On my list of things I wanted to see on a recent drive through the Napa valley (Napa is just 45 miles away) was the recently renovated Oakville Grocery. We have been stopping in the 130-year-old market (the oldest continually operating grocery in California) for years, but hadn’t visited since they completed a major, five-months-in-works renovation.
Like most things in the Valley, the prices of gourmet items like flour de sel Caramel Corn and olive oil-fried breadsticks can be a bit dear, so I let my camera do the shopping… for the most part. But this is the perfect spot to pick out a picnic to bring along to a winery (we liked the setting at Cuvaison on our last visit), or to stop for a break from a bike ride and take in the views out back.
The mostly locally-sourced market could also serve as a precursor to a fantastic tour of the valley, highlighting the growers and producers you might want to seek out yourself: honey made in Sonoma? Can we visit the hive? Cheese from a goat farm nearby? Do they offer tastings? Biodynamic winery up the road? How’s that different from Organic? Let’s make an appointment for a tour and see. In other words, bring along a map and a pen.
P.S. Our travelogue, 48 hours in the Napa Valley.
[Update: Thanks for asking: my shoes are JCrew's Cece ballet flats in suede, but they don't carry the red anymore. These and these look similar--and I've heard that round-toe flats are once again going to lose favor while pointy toes become on-trend, so maybe try these.]
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LOVE Oakville grocery and got the best picnic from there on our last visit. Can’t wait to see the renovations and next visit I’m definitely planning to spend a bit more time drooling in the aisles. Beautiful pictures.
this looks so beautiful! (and i love your red shoes.) can’t believe you guys are only 45 minutes from napa!
I love the red shoes, too! Can you share where you bought them?
This looks like such a fun trip. xo
Thanks! I added some links at the bottom of the post. I’m afraid the exact ones are out of stock but might be available at the JCrew Outlet on Long Island. xo
That pic of your hubby and son is gorgeous!
Thanks!! They’re a cute pair.
let the camera do the shopping, it’s all you can do sometimes. nice to visit though, looks like a top place
We went there during our Napa trip this past September, and I cannot tell you how much I haaaaaaaaated this place. It was crowded, the deli counter was beyond slow (because they were so busy), and to top it off, I ordered a glass of cab to go with my $30 picnic that included the 30-minutes-to-get-a-sliver-of-cheese, and they. were out. of cab (!!!!!!!!!!!!!).
It was scarier than Wal-Mart on a Saturday. There, I said it. I’m sure if it hadn’t been as crowded, it would have been pleasant, but it was, and I will never go back there.
Oh no!! That’s horrible–yikes! There was hardly anyone the Sunday we stopped in but I know crowds in Napa can be the worst. I would have hated that, too!
This is one of my favorite places on earth. It’s one of the things I miss most about California.
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