Public/Group Tour Questions
General Tour Questions
We offer 5 pre-set, public group tours as well as private tours.
Here are our public group tours with links to their descriptions:
Napa Valley Wine Tour
Sonoma Vally Wine Tour
Combo Tour of Napa and Sonoma
Combo Tour Alcatraz and Sonoma
Half Day Sonoma Valley Tour
Our private tours are fully customizable. We can accommodate groups of any size.
These are perfect for birthdays, bachelorette parties, corporate events and more!
Click here to read more about our private tours, view sample itineraries and request a quote.
Public tours have a maximum of 14 guests per group.
All our vehicles are modern, comfortable and safe. We have several different vehicles we use depending on the size of the group and what is reserved on that date. We cannot guarantee which vehicle you will be in but you are welcome to put in a request if you have a preference. Read more about our fleet of vehicles here.
The wineries we visit on our public tours are listed on each tour page, along with a link to the winery’s website for further info. Wineries are subject to change without notice.
Our staff favorite, hands down, is the Sonoma tour. It’s also the best value and has one hour of free time to explore the quaint downtown Sonoma Square.
Yes, you may eat and drink in the vehicle. We only ask that you keep it tidy and stay within your limits. No outside alcohol is allowed at the wineries.
No, we run our tours rain or shine! All wineries have indoor and/or covered areas so you won’t be standing in the rain.
Unfortunately, our vehicles are not wheelchair accessible. However, some of our vehicles have rear storage that can accommodate wheelchairs.
No, there is minimal walking involved. There are opportunities to explore the winery properties, so the amount of walking is up to you.
Some of our vehicles can accommodate luggage and others do not have adequate storage. Please contact us in advance to inquire if we can accommodate luggage on your tour.
We recommend dressing in comfortable attire. It can be chilly in the mornings and evenings in San Francisco but is often quite warm in Wine Country, so layers are recommended. There is no dress code at the wineries. High heels are not recommended as it makes walking through the wineries and vineyards more challenging.
If you live within the U.S., most wineries can ship to your home. Alternatively, you could pack bottles in checked luggage.
We recommend that you consider purchasing cushioned wine “sleeves” or shipping box available at some wineries and local establishments. You could check a case or partial case of wine on your flight. Some wineries sell special boxes for this purpose.
Rates determined by the airline. You of course may also drink your purchased wine before getting on a flight home. Many restaurants allow you to bring in a bottle of wine if arranged in advance and may charge a “corking fee” to open and serve your wine for you.
Yes, we do allow children on our tours. Because your child will be taking up a seat in the vehicle, you would need to purchase a ticket for them at the “youth” rate.
According to California law, children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat. A child who is 8 or older must be at least 4-foot, 9-inches tall before he/she can be secured only by a safety belt.
The following is California Law regarding car seats and boosters. This is also our company policy:
• Children under 2 years of age shall ride in a rear-facing car seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds OR is 40 or more inches tall. The child shall be secured in a manner that complies with the height and weight limits specified by the manufacturer of the car seat. (California Vehicle Code Section 27360)
• Children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat.
• Children who are 8 years of age OR have reached 4’9” in height may be secured by a booster seat, but at a minimum must be secured by a safety belt. (California Vehicle Code Section 27363)
• Passengers who are 16 years of age and over are subject to California’s Mandatory Seat Belt law.
In addition, the following company policies apply:
• Guests are responsible for providing and installing car seats or boosters.
• Guests must confirm with us in advance that it is compatible with the vehicle seat belt style.
• Guests must agree to abide by our policy.
Pick-ups and Drop-offs
Public tours: We pick-up from all hotels in and around downtown San Francisco and Fisherman’s Wharf. In other neighborhoods, we offer pick-up from some hotels. When booking online there will be a place for you to enter your pick-up location. If you do not see your hotel, contact us and we will let you know the easiest place to meet your tour. We have an extensive list of location of the hotels that we pick up from here. Feel free to contact us before booking if you’d like to confirm that we pick up from where you are staying.
