Wineries &
The winning photograph
Silverado Trail category
2003 Napa Valley Mustard Festival Photo Finish
Click image to enlarge
Map of Napa Valley
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The Silverado Trail runs along the Eastern side of the Napa Valley. With less traffic than highway 29, which connects Napa Valley towns and cities along the Western side, the Silverado Trail has both small family run and large estate wineries.
Follow the links in the left hand column to view our panoramas and pictures of some of the wineries and landscape along Napa Valley's Silverado Trail. Scroll down for a map of the Napa Valley, wine tours and Silverado Trail history. Use the blue column links, on the far right side, to visit other areas in the wine country.
Read Peter's article about the bi-annual Silverado Trail Wineries Association’s gala event, “Wine Prospecting Weekend along the Silverado Trail" with tasting notes from sixteen participating Silverado Trail wineries.
Real Silverado Trail Wine Tours
A Brief History of the Silverado Trail
Silver mining became popular in the hills at the northern end of the valley beginning around 1858. Mr. Patchett, a local landowner, saw an opportunity to sell wine to the miners flocking to the area. Patchett hired a young Prussian to make wine with the help of a cider press
The town of Silverado grew up around the only really successful silver mine in the valley. A hotel and other businesses were started near the 1872 claim of Alexander Badham. Unfortunately the silver vein had played out by 1875 ending the short lived silver rush.
A road on the east side of the Napa Valley following old Wappo trails was referred to as "the old back road" for years until 1921 when it was renamed Silverado Trail.
Black Bart, Buck English and other highway bandits held up stagecoaches carrying mining payrolls up and down the Silverado Trail.
Meanwhile resorts had began springing up off the Silverado Trail in Calistoga and later Soda Springs. Natural hot sulphur springs, warm Mediterranean climate and reasonable travel distance to San Francisco all contributed to the popularity of the Napa Valley as a resort destination.
Robert Louis Stevenson came to the valley hoping to improve his health and in 1880 spent his honeymoon in what had become a ghost town. Stevenson's book, Silverado Squatters, tells the story of this stay. The Silverado Museum at 1490 Library Street in St. Helena, which is dedicated to collecting memorabilia and information about Robert Louis Stevenson, is a good place to learn more about the author.
Silverado Trail wineries either overcame or outlasted the Phylloxera epidemic and Prohibition to eventually achieve world recognition beginning with the "Judgement of Paris" in 1976 and continuing with the Napa Valley Wine Auction, first held in 1981.
Read about the history and construction of Northern California wine caves, like those at Pine Ridge Winery and Cuvasion, in my illustrated article.
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