Sip your way through the Golden State on these California wine tours.
After all, Napa Valley wines are up there with Burgundy and Bordeaux in terms of clout.
Plus, there are literally thousands of California wineries and vineyards to choose from 3,600 by one count.
Credit: © Baja Winery Tours
There is an easier way.
Guided wine tours take the legwork and logistics out of the trip.
All you have to do is admire the rolling scenery and sip delicious wines at each stop.
Courtesy of Painted Ladies Tour Company
They’re intimate affairs that favor luxury vehicles and small vans to 50-person buses.
The family-run operation also spins their retro wheels through legendary Sonoma Valley on small-group tours to up-and-coming wine producers.
And don’t worry you’ll get a Golden Gate Bridge photo op.
Michael Lagau
(Tablas Creek Vineyardis a favorite for its organic Rhone-inspired wines and herd of cute alpacas.)
Other tours can combine wine country with two classic California sites: Hearst Castle and Pismo Beach.
Edge of the World Tours
This local favoritedoes tours around San Francisco and Sonoma Wine Country.
Courtesy of Sustainable Wine Tours
They visit both boutique and commercial wineries, highlighting local flavors and generous pours.
Guides and the vintners themselves illustrate everything from harvesting grapes to bottling.
For those looking to splurge, Bin 415 will venture to snag covetedFrench Laundryreservations.
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Squire Livery Tours
While some winery tours embrace the flash factor Segways!
Food & Farm Tours
A day dedicated to wine, cheese, and baby goats?
Have a thing for pet-nat?
Courtesy of the Napa Valley Wine Train
Want to visit thewinerythat put Napa on the map after famously dethroning noble French wines in a blind-tasting competition?
(Wine rookies without a clue where to begin are in great hands, too.)
He also doubles as a photographer, keeping a pro camera on hand to help capture the day.
The company specializes in full and half-day tours of Napa and Sonoma wineries.