Private tours: We can pick you up from anywhere in San Francisco, the Bay Area or Wine Country.
Public tours: We may be able to pick you up at a residence depending on the location. Let us know the address and we’ll let you know if we can pick you up there, and if not the easiest place to meet.
Private tours: Yes, we can pick you up from anywhere in San Francisco, the Bay Area or Wine Country.
Public Tours: Sometimes, by special arrangement only. Please contact us to discuss.
Private tours: Yes.
Public tours: Unfortunately, we are not able to pick up from the airport or hotels in that area.
We recommend taking BART (public transit) to the Powell St. station and we can pick you up from the Parc 55 Hotel near the station.
Alternatively, you could drive into San Francisco and we could pick you up from the Marriott Marquis near this parking garage:
Fifth & Mission Parking Garage (click for rates)
899 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94103
Private tours: Yes, we can pick you up anywhere in San Francisco, the Bay Area or Wine Country.
For our public tours, hotel pick-ups take place between 8:00am-9:00 am, depending on the location. We will give you a 15-minute pick-up window upon booking.
Hotel drop-offs typically take place between 4:45 pm-5:45 pm, although we cannot guarantee this due to potential unforeseen circumstances such as traffic.
Approximately 1 hour. Sometimes a bit longer if there is heavy traffic on the way back to San Francisco.
Inclusions
Public tours: Yes, tasting fees are included. Full-day tours include the tasting fees at all 3 wineries. The half-day and Alcatraz combo tours include the tasting fees at both wineries.
Private tours: We can offer you quotes with or without tasting fees included. If you prefer, we can pay for them and add them to the tour rate.
Lunch is not included. Our Sonoma Tour features lunch on your own at Sonoma Square. The Napa and Napa and Sonoma Combo Tours stop at the Oxbow Public Market where you have one hour to get lunch on your own. Lunch options are available for all budgets and tastes including vegetarian, vegan and gluten free. On our Half-day Sonoma Tour and Alcatraz Combo Tour, you are back in San Francisco before lunch and have time to eat on your own. We’ll provide a list of recommendations.
All tours offer a stop at the Golden Gate Bridge. The stop is always in the morning and is on the Marin County side of the bridge at the Vista Point. Weather conditions are not guaranteed, and fog is common in the summer months. There are restrooms at this stop for anyone needing them.
Public tours: Gratuity is not included. If you enjoy the tour, a gratuity of 15%-20% per person is appreciated.
Private tours: Gratuity is included, however, if you receive exceptional service anything additional is always appreciated.
Typically we offer one winery tour on each of our public tours. In addition, our tours are fully narrated with commentary provided throughout the day by your experienced and fun Wine Country tour guide. Winery staff also offer commentary on the wines and history of the winery, etc.
You will receive a thorough overview and detailed description of the winemaking process on every tour. You also have the opportunity to walk through the vineyards and view the vines up close. Also, you will be able to see some or all of the equipment used in the winemaking process.
Due to variable activities taking place day-to-day with dynamic and active production areas at the wineries, we are not able to guarantee that you will be able to visit every part of each winery, because some areas have restricted access for safety reasons.
While you may not get an official “tour” at each winery from either the winery staff or your tour guide, you will be very well informed about each winery. Your guide will be sure to show you around as much of the wineries and equipment as possible. Don’t hesitate to ask questions!
Booking and Payment
For online and telephone bookings we accept the following cards (both credit and debit): Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.
Yes, you can pay for your tour with cash. Please call us at 415-692-1644. We ask that have a credit/debit card handy, so we can use that as a backup payment method. If you do not have a credit/debit card, we can still book your tour for you.
No-shows or cancels within the cancellation policy will result in the full tour amount being charged to the card.
This means that the tour is not currently running, but if we sell out the other available tour(s) we may open it. If you are not flexible in your date, we recommend choosing a tour that is available and making a note in the “special requests” field that you prefer another tour and if it opens we will contact you to offer to switch you to your desired tour. You can also call us and let us know which tour you prefer.
