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What is the best single day wine tour in California?

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October 20, 2009 07:56 PM
I found one, it's in Wine Country and Redwoods escape Tour about an hour away from San Francisco. It's $79 bucks, one day tour.

Seems like the tour is rich with culture and nature. You get to drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and into the Marin Headlands.

There is also the Nappa Valley wine tour $69 which consists of about 400 wineries (I can feel the headache coming already).

Sonoma Valley wine tours $69...250 wineries

The link below has a nice list of wine tours. Enjoy :)
Source(s):
http://www.extranomical.com/HTML_PAGES/WINE_TRIP.htