The most popular seasons to visit Northern California's wine country are the summer and fall, and for perfectly good reasons. This is when the weather is at its best and the wineries are at their most active, laying on lavish food and wine events, preparing for harvest, and releasing new vintages.

The problem is, everyone seems to be there at that time of year. Hotels prices jump, even if you can get a room, and restaurant reservations can be hard to come by. Weekends can be particularly bad as local day-trippers from San Francisco and other Bay Area cities swell the already burgeoning tourist traffic, potentially turning a weekend getaway into a weekend of purgatory.

Even visiting midweek at this time of year can make a huge difference. St. Helena, Healdsburg, and Sonoma can feel positively deserted on an August or September weekday. Experiences will also vary depending on location. The Napa Valley is the most popular part of Wine Country by far, and St. Helena is on summer weekends is a place best avoided. The Santa Cruz Mountains or Dry Creek Valley are often far quieter, by contrast.

Visit at another time of year altogether for a more fulfilling experience. Almost every season in Wine Country has something going for it, if not the weather.

After October, things quiet down a little bit, hotels rates drop, and the weather can still be fine. This is the time of year that vineyards turn glorious hues of red and gold. It's also finally cool enough to drive through the valley vineyards with the air conditioning off yet still warm enough to have the windows down and smell the aromatic, dusty fall air.

December to April is the wettest period and, although there can still be stretches of warm, sunny weather this time of year, gray and foreboding clouds are more common. Wineries can also be blissfully quiet during the winter, however, giving plenty of one-on-one time with the tasting room staff who will usually be more than happy to spend an hour to talk about their wines and slip a few free pours under the table. This is also the time of year to try some port or other powerful, warming red wines that might induce instant headaches on a hot summer day.

In May and June the rainy season is coming to an end, the weather is warming up, and the valley and mountains are a fresh, vivid green. Although this time of year is getting more popular time to visit parts of the wine country, it is still possible to sneak in ahead of the worst summer crowds.

Festivals and winery events are usually held year-round and might be worth planning a trip around. Major events for each region are listed in the book.