Best wine-country ball games

The rule about wearing white only from Memorial Day to Labor Day doesn’t apply at Meadowood: The color is mandatory 365 days a year on the resort and country club’s gleaming croquet courts. But dressing up is actually part of the fun—as is observing every other formality and tradition associated with the game. In fact, you’ll be reminded that this is “not the backyard version” by the no-slamming rule: You can’t put your foot on your own ball to hold it in place while you smack it with the club, sending an adjacent ball flying. If you’re new to the sport, Jerry Stark, the nation’s number-one croquet master, can help teach you a jump shot (when you hit a ball over an opponent’s ball inside a wicket to steal his point). Stark also covers the rest of the elaborate basics: condiments, or the yellow and red balls, play against bruisers, the black and blue balls, with the play order indicated by the court’s center marking stick, which also serves as a tiebreaker—you have to hit your ball into it—if the final score is 3 to 3. Whew. After a session or two with Stark, plus a few sips of champagne served courtside, you’ll take great satisfaction in hearing the solid thud of mallet on ball. Courts open to members and guests only. 900 Meadowood Ln., St. Helena, 800-458-8080, meadowood.com

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Talk about a feast for the senses: Imagery Estate Winery’s bocce court and horseshoes stakes aren’t far from its art gallery featuring more than 200 inter­national artists—oh, and then there’s wine tasting. 14335 Hwy. 12, Glen Ellen

To please the professionals, Armida Winery’s bocce court is regulation-size, complete with scoreboard. For less serious competitors: a backdrop of the Russian River Valley, complete with rose beds, ponds, and vineyards. Among this scenery, the hardest part of the game just might be keeping your eye on the ball. 2201 Westside Rd., Healdsburg

Built in 1889, in the heart of downtown Napa, Churchill Manor’s gardens and croquet court, like the manor itself, are architecturally stunning. Let the lawnside games begin before you head out for a day at the wineries. 485 Brown St., Napa

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