer, which walks through sensory gardens before a seated pairing. Tastings range widely in price, from accessible flights to reserve and library experiences, so it is one of the better choices for a mixed budget. Groups of more than about fourteen need to arrange a group event.

Practicals. Beringer is at 2000 Main Street on Highway 29 in St. Helena, with on-site parking and the Welcome Center as the drop-off point for rideshare and drivers. It is open daily, with holiday closures around Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year. The Alila Napa Valley hotel sits beside the estate, and downtown St. Helena's restaurants and shops are a short drive or a long walk away. Pair it with lunch in downtown St. Helena, then Castello di Amorosa or Calistoga to the north. Keep a designated driver in the plan: St. Helena's stretch of Highway 29 is one of the busiest in the valley.