Two days after my arrival at San Francisco, my aunt and I drove to Napa Valley to sample the region’s finest wine (well, supposedly). The weather was encouraging of the short excursion, so we enjoyed the morning exploring the most extravagantly-structured wineries, modeled after the lavish lifestyle of different parts of the world.

Darioush Winery, Egyptian

V’Sattui, Italian

The most family-friendly winery of all, V’Sattui had a deli shop, a wine bar, a gelato kiosk, all kinds of souvenir items and fancy knick-knacks, a wide garden area for al fresco dining, and picturesque backdrops in almost every corner. We spent the bulk of our time here. Who could resist an authentic Italian meal for a picnic?

Castello di Amorosa, Italian

Domaine Carneros, French

At 2PM that day, intense jetlag kicked in like a killer wave. Thank goodness we were on our way home then.