While all eyes were on the fires raging in wine country, Veronica Ahern and her team were looking forward to their Green Dream Wine Tour to Sonoma.
Veronica, Director of Strategic Accounts for Oracle Data Cloud, had been planning the event as a bonding experience for 12 of her staff. Local team members were joined by several from around the country, and one even came in from London to experience the special day.
Fire was not on their agenda.
First stop on their Sonoma wine tour, a photo op on the Golden Gate Bridge,
“We had a Plan B and Plan C in case,” says Veronica, “but a wine tour was our first choice, and it worked out really well. We were the first tour to go after the fires. I wondered if it would be insensitive to go up there, but they were excited to have us.”
Why Green Dream?
When selecting a tour company Veronica started by asking friends for recommendations. “Then I saw a Green Dream van on the road and I called for a quote. I really liked that I could have lunch, tasting fees, driver and bus, all included in one price. It made budgeting so much easier,” she says.
Veronica worked with Green Dream’s Erin and Heather to plan a day that would be both fun and informative. They chose to visit the Larsen Family Winery, Robledo Family Winery and Cline Cellars.
“The tour was very well organized,” Veronica says. “Because of the fires, there was a lot of proactive communication between Green Dream and the wineries to make sure it was a great day for us to go. They weren’t going to put us or their driver in an uncomfortable situation if the air quality was bad. That eased my mind,” she says.
“Their focus was not on making money, but making sure we had a good experience.”
Highlight of the tour
Oracle team, wine tasting at Cline Cellars in Sonoma
The group enjoyed all three Sonoma wineries, but Larsen was a favorite where they had a box lunch, played cornhole and basked in the sunshine. About half the team had been to wine country before. Everyone loved it, several said they were going to join the wine clubs just so they had an excuse to go back.
“The best part of going on a wine tasting tour is you learn what you like and what you don’t,” Veronica explained. For example, she thought she didn’t like white wine, but she realized that “I don’t like sweet white wine, so now I know what to ask for.”
Kudos for their guide
Veronica and her team were very pleased with Dylan, their Green Dream tour guide. “He has a lot of energy and was very entertaining. He even stopped to buy a replacement cord so we could listen to music. He could have just turned on the radio, but instead he went above and beyond.”
Highly recommended
Veronica would definitely recommend Green Dream Tours to anyone planning a corporate event. And, even for outings outside of work, “I will reach out to Green Dream first.”
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