St. Clair Brown Winery & Brewery

St. Clair Brown is the kind of place you would walk right past if you were only following the tasting-room signs on the highway. It sits on Vallejo Street in the Rail Arts District, about five blocks from First Street, and it is a working winery, a very small brewery and a culinary garden all on one lot. Elaine St. Clair makes both the wine and the beer, and Laina Brown runs the business side. Before starting their own label in 2010 they spent years together at Domaine Carneros and Black Stallion, so this is two veterans making exactly what they wanted to make.

The feel is relaxed and a little scrappy, and charming for it: a greenhouse tasting room surrounded by seasonal raised beds and fruit trees, with a short garden-to-table food menu and the option to order wine or beer by the glass. The wines and beers are made in very small quantities and, per the winery, are not sold in stores. The estate vineyards are about four miles away in Coombsville, just over the hills east of downtown. From November 1 through March 1, service moves to the winery and brewery across the street.

It is a good fit if you want a tasting that feels like visiting friends, if your group is split between wine and beer drinkers, or if somebody in the party does not drink at all, since there is a zero proof tasting as well. The site says the place is pet and kid friendly, which is not something you can say about many Napa tasting rooms.

What to book: reservations are recommended but not required, and the team is small, so book ahead if you have more than a couple of people. The site lists wine tastings from $60 to $125, beer at $25 and zero proof at $30. It is open Thursday through Monday from noon to 6, and Tuesday and Wednesday are for private bookings.

How it fits into a day: you are close enough to downtown that you can stroll to lunch or a late-afternoon drink on First Street, and it works as a first or last stop because it is open until 6. Because you are in the city, this is one of the easier stops to do without a car. If you are tasting widely, still plan on a designated driver, a rideshare or a hired tour for anything that takes you out of town.