By Contributor,Kim Kulish,Michael Goldstein

Copyright forbes

A toast to Napa Valley, as four friends celebrate at the Four Seasons Napa Valley in Calistoga, CA.
Four Seasons Napa Valley

For wine lovers and those who love them, any time is a great time to visit Napa Valley. But there’s no time quite like harvest time in the vineyards, known locally as the Crush. Some of the summer heat has melted away, with the golden days around 75F. The night’s slight chill is perfect for a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon by an indoor fireplace or outdoor firepit.

At harvest time in the Valley, it’s still warm enough to enjoy the pool, amenities and grounds of a luxury five-star resort like the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley.

Set along the Silverado Trail in Calistoga, with nearby vineyards framed by the Palisades Mountains, the property’s four-year-old Auro restaurant already offers Michelin-star awarded dining. Another unique amenity of this Four Seasons is its high-end Elusa winery complete with four-acre Cabernet Sauvignon vineyard on property.

Harvest experiences are also available at other Napa Valley venues and vineyards. There are many tastings, celebrations, parties and events with food and music as well. At some, you can even “get your feet wet” with an old-fashioned grape stomp like the famous I Love Lucy episode.

At the Reynolds Family Winery on September 27, 2025, guests are invited to an evening of exceptional wines, warm hospitality, and a few unforgettable harvest traditions. They’ll be serving up live-fire pizza, pouring a curated selection of library wines, and hosting the annual grape stomping competition for those who aren’t afraid to get their feet a little purple.

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At the Crush Party at Bouchaine Vineyards on September 28, you can join locals and visitors for a day filled with Spanish flair and paella matched with Bouchaine’s fine wines. Dance to the rhythm of live music as you test your harvesting skills during the grape-picking competition (you can even win a prize!) and enjoy the exhilarating feeling of stomping grapes in your bare feet. Commemorate the occasion by decorating your own grape-juice-dyed Harvest T-shirt.

Harvest Adventure participant Tanya Polander stomps on Cabernet Grapes. Guests learn all aspects of wine making at St. Supery Winery, located in in the heart of the Napa Valley. (Photo by Kim Kulish/Corbis via Getty Images)
Corbis via Getty Images

At the O’Brien Estate on October 2, the family-friendly event welcomes children to join in the harvest fun. Sandals or flip-flops are recommended attire.

And at V. Sattui Winery on October 17, you can get behind-the-scenes of a working winery at their open house and taste over 45 wines. Guests can meet the growers and winemakers and do the old-fashioned grape stomp serenaded by the music of Papa Joe & The New Deal. The event offers foods from a live-fire Tuscan grill and wood-fired pizza ovens.

At the Four Seasons in Napa, one experience includes guided walk through Elusa’s organically farmed vineyard. After a crisp pour of 2023 Sauvignon Blanc, you can stroll the vines as your host shares what makes the Calistoga area unique, from volcanic soils to its winemaking heritage. The experience ends at a vineyard table set between rows of Cabernet, where two vintages are paired with gourmet cheeses.

Every Friday through October 24, Elusa Winery hosts Harvest Happy Hour from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. Guests can stroll to the winery patio to enjoy by-the-glass specials, vineyard views, lawn games, and fried chicken sandwiches from local favorite MJ Heritage Farms to kick off a Calistoga weekend.

The property’s Auro restaurant has several wine-tasting experiences available during harvest season. These include wine pairing dinners where seven courses at the Michelin-starred restaurant meet some of Napa Valley’s top wines. Chris Carpenter Wines takes the spotlight on September 24, 2025, followed by Hundred Acre Wines on October 29, 2025.

Guests may also choose Savour the Stars, an overnight escape that pairs Michelin-star winning chef Rogelio Garcia’s tasting menu with rare wines. The chef was recently honoured with a James Beard Award for his cookbook Convivir.

A couple samples the wine at Elusa, a vineyard and winery on the property of the Four Seasons Napa Valley.
Four Seasons Napa Valley

The harvest season is even celebrated at the resort’s Spa Talisa. The Harvest Grapeseed Ritual begins with a dry brush and exfoliating scrub, followed by a rich body butter and a glass of Elusa Cabernet Sauvignon. The Harvest Facial showcases Napa’s LIV + GRACE SKINCARE, using a soothing pumpkin enzyme mask to bring out autumn radiance.

In addition to its luxury suites the Four Seasons has eleven villas available for rental. The two, three, and even four-bedroom residences are spacious, feature mature olive trees, relaxing grounds, and gourmet kitchens. Depending on the unit, the residences have been enhanced with bocce courts, hot tubs, and even a saltwater plunge pool.

Guests staying in the residences can get special experiences delivered directly to them. Families can enjoy painting a watercolor on the terrace with local artist Nancy Willis or a cookie-decorating class with Pastry Chef Celine Plano. Private dinners prepared in guest’s villas, curated wine tastings arranged by the sommeliers, and holistic treatments from Spa Talisa are also available. Guests booking stays between September 12 and December 25, 2025, can selecg the Experience More package, receiving a resort credit of up to USD $800 on dining, wellness, and curated in-residence experiences.

For guests who might like to actually leave the property during their stay, Four Seasons Napa has a special Experience program.

After an evening of dining and drinking, why not rise early in the morning to Soar Above Napa Valley? A colorful hot air balloon will take you and your family (over six years old, please) on a journey over Napa Valley’s hills, meadows and vineyard. The flights start at $320 per person, including round-trip resort shuttle, flight, and refreshments.

A bedroom in one of the residence at the Four Seasons Napa Valley, opening to a vineyard.
Four Seasons Napa Valley

If you prefer to be king of the road, why not take a Napa Valley Dream Drive? This is your chance for a curated driving experience in exotic cars through wine country’s most scenic routes. On my drive, I got to squeeze into a Lamborghini next to our patient instructor, while others picked Porsches, McLarens or even a Ferrari for their personal rally. Do try to keep to the speed limit.

The dream drive package includes private transfer to The Barn, Napa Valley Car Club’s exclusive clubhouse, post-drive drinks and stories and return transfer.

There’s also an off-property wine tasting jaunt, the Four Seasons Pritchard Hill Experience. An exclusive Pritchard Hill Estate tasting at Chappelle for Four Seasons guests, it includes barrel tasting, winery tour, and artisanal cheese pairing. The two-hour tour (with optional picnicking time) is available Tuesday through Saturday from 10AM to 2PM.

The Four Seasons also offers guests a complimentary Lucid Driving Experience. The new generation electric Lucid Air vehicles lets you a sustainably explore the Silverado Trail through Napa’s vineyards. Guests get up to a four-hour complimentary use of a Lucid Air luxury electric vehicle, which offers up to 512 miles of all-electric range. The staff will even provide recommendations on what to do along the 29-mile route.

And getting to Napa Valley can actually be fun. Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley partner JSX offers seasonal semi-private flights into Napa County Airport (APC), which also welcomes private jet arrivals.

A JSX Embraer ERJ-135LR airplane departs Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) in Burbank, California, US, on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2022. Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite-based internet service has landed its first aviation customer in a deal with startup JSX, which plans to offer the SpaceX units wi-fi to passengers in its first deal with an airline. Photograph: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg
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Sonoma County Airport (STS), about 45 minutes away offers direct service from Los Angeles, Burbank, and Orange County. To further explore the area, you can fly into San Francisco, Oakland, Sacramento, or San Jose and rent a car, to watch the seasons change in California.

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