Frequently Asked Questions:

How do the tasting fees work?

The presigious Napa and Sonoma wineries that we have selected have tasting fees because they pour lots of great quality wines. The tasting fees are optional meaning you don't have do taste wine at every location. The wine tastings offer great value whether it's including winery tours, a dedicated person just for our group, possibly an exclusive variatal offer, or by offering up to 4 or 5 wine tastes at each winery. More importantly, The Wine Country Tour Shuttle has pre-negotiated that we get to taste wines in a private setting and not in the basic public area. Further, we negotiated at almost all wineries that your fee is waived when you purchase a bottle of wine - - this Wine Country Tour Shuttle customer benefit is mostly not offered anymore in Napa or Sonoma. Your tasting fee buys us this wonderful wine country experience and all you have to do is buy one bottle of wine of your choice to get that tasting fee waived. The wine tasting fees are handled uniquely at each stop. We encourage you to bring cash to pay for wine or the tasting fee, but credit cards can also be used.

Here is the rundown of the fees that you will pay directly to the wineries when you choose to taste their wines:

Napa Experience Tour Wineries:

Andretti - $10 fee includes 4 different tastes.
V. Sattui Winery - $5 includes 5 wine tastes (about 2.5 glasses of wine).
Whitehall Lane- $10 fee includes 4 tastes and a winery tour (about 2 glasses of wine) / WAIVES fee if you purchase wine!
Franciscan Winery - $10 fee includes 4 tastes (about 2 glasses of wine) / WAIVES fee if you purchase wine!

Napa Experience Tour w/Mondavi:

Robert Mondavi Winery- $15 fee already included in tour price. Includes winery tour and 2 wine tastes.
V. Sattui Winery - $5 includes 5 wine tastes (about 2.5 glasses of wine).
Whitehall Lane- $10 fee includes 4 tastes and a winery tour (about 2 glasses of wine) / WAIVES fee if you purchase wine!
Franciscan Winery - $10 fee includes 4 tastes (about 2 glasses of wine) / WAIVES fee if you purchase wine!

Sonoma Experience Tour Wineries:

Imagery Winery - $5 fee includes 4 different tastes (about 2 glasses of wine)
Buena Vista - $5 includes 5 wine tastes (about 2.5 glasses of wine). / WAIVES fee if you purchase wine!
Sonoma Plaza Wine Bars - One free pour at 8 participating wine bars. Two of the wine bars offer 4 free tastes not just one pour.

*Sonoma Plaza will be a self guided walking tour. See Sonoma Plaza Wine Bar Map. Click Here.


Alternate Winery Fees: From time-to-time we do visit these other Napa Valley wineries -

Rutherford Ranch - $10 fee includes 4 different tastes, plus the fee is WAIVED if you purchase wine!
Sutter Home - $5 fee includes 4 different tastes. A lot of times this winery does not even charge a fee.

What is the Napa Experience Tour w/ Mondavi?

Both Napa Experience tours visit four premium Napa wineries, but on the Napa Experience Tour w/Mondavi we visit Robert Mondavi Winery as our first stop of the day (rather than Andretti Winery). We take their Discovery Tour, which includes a 30-minute walking tour with a viewing and discussion of the historic To Kalon Vineyard, state-of-the-art To Kalon Cellar, and barrel aging room. The tour also includes a taste of two of Robert Mondavi's signature wines. The $15 cost of the Discovery Tour is included in the price of the Napa Experience Tour w/ Mondavi. Later in the day we visit V. Sattui, Whitehall Lane and Franciscan, with tasting fees as explained above. Finally, both Napa Experience tours include the picnic lunch at V. Sattui and the ferry cruise back to San Francisco.

Where do the wine country tours (Napa and Sonoma) start?

Both Wine Country Tours (Napa and Sonoma) start at the San Francisco Ferry Building and meets outside the main entrance. The Ferry Building is the big clock tower building at the end of Market Street. To find us, do not go inside the Ferry Building because we start our tours directly outside in front of the building. Look for our check-in representative who will be wearing a red jacket. Please arrive at least 20 minutes before the start of the tour!

