(Mercurynews) - Hopping from winery to winery in the Napa Valley for tastings and tours is a bucket-list dream for the rest of the world, but it’s a convenient day trip or overnighter for us Northern Californians.

The only problem? Some 225 of Napa’s 475 wineries are open to the public, but which to choose? Can you even find them while navigating hectic traffic on Highway 29 or twisty Silverado Trail? And then there’s the issue of buzzed driving.

We avoided all those hassles by heading instead for downtown Napa’s Oxbow Public Market parking lot, where the open-air Napa Valley Wine Trolley begins its trek, carrying wine lovers to four wineries, a mix of old and new, big and small.