United States (Napa/Sonoma Wine Country)
Read Jackie's 5-day itinerary for California Wine Country.
As a fourth-generation native Californian, I am particularly enamored with the northern part of the state. Interestingly, my great-grandmother was born in Napa in 1851, although she moved to the southern part of the state after she married. When I began taking wine classes in 1979, it was inevitable that my genes would return to the source, I guess.
I have lived in Napa for most of the time since 1986, and continued taking wine classes – I love the “homework” I have to do. Visiting new wineries is part of my education process. How can I send my clients to visit if I do not know what the product is? Of course, Napa has also become a gourmet dining destination. We have a fantastic collection of some of the finest restaurants in the United States. Again, part of my job is keeping up with them, too.
The itineraries I plan for my clients are definitely not the sort of thing visitors could plan for themselves with the use of a guidebook or the internet. I often arrange special private dinners at a mountain-top winery or in the cave of a small private winery.
If you want to experience the best that the Napa Valley and Sonoma counties have to offer, I would be delighted to help make that possible for you.
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Jackies recommendations were all fantastic! She made our trip truly memorable.
Thanks Jackie!!
ZM
Date: October 2008
Destination: Napa
Travel Specialist: Jackie Richmond
This was our first experience with one of the travel specialist from Wendy Perrin's list. Since then we have been back to draw from the well based on this extremely positive experience. My husband and I wanted to tour Napa. I had been on my own with a girlfriend 7 years before and had formed a few impressions, but not enough to guide us. I should say that for our wedding we had a wine registry set up at St Helena Wine Center: we share a fondness for wine!
Enter Jackie. After a short phone conversation where we discussed my previous trip and some of the current happenings in Napa, she set up a wonderful itinerary. First, she provided a shortlist of hotels for the stay for us to pick from, we chose Solage in Calistoga which did not disappoint. But the best part of her insight and experience came through with the wineries and restaurants that she picked for us.
She thought of it all, based on the preferences I had expressed and the observations I had shared with her. The itinerary was well-balanced and thoughtful. On days with too many wineries, she hired a chauffeur. She included downtime every day. She chose wineries and restaurants purposefully, each had a flavour she knew would appeal to us (great judgement). Some were small unknown wineries with fabulous wine, other had great art installations. Some were just a wonderful mix of quirkiness and characters!
She went all out to get us a table at French Laundry which I cannot say enough good things about and we equally enjoyed all other restaurant choices. Again, a great selection from someone who clearly knowns the dining options in Napa.
Frankly, I don't see any better way to visit Napa than to put yourself in her hands. I recommend her highly to the discerning traveller who wants the best from someone who will listen and knows their way through the many offerings in the Valley.
From my interactions with Jackie before, during and after the trip, I can say her heart is in it. In the travel business, that makes a heck of a difference..
You can't go wrong with Jackie.
Nevine Zariffa, Philadelphia PA
Jackie is absolutely amazing!
She helped plan my birthday getaway trip with friends last year with just a few weeks notice. We all had an incredible time and still talk about the weekend -- everything from the small, private wineries we visited (and one where we hit it off with the vintner-owner and his dog so well that we wiled away much of the afternoon with him at a picnic table in the middle of the vineyard!), to the hotel recc (Bardessono -- pool terrace, not to be missed) and the restaurant recommendations.
On top of all of it: Jackie was incredibly patient in helping a workaholic like me plan a trip for 7 out-of-towners, almost entirely via emails sent from my desk at 11pm at night.
I would recommend her to anyone -- either first-time visitors to the Valley or folks who have visited many times before. I was actually born in St. Helena and have visited at least 20+ times, but I found many new discoveries on this trip.
Thanks Jackie!
Abby, San Francisco