The important thing to note about the wine country tour is that we must leave on time. The shuttle for the Napa Experience Tour departs at 8:16am and The Sonoma Experience Tour departs at 10:01am. If you have arrived later - you have most likely missed us and will need to go our next tour day. Sorry, we don't permit refunds given that we have held your seat and turned away other customers.

How about the competition?

When you check out other wine country tours, ask yourself these questions:
1) Do they take you on a ferry/bay cruise as part of the tour?
2) What wineries do they go to? Are they telling me what wineries they're taking me to?
3) Why did they select those wineries?
4) Do they offer really expert tour guides?
5) Are they adding or forcing Muir Woods to an already long day?
6) Are the wines good at the wineries they're visiting?
7) Does their tour offer a wine country picnic lunch opportunity?
8) Do you get to select what you want to eat?
9) Are they visiting these wineries only because they're close to San Francisco?

On the Wine Country Tour Shuttle, we take you to wineries that are in the heart of Napa Valley because they offer great wines in a great memorable, picturesque location.

 

How early should I book?

Especially in the summer and on holidays we highly recommend booking early because our shuttles tend to sell out fast.

 

Do I need to be 21 years or older to go on the tour?

No. However to taste wine...YES. You cannot taste with an adult or guardian if you're not 21 years or older. You can still go on the tour, and even into the wineries, but they will check I.D. Be sure to bring your I.D. (e.g., drivers license, passport)!

How were these itinerary wineries selected?

More importantly we want to go into the heart of Napa Valley. We want to show you the famous Silverado Trail, as well as the popular Rutherford and Oak Knoll regions of Napa. We want to provide visits to both large and boutique wineries, that serve a variety of wine types. We feel it is important to choose wineries that have both great wine and beautiful locations! We didn't select wineries just because they're close to San Francisco as some other companies do. Finally, V. Sattui is just a perfect place for a picnic lunch!

 

How does the picnic lunch on the Napa Experience Tour work?

The Napa Valley picnic lunch is at V. Sattui Winery. First we will taste five of their varietal wines (for $5 fee).. After we taste their wines, we recommend you buy a bottle of wine for lunch. Head over to the gourmet deli area as well as the olive and cheese bars to make your selections. The V.Sattui deli is second-to-none in Napa Valley - - it's a huge local favorite. This is good because you get to eat what you want rather than having us decide for you. The winery grounds have many picnic tables, both in the sunshine and under beautiful shade trees.

 

How does the 2 hour lunch stop work in Sonoma Plaza Marketplace on the Sonoma Experience Tour?

The Sonoma Plaza Marketplace is a great place for lunch because there are tons of different local restaurants with varying lunch varieties all behind a beautiful wine country setting. There are cheese places, sandwich shoppes, ice cream parlors, fantastic sit down restaurants. A satisfying lunch is almost guaranteed at Sonoma Plaza Marketplace. Prior to lunch you will be given a map of all of the participating wine bars that will give you one complimentary taste and a couple of them will give you more tastes. It's a two hour stop because after lunch we recommend you walk around and visit the various different wine bar locations from the map provided. See Sonoma Plaza Wine Bar Map. Click Here.

Are winery stops subject to change?

Yes, this is sometimes necessary. When we do change a winery stop with another we always attempt to change with one that is comparable in quality and wine grape variatals.

 

What are the current alternate wineries you might use?

Rutherford Ranch, Flora Springs, and Rutherford Grove wineries are typical alternates, however, in most cases, we do not have to use alternate wineries.

I would like to add a San Francisco Tour and a Muir Woods Tour on different days, can I book a package?

YES. You can save $4 per person on additional tours that you add to your order by calling 415-513-5400 or booking online. If you book the tours together the discount is applied automatically. If you decide later to add additional tours, let us know when you check in for the second tour and we'll give you the discount in cash!

 

What is your refund and change tour date policy?

Because we reserve seats for you and turn away other customers once you've made a booking, we only can offer a 70% refund with at least 72 hours written notice. For full details on our policies, review our terms and conditions for details. Also with 72 hours written notice, we can give you the opportunity to take the tour another day with payment of a $15 per person change processing fee.