A convenience fee will be charged on each reservation. If you cancel, the fee is refundable. We also recommend a tip of 15-20% per person for your guide/driver if you enjoyed your tour and the service you received.
For the Sonoma Tour, Napa Tour, Napa & Sonoma Combo Tour and Half-Day Sonoma Tour:
Cancellations made more than 24 hours in advance are 100% refundable. Cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance are not refundable.
Changes made more than 24 hours in advance are permitted. Changes made less than 24 hours in advance are not permitted, and no refund will be issued.
For the Alcatraz and Wine Combo Tour:
Cancellations made more than 11 days in advance are 100% refundable. Cancellations made less than 11 days in advance are not refundable.
Changes made more than 11 days in advance are permitted. Changes made less than 11 days in advance are not permitted, and no refund will be issued.
We sure do! Cancellation insurance covers you for ANY reason. No proof required. We recommend insurance because there are many circumstances which are out of one’s control such as:
- Flight delays and cancellations
- Illness/injury
- Family emergencies
- etc.
Cancellation insurance covers you in the event you need to cancel your tour after the normal cancellation deadline. (Less than 24 hours in advance for the Napa Tour, Sonoma Tour, the Combo Napa/Sonoma Tour, and the Half Day Tour of Sonoma Valley. Or, less than 11 days in advance for the Alcatraz Tour, )
You can purchase this insurance on any of our tours for an additional 10% of the total tour cost; for example, if you purchase one ticket for $149, and the insurance for $14.90, you will be refunded $163.90 minus $14.90, which equals $149. You will also be refunded all booking fees. The only cost that is not refunded is the $14.90 for the insurance.
In the event you cancel before the normal deadline, you will be refunded for all costs, including the cost of the cancellation insurance.
The same rule applies when changing tours after the normal deadline. Refer to our cancellation policy.
If a guest does not purchase cancellation insurance and cancels after the normal deadline, we will not issue a refund.
If you will not be participating in the wine tastings, you may purchase your ticket at the “youth” rate. This is $99 for most tours.
Yes it is. Our charter-party carrier # is TCP 24781-S.
I have a question that is not listed here.
Private Tour Questions
General Questions
We specialize in private Wine Country tours that are fully customizable. We can accommodate groups of any size from 2 to 200. These are perfect for birthdays, bachelorette parties, corporate events and more! Click here to read more about our private tours, view sample itineraries and request a quote.
All vehicles are modern, comfortable and safe. We have several different vehicles we use depending on the size of the group and what is reserved on that date. Our most popular vehicle for private tours is our 14-passenger limo bus with perimeter seating. Read more about our fleet of vehicles here.
Here are our rates based on an 8-9 hour day from San Francisco and do not include tasting fees nor gratuity for the guide/driver:
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Premium Sedan – $599 Seats up to 4 passengers
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Premium Minivan – $649 Seats up to 6 passengers
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Premium SUV – $699 Seats up to 7 passengers
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Executive Van – $899 Seats up to 11 passengers
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VIP Bus – $1199 Seats up to 14 passengers with forward-facing seats
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Limo Party Bus – $1199 Seats up to 14 passengers with perimeter limo style seating
If you need help, we have tons of suggestions. If you already know which wineries you’d like to visit, we can make appointments. Here are 6 questions we ask our guests when planning the best private wine tours in Napa and Sonoma:
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Do you have a preferred date for your tour? (Weekdays are best to avoid the crowds if you’re flexible.)
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Where are you staying?
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How many people in your group?
-
Are there any specific wineries or towns you hope to visit?
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Which types of wine do you like best?
-
Would you like to have lunch at a restaurant or a picnic at a winery?
Yes, you may eat and drink in the vehicle. We only ask that you keep it tidy and stay within your limits. No outside alcohol is allowed at the wineries.
No, we run our tours rain or shine! All wineries have indoor and/or covered areas so you won’t be standing in the rain.
Unfortunately, our company vehicles are not wheelchair accessible. However, some of our vehicles have rear storage that can accommodate wheelchairs.
No, there is minimal walking involved. There are opportunities to explore the winery properties, so the amount of walking is up to you.
