Since getting behind the wheel after multiple wine tastings is a risk we don't advise oenophiles to take, we propose the Napa Valley Wine Train (www.winetrain.com), departing daily from downtown Napa for 3- to 4-hour day trips through the celebrated wine region’s rolling countryside, as a delightful, DUI-free alternative. Savor a gourmet lunch in one of its lavishly restored Pullman dining cars, dating from 1915 to 1917, before hotfooting it to the wine tasting car, where a choice of 100 wines compensates for the fact that you can’t disembark at the wineries you fancy along the route – though two train trip packages do include stops at wineries, one at Grgich Hills (www.grgich.com) and the other at Domaine Chandon (www.chandon.com). Or, book a table in the line’s newest railcar, the Silverado, and experience the Valley’s idyllic climate firsthand via large sliding windows. After the 36-mile round-trip voyage from historic Napa to the quaint village of St. Helena, sober up at the train station with afternoon tea and shopping.

For more trip-planning information, see our Napa Valley Travel Guide.