The City of Napa is the principal city in the world-famous Napa Valley wine region. Although most wineries are located outside the City limits, wine has been produced in the City of Napa since the mid 1800s. Some historians say the the City's first winemaker was John Patchett, who worked with Charles Krug at a location near present-day Fuller Park in 1858.

Currently there are several wineries operating in the City, such as GustavoThrace Winery, at 1146 First Street, and the new Starmont Winery in the Carneros region at the south end of town.

While the winemaking mostly takes places in areas outside the City, there are multiple opportunities to taste the fruit of the vine without leaving town. There are about 20 wine bars and tasting rooms in the City and more on the way. Many of the more than 400 wineries operating in Napa County have limited capacity to host visitors at their wineries, and increasingly look to the City of Napa to provide a tasting room experience.

Wine bars and tasting rooms in Downtown Napa listed alphabetically as of February 2008 include:

• Backroom Wines, 974 Franklin St; in the process of relocating to First & Main
• Bounty Hunter, 957 First St.
• Calwines, 1215 Silverado Trail, retail store. Calwines will be opening a tasting room at 1317-1323 Main St.
• Ceja Winery Tasting Room, 1248 First Street
• Copia, The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts, 500 First St.
• Folio Enoteca & Winery, in Oxbow Public Market
• JV Wine & Spirits, 301 First St.
• Mason Cellars, 714 First St.
• Napa General Store, 500 Main.
• Napa Wine Merchants, 1146 First St.
• Robert Craig Cellars, winery tasting room, 880 Vallejo St.
• Oxbow Wine Merchant and Wine Bar, 610 First St., in Oxbow Public Market.
• Rocca Family Vineyards, 1130 Main St.
• Stave Wine Lounge, 1149 First St.
• Stonehedge Winery, 1004 Clinton St., winery tasting room.
• Vintner's Collective, 1245 Main St., shared winery tasting room.
• Waterstone Winery/Mahoney Vineyards (Taste At Oxbow)  710 First St.
• Wineries of the Napa Valley / Goosecross, 1285 Napa Town Center, shared winery tasting room.
• X Winery, 1405 First St., winery tasting room. By appointment only. 204-9522.
• Chateau Potelle, awaiting license for beer & wine, 975 Washington Street.