Wine Country Weekends - a new way to save

Traveling in wine country? The good old days of free wine tastings are getting to be few and far between. I was at Envy Winesrecentlyin Napa County just outside of the town of Calistoga.

While at first I thought this might be a sister winery to a restaurant called Gluttony and, perhaps, to asecludedbed and breakfast called Lust, it turns out the name is much more prosaic - it's named after Napa Valley itself. This new winery was founded by entrepreneur Mark Carter and wine consultant Nils Venge.

We werefortunate in having free winery tickets to the tango-themed tasting room at Envy , saving the usual $10 tasting charge per person. While enjoying a rich Petite Syrah, I overheard the cellarmaster, Richard Carter, mention to a group of visitors that they had chosen well - their bed and breakfast had an agreement with the winery to provide free tastings at Envy, among other local wineries. My frugal brain kicked into overdrive. At $20 or more per couple per winery, staying at a well-connected B&B providing a handful of free tastings could almost halve yourvacation cost.

I asked Richard about this, and he gave me a handful of bed and breakfast pamphlets with whom they had "an arrangement". Glancing at them, I realized that none of them actually promoted the fact that if you stayed with them, you would be able to have one or more free wine tastings, not just at Envy but at many other wineries as well. Apparently, it's a quiet little secret. At least till now...

These Bed and Breakfasts in the Calistoga area provide free tasting tickets to Envy and other wineries in the area. But wherever you book, ask about which wineries provide them with complimentary tickets. And if there are wineries that you really want to visit, it never hurts to find out if they can arrange a free tasting for them.

Ambrose Bierce House, St. Helena- Historic home once owned by the enigmatical writer.

Aurora Park Cottages, Calistoga - Individual cottages in the wine country.

Wine Way Inn, Calistoga - Craftsman-style cottage with period-decorated rooms.

Chanric Inn, Calistoga - Neo-classical home with a large deck and formal gardens.

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