Good to know. We stayed near Fisherman's Wharf a few years ago and then drove to see family in Orange County. This time we'll do the 2 days in SF, then rent a car and head for two days in Wine Country (suggestions?), then fly to OC this time to see the in laws
I lived for a year in graduate school on top of a mountain between Napa and Sonoma. My wife was abroad, I had a long list of books to read, very few appointments, and a friends' parents' vacation house in need of a house sitter to let in the workmen who were finishing some renovations. I would sometimes go days without seeing another human being, but I did see a bob cat. Weird year. As a result, I know my way around wine country some.
My single wine country rec: make an appointment at Neal Vineyard on Howell Mountain. It's sort of out of the way, up north of Angwin off of the Silverado Trail, so it doesn't get a ton of visitors, but the wine is fantastic, especially the cabernets, and the tasting I was at was conducted by both the owner and the main winemaker (I'm not sure that's a regular thing). I learned *a ton,* and I knew a moderate amount about wine going in. The tasting is free, but I think they asked me for a deposit in case we didn't show. It's probably expected that you'll buy a bottle or two, so price that out in advance ($25-75/bottle) to see if it's something you'd be comfortable with.
And, crucially, it's not one of the cheesy pseudo-Tuscan villas on 29. It didn't feel like tourist hell to me.
Oh, actually I have one more rec: for dinner, consider Cook St. Helena, a good little restaurant on Main St. in St. Helena. Very good Cal-Italian, not exorbitant.