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Napa Experience Itinerary
Start at: The Ferry Building
Our wine country tour starts at the San Francisco Ferry Building. You will meet your wine country tour guide outside in front. Your tour roup and wine country tour guide will all board the shuttle to Napa Valley going across the Golden Gate Bridge.
The famous San Francisco Ferry Building is home to the ferry plaza farmer's market which is a well done Farmer's Market with plenty of variety and vendors offering delectable treats. The Ferry Building is located on The Embarcadero street at the foot of Market Street. It is the center of the transit hub that connects the surrounding bay area communities to San Francisco. Tour starts at 8:15am. Check-in is 20 minutes prior. The tour will end at the Ferry Building via Ferry/Bay Cruise.
Drive over Golden Gate Bridge
We will drive over the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to beautiful Napa Valley. Your Tour Guide will provide historical narrative of the Golden Gate Bridge, Pacific Ocean and the Marin headlands before going into their informative wine country 101 narrative. For the ride home, we take a Ferry/Bay Cruise back to San Francisco where you will again see the bridge from inside the bay. At this time, the sunset or late afternoon sunlight will be in the backdrop of the bridge while you take pictures from the ferry.
Andretti Winery - Napa Valley
As part of the wine country tour shuttle itinerary, the shuttle moves towards andretti winery. The winery is well known for Mario andretti, the famous Indy 500 racecar driver and craft of their Italian wine making process. The winery was established in 1996 and initiated by the inspiration of the Mario andretti distinguished career. A commemorative wine was produced in the honor 1994 and it was produced at the interest of owning a winery. Andretti winery is substituted for Robert Mondavi Winery on the Napa Experience Tour w/ Mondavi tour. Both tours are identical except for Andretti Winery is replaced with Mondavi.
V. Sattui Winery - Napa Valley
V. Sattui winery will be our picnic lunch stop. Here we will treat you to an amazing wine country experience. It's not just about getting into a shuttle and visiting some wineries on this tour. The picnic lunch will give you an opportunity to relax and take in the California Wine Country and some good food with others in your group. Further at V.Sattui they offer our groups a wide variety of 5 different wines to taste for only $5 per person. It should be noted that we will not be rushed for lunch, we will have 90- minutes to taste and eat lunch outside. See more of V.Sattui winery.
Picnic Lunch - Napa Valley
While at V. Sattui winery we will eat at the picnic tables outside. A picnic lunch caps off an amazing wine country experience. The picnic lunch will give you an opportunity to relax and take in the California Wine Country Tour and some good food with others in your group. During the V.Sattui Picnic Lunch Stop you can select what you want (meats, cheeses and olives and all kinds of breads) and bring it to the picnic table (lunch costs not included). We provide free bottled water on the tour which you can also use for lunch. We recommend buying your favorite bottle of wine that you tasted before lunch to have with your meal.
Whitehall Lane Winery- Napa Valley
Off of highway 29 sits the prestigious Whitehall Lane winer, which was founded in 1979 but the history of the soil cultivation dates back two centuries. In the mid 1800's, Napa Valley settlers were drawn to the deep, loamy soils and ideal climate, planting high quality grape vines at the Whitehall Lane Winery site. A barn constructed in the early 1900's for equipment storage is still used today. In 1979, two brothers started the winery and directed their winemaking efforts successfully to Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. They named the winery after the road that runs along the south border of the property, Whitehall Lane.
Franciscan - Napa Valley
Franciscan has its roots deeply embedded in the soil of Napa Valley. Founded over three decades ago, wine industry revolutionaries Raymond Duncan and Justin Meyer shaped the winery’s beginnings. In 1985, renowned vintner Agustin Huneeus took over the reins, leading the winery to greatness through innovation and a commitment to small-lot winemaking.
Ferry/Bay Cruise from Napa to SF
As a tour group, we're going to take a 45-minute bay cruise from Vallejo, California, which is very close to Napa Valley. This is a perfect way to end our wine country tour, because it's a nice and relaxing ride. During the ride, you can go outside and enjoy the amazing views and San Francisco weather. This won't be a typical bay cruise, because you have the opportunity to see picturesque views of well known U.S. landmarks: Alcatraz island, San Francisco City View, The Bay Bridge and The Golden Gate Bridge during the cruise. The Ferry/Bay Cruise portion of the tour will surely be one of the most memorable parts of your wine country tour with the Wine Country Tour Shuttle.
