Calistoga

More than five years after the Glass Fire tore through, destroying several buildings, Hourglass forges on, with consulting winemaker Tony Biagi producing outstanding Bordeaux-style blends from two estate vineyards. Founded by couple Jeff Smith and Carolyn Duryea, the winery at their Blueline estate blends into the eastern hills of the valley, with a round, Hobbiton-style door opening into the hillside and into the winery. Guests pass through the winery and down into the aging tunnels deep underground to find a peaceful tasting room and a flight of multiple wines.

4208 Silverado Trail

Larkmead's Howard Backen designed tasting salon looks fairly new, but there are plenty of hints that this is a winery with real history. The property was founded in 1895 by Lillie Colt, a San Francisco woman whose wealthy parents gave her a Napa farm to get her out of the corrupting city. She responded by converting the land into a winery, which survived through Prohibition by producing sacramental wine and then was purchased by the Solari family in 1948. Located at one of the narrowest, hottest points of the valley, Larkmead is surrounded by its vineyards, primarily Cabernet with some Sauvignon Blanc and a bit of Tocai Friulano. A visit includes a tour of the vineyards followed by a seated tasting paired with cheese and charcuterie in the comfortable tasting room, or in the pergola when the weather is nice. And in this part of the valley, it usually is.

1100 Larkmead Lane

Napa locals thought Jack and Jamie Davies were fools when they fled Los Angeles in 1965 and bought the old Schram place in the foothills of Spring Mountain with its crumbling buildings and abandoned tunnels. Instead, the Davieses helped kickstart Napa Valley's modern era, part of a migration of young, enthusiastic winemakers into the region. The couple cleared out the tunnels to age their sparkling wine and began producing bubbly that rivals Champagne. Schramsberg is still owned by the family today. Guests can enjoy a tour of the tunnels and learn more about sparkling winemaking, then taste six wines from both Schramsberg and Davies Vineyard, their nearby still-wine project.

1400 Schramsberg Road

The Calistoga restaurant scene reflects the town's mix of refined and comfortable. You can opt for fine dining venues at the resorts in town, including a two-star Michelin experience at Auro at the Four Seasons. But there are also comfy local dining rooms that will feed you well and help you relax after a day of winery visits or hiking the trails of the nearby state park. And nearly every place in town has a good wine program.

Located where Lincoln Road crosses the Napa River, the Calistoga Inn's restaurant epitomizes the upscale California comfort the town is known for. Choose seating in a cozy dining room or, when the weather is nice (which, c'mon, it's Napa Valley), on the spacious patio alongside the river. Try one of the excellent beers from the inn's micro-brewery, Napa Valley Brewing Company, of course, the wine selection and cocktail choices are good too. The menu takes in Napa versions of comfort food, skirt steak, Sonoma duck leg confit with seasonal mushrooms, a wood-fire grilled pork chop garnished with pomegranate and ginger Cabernet sauce.

1250 Lincoln Avenue

Lovina feels like it's been around forever, in part due to the 120-year-old house it occupies but also the boisterous atmosphere inside thanks to the crowd of locals who dine here. It's also welcoming to all, with numerous vegan and gluten-free options on the Cal-Ital menu. Consider the "impossible sausage" lasagna, or dive into the risotto with braised Wagyu boneless short rib. Plus, respect to a restaurant whose desserts include "Sundae Funday" and "A Hot Mess," which is a warm brownie topped with house-made marshmallow cream and pistachio gelato. The Napa- and Sonoma-focused wine list includes a selection of older wines, such as Freemark Abbey Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Sycamore Vineyard 2009.

1107 Cedar Street

The Solage resort houses two restaurants, both helmed by executive chef Gustavo Rios: the more formal Solbar and the casual Picobar. The former is great, but Picobar is a unique experience for its poolside location, focus on upscale Mexican cuisine and impressive selection of agave spirits. The fresh tortilla chips and salsas alone are reason to visit and relax by the pool. The wine list is outstanding too, both by bottle and glass. Diners can also book, in advance, an eight-course "Head Tilt Tasting," as in, tilt your head to bite that taco, diving into a delicious culinary exploration of Mexico.

755 Silverado Trail N. (Solage, Auberge Resorts Collection)

Tucked away on the side of Indian Springs Resort, Sam's Social Club is welcoming to resort guests and non-guests alike. The bar area is a good spot for meeting up, with plenty of tables, an appealing cocktail menu and a wines by-the-glass list that takes in both California and international bottlings. The menu is upscale American, with starters like smoked trout dip with house-made potato chips and a crostini covered in fresh ricotta and house-made pepper jelly. For entrées, the bone-in pork schnitzel is large enough to play pickleball with, but it's better to eat, covered with Napa cabbage and fennel.

1712 Lincoln Avenue (Indian Springs Resort)

If you're looking for a hearty breakfast before you head out for wine tasting, Sarafornia is the place. Named for a supposed slip of the tongue by town founder Sam Brannan (he meant to say his town would be the Saratoga of California and instead said Calistoga of Sarafornia), this diner has been open since 1976, serving breakfast and lunch. The breakfast plates are big and comforting, and there's more than a dozen egg dishes, including "The Best Huevos Rancheros in Napa Valley."

1413 Lincoln Avenue

Tucked away on a side street two blocks from Lincoln Road, this is an intimate luxury hotel, with just eight rooms but plenty of deluxe amenities, from a sauna and salt room to a heated pool and clay tennis court. It's also on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1886 as a family home for prominent local merchant James H. Francis, the old house with French Second Empire architecture was converted to the Calistoga Hospital in 1919, then abandoned in 1964. In 2014, interior designer Dina Dwyer and her developer/contractor husband, Richard Dwyer, began a four-year restoration before opening the inn.

1403 Myrtle Street

Of Auberge Resorts' three Napa Valley properties, Solage is the most relaxed and approachable, popular with both guests and locals who come enjoy the pool and spa with day passes. Guests can stay in one of the bungalows reached on winding shady paths, making this feel like a resort community. The bungalows are luxurious, with glass doors that open wide into private yards. Solage offers a full menu of wellness options in a 20,000-square-foot spa. Need a massage? There are more than a dozen options to choose from, each at various durations. Then there's the "signature mudslide," which provides a lengthy soak in the mineral-enriched mud common to the area, followed by relaxation in a geothermally heated mineral bath. Guests can end their spa day in a private poolside cabana with wine service.

755 Silverado Trail N.

Driving by, this looks like a 1950s motel, and it sort of is. Dr. Jon Wilkinson and his wife, Edy, founded this roadside resort in 1952 with the aim of promoting wellness in Calistoga's mineral springs. Today, it's a luxury hotel, run by Marriott. From the outside, the rooms and cottages still look like a '50s motor lodge, but interiors have been updated and modernized. At the spa, a lengthy list of amenities includes three mineral pools of varying temperatures, mud treatments and a Mexican American restaurant with a focus on health food.

1507 Lincoln Avenue