Wine tours - tell me all about them!

[Hilary]

Sorry if this sounds completely dumb, but could someone please explain to me exactly what happens on a wine tour?

We're staying in Napa for a couple of days during a tour around northern California later in the year, and visiting a winery is obviously one of the recommended things to do - but what should we expect? What will it cost, will we be obliged to buy bottles / cases of wine? Basically, what's it all about?

 

[Psymonds]

I've never been on a formal wine tour, (we usually just visit a few winteries take the public tour and taste) but we live close enough to go up there once or twice a year.

Generally, if you want to taste all day and go a few different places, and everyone in your party wants to taste, I would reccomend taking either a group tour or renting a limo, so that you don't have to worry about getting too tipsy to drive. A bus tour may have an arranged set of places to visit and have your tasting fees included in the price, whereas a limo will take you wherever you want, but you'd have to pay extra to taste.

As for tasting, in Napa, and to a lesser extent in Sonoma, you generally will have to pay a tasting fee to taste, anywhere from $5-20 depending on how much the winery thinks they can get away with charging. Usually this is for 3-6 tastes of wine and will often be waived (or taken off your purchase) if you buy a bottle or case of wine.

In addition, some wineries offer free or paid tours of their facility, showing how the wine is made. The paid ones are usually better than the free, but after you've been on one tour for still wine and one for sparkling, you probably never need to go again. Usually you can skip the tour, walk right into the tasting room, plop down your $5 and taste.

Some of the fancier places (usually the french owned Sparkling wine producers) have very nice, and very expensive tasting rooms which are table service and are really aimed at selling you food as well as wine.

There are many wineries (over 200 between Napa and Sonoma) so I'd do a little research before to figure out what wineries I'd like to go to (I've only been to about 15 in the 8 years we've lived here) or call a tour company and rely on their reccomendations.

let me know if you have more questions or if I've confused you further.



I don't know where you're staying in Napa, but I personally enjoy going to some of the places near the town of Sonoma (just over the hill on rte 121) and they tend to be cheaper to taste and wine that I like and can afford to buy.

 

[Huff]

Tasting used to be free years ago. These days they charge because it's become a fun way to spend a day and most who go aren't out to buy bottles of wine. With that said you are not under any obligation to buy a thing at the winery.

Most wineries charge between $5-$10 with a few high end wineries $15-$20. A few out of the way smaller wineries are free. For that fee you get to taste typically 5-8 wines, sometimes more. Most of the time you also get to keep the wine glass which usually has the wineries logo on it.

You first need to decide what types of wines you prefer and see what wineries you may like. You can drive yourself, rent a limo or join one of the many tour vans and buses that will stop at several wineries. Some in our party are not wine lovers but they love the wineries with unusual gift shops!

I prefer to drive ourselves. We pack a picnic basket and visit a few wineries and when it's lunch time find a winery with a nice picnic area and enjoy a nice lunch. If you use a wineries picnic facilities its customary but usually not required to purchase some wine or perhaps some other picnic items (many wineries sell cheeses, gourmet snacks etc.).

 

[Hilary]

Thanks for the replies - I think I have a much better understanding of the tastings now.

It sounds as though the tastings are more of a tourist event and less of a sales pitch than I had envisaged. I need to do some research on the wineries (although I have a very unfussy palate compared to DH, so I'm happy to go wherever he wants to! ). I'm surprising myself by finding the planning for this trip just as enjoyable as planning our WDW visits

 

[Psymonds]

Depending on the winery, they usually do a good job of helping those of us with less refined palates learn to experience more from the wine. Usually the staff want you to have a good time and learn how to enjoy their wine more.

I think you can also narrow down where you want to go based on which types of wine you like (for example if you like burgundies, find a few wineries that specialize in pinot nior)

let me know if you have more questions.

 

[lcasa]

1.We do usually drive ourselves, but you have to be very careful and it's best to have a designated driver. Obviously the local police are very aware of what's going on there...

2. If you're a Disney fan, you HAVE to go to Silverado in Napa in the Stag's Leap District- it's owned by Diane Disney Miller. It sits on a hill and has a beautiful tasting room with valley views. And the wines are fabulous. Stag's Leap is a great district off the main road ( which means fewer traffic jams ) - esp if you like reds. Clos du Val has been very nice to us there as well as Robert Sinskey and Stelzner

3. My husband and I usually share a tasting - so we buy one and each sip from it. Cheaper, and you don't get drunk as fast! so more time for tasting. No one has ever questioned us for this.

4. They do push their wine clubs - but most of them only lightly. It's easy to overbuy - especially if you're not driving! Don't forget there's no liquid carry on for planes anymore ( that's how we used to bring it home ).

5. A fun, different tour is at Schramsburg - a bit pricey ( I think 20-25 ) but it's champagne (well, sparkling wine but high quality ) so the process they show you is different than the standard wine making you'll see elsewhere - more steps involved.

Have fun! this is one of my favorite things to do.. But research - some of the wineries require reservations, so if you have a fav, check it out. There are a couple of good web sites with detailed maps and info out there...