Ferry Cruise Drop-off: The Ferry Building
The tour ends by ferry/bay cruise at the Ferry Building. Here you can go inside and visit the gourmet shops while over-looking the bay or head back to your hotel. The Ferry Buliding is centrally located to most hotels, especially if your hotel is in Union Square, Financial District or Fisherman's Wharf. Most San Francisco hotels are in those neighborhoods.
* Although rare, wineries are subject to change without notice.
Sonoma Experience Itinerary - Starts up again April 1, 2012
Start at: The Ferry Building (10am!)
Our Sonoma Experience starts at the San Francisco Ferry Building. You will meet your wine country tour guide outside in front. Your tour group and wine country tour guide will all board the shuttle to Napa Valley going across the Golden Gate Bridge.
The famous San Francisco Ferry Building is home to the ferry plaza farmer's market which is a well done Farmer's Market with plenty of variety and vendors offering delectable treats. The Ferry Building is located on The Embarcadero street at the foot of Market Street. It is the center of the transit hub that connects the surrounding bay area communities to San Francisco. Tour starts at 10am. Check-in is 20 minutes prior. The tour will end at the Ferry Building via the shuttle.
Drive over Golden Gate Bridge
We will drive over the Golden Gate Bridge on our way to beautiful Sonoma Valley. Your Tour Guide will provide historical narrative of the Golden Gate Bridge, Pacific Ocean and the Marin headlands before going into their informative wine country 101 narrative.
Imagery Estate Winery & Art Gallery- Sonoma Valley
Imagery Estate Winery & Art Gallery in Sonoma will be our first stop. Imagery is ideally situated in the Glen Ellen district of Sonoma. Sonoma is the birthplace of wine in California. It was here that Franciscan fathers first planted grapevines around the Sonoma mission over 150 years ago. Imagery, hails from the Benzinger family of wines. It's the winery that takes all of the risks and stirs the pot for the Benzinger brand. Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves, and modeled after the charming landscape - Imagery winery provides for the perfect tranquil setting for a relaxing experience. The Art Gallery cannot be missed as you will walk through the gallery viewing all of the past and present wine labels from various artists. Biodynamics® is a holistic farming approach that was developed in the 1920s by Rudolf Steiner, the Austrian scientist-philosopher who developed Waldorf education. In 2001, the Demeter Association certified the 20-acre Imagery estate Biodynamic. The adjacent 40-acre Sunny Slope Vineyard, on which the Benzigers hold a 30-year lease, is in transition and will achieve Biodynamic certification in 2006.
Buena Vista Winery - Sonoma Valley
Buena Vista Winery is California Oldest Winery that is rich with history. Proud of their prestigious Sonoma wines, their Carneros Series is carefully sourced and crafted to fully express the intensely flavored fruit grown in the Carneros region. Subjected daily to dense foggy mornings, low rainfall, rocky well–drained soil and the constant cooling winds from the adjacent San Francisco Bay, Carneros vines enjoy an unusually long cooler growing season, and produce some of the most intensely flavored fruit in the Northern California winegrowing regions. While the traditional stars are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Syrah and Merlot find unique expression on the warmer inland hillsides of this rigorous climate.
Famous Sonoma Plaza Marketplace
During this 2 hour stop you will have the opportunity to get lunch at one of the many great restaurants or go to the cheese market. After lunch you will be given a Sonoma Plaza Map where you will search for wine tasting bars that will offer one free taste per person. Some of the tasting bars offer free multiple tastes too. In all you will have the opportunity see visit 8 tasting bars for free tastes. Sonoma Plaza is famous for it wine country setting and colonial-style shoppes.
Drop-off: The Ferry Building
The tour ends at the Ferry Building. Here you can go inside and visit the gourmet shops while over-looking the bay or head back to your hotel. The Ferry Buliding is centrally located to most hotels, especially if your hotel is in Union Square, Financial District or Fisherman's Wharf. Most San Francisco hotels are in those neighborhoods.