V. Sattui Winery, a Napa Valley institution with famed picnic grounds, has a history that dates back to 1885, when Italian immigrant Vittorio Sattui arrived in San Francisco and started making wine. But for me, the St. Helena winery’s heyday was actually the late 1990s and early 2000s. 

Back then, I was new to the Bay Area, in my 20s and scraping by on a reporter’s salary. On weekends, however, my underpaid posse and I felt like ballers: We’d pile into someone’s clunky sedan, head up Highway 29, and plant ourselves on V. Sattui’s vast lawn, drinking amazing wine for free. V. Sattui didn’t start charging for tastings until 2006 — and even then, they were only $5. 

When we got hungry, Michelin-starred restaurants were the furthest things from our minds. We headed up the road to Taylor’s Refresher (now the thriving Gott’s Roadside chain) and gorged ourselves on cheap burgers. Sober and full of sunshine, we’d make our way back down Highway 80 and to reality, in awe of living so close to such a world-class winemaking region. 

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The circular wine bar at V. Sattui Winery’s Mercato del Gusto in St. Helena.

Things are different now. Tasting fees have hit triple digits, visitation is down, and Americans, including me, are drinking less. Still, I’ve been nostalgic for my wine-soaked glory days. So I recently made the pilgrimage to V. Sattui — this time with my husband, in our SUV — to see how the iconic stone winery is faring in this very different age of wine tourism.

The meat and cheese at V. Sattui Winery in St. Helena.

We arrived on a Saturday in late spring, and what I found shocked me. Not only was V. Sattui packed to the gills, but, as part of a major renovation, it also now featured a massive marketplace and tasting room unlike anything I’ve ever seen in the valley. Open since July 2025, Mercato del Gusto is not just a tasting room and deli; it’s a destination. 

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The centerpiece of its 8,000 square feet is a dramatic, 20-foot circular bar all........

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