Some of our vehicles can accommodate luggage. Please let us know in advance to inquire if we can accommodate luggage on your tour. Some private tour guests take advantage of our services for a pick-up in San Francisco, with a drop-off at a hotel in Sonoma or Napa at the end of a full day of wine tasting. So being able to accommodate luggage allows for convenient one way transportation to Napa or Sonoma, and a Wine Country tour!
We recommend dressing in comfortable attire. It can be chilly in the mornings and evenings in San Francisco but is often quite warm in Wine Country, so layers are recommended. There is no dress code at the wineries. High heels are not recommended as it makes walking through the wineries and vineyards more challenging.
If you live within the U.S., most wineries can ship to your home. Alternatively, you could pack bottles in checked luggage.
We recommend that you consider purchasing cushioned wine “sleeves” if you are putting wine in your checked luggage. You could also check a case or partial case of wine on your flight. Some wineries sell special boxes for this purpose.
You of course may also drink your purchased wine before getting on a flight home. Most restaurants allow you to bring in a bottle of wine and pay a “corkage fee” to open and serve your wine for you.
Yes, we do allow children on our tours. Please note that according to California law, children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat. A child who is 8 or older must be at least 4-foot, 9-inches tall before he/she can be secured only by a safety belt.
The following is California Law regarding car seats and boosters. This is also our company policy:
• Children under 2 years of age shall ride in a rear-facing car seat unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds OR is 40 or more inches tall. The child shall be secured in a manner that complies with the height and weight limits specified by the manufacturer of the car seat. (California Vehicle Code Section 27360)
• Children under the age of 8 must be secured in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat.
• Children who are 8 years of age OR have reached 4’9″ in height may be secured by a booster seat, but at a minimum must be secured by a safety belt. (California Vehicle Code Section 27363)
• Passengers who are 16 years of age and over are subject to California’s Mandatory Seat Belt law.
In addition, the following company policies apply:
• Guests are responsible for providing and installing car seats or boosters.
• Guests must confirm with us in advance that it is compatible with the vehicle seat belt style.
• Guests must agree to abide by our policy.
Yes it is. Our charter-party carrier # is TCP 24781-S.
Pick-ups and Drop-offs
We can pick you up from anywhere in San Francisco, the Bay Area, and Napa and Sonoma.
Yes, we can pick you up anywhere in San Francisco, the Bay Area or Wine Country.
Pick-up time is based on your preference. Most pick-ups are around 8-9 a.m., depending on which wineries you plan to visit. Guests in town for conventions and meetings tend to like later pick-ups to accommodate morning sessions. We have also picked up guests in the afternoon, taken them to one or two wineries, and then to a nice dinner in Sonoma or Napa.
Most tours arrive back in SF around 5-6 pm, to allow for a bit of time before heading out to dinner, however the itinerary is completely customizable and we can arrange to have you back at your accommodation at any time you like!
Approximately 1-1.5 hours. Sometimes a bit longer if there is heavy traffic on the way back to San Francisco. Sonoma Valley wineries are closer than most Napa wineries. Note that wineries in Calistoga, including famous Castello di Amorosa, can take up to 2 hours one way.
Inclusions
We can offer you quotes with or without tasting fees included. If you prefer, we can pay for them and add them to the tour rate. However, we prefer the client to pay for the tasting fees as this is much simpler.
If we pick you up in San Francisco, we make a point to stop at the Golden Gate Bridge. The stop is always in the morning and is on the Marin County side of the bridge at the Vista Point. Weather conditions are not guaranteed, and fog is common in the summer months. There are restrooms at this stop for anyone needing them.
Gratuity is not included but will be added to the cost of your tour at the time of booking. However, if you receive exceptional service anything additional is always appreciated.
Booking and Payment
For online and telephone bookings we accept the following cards (both credit and debit): Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover.
Cancellations made 1 week before the date of your private tour will receive a 100% refund. Cancellations made less than 1 week before your private tour, do not receive a refund on the $200 deposit.
We do not offer cancellation insurance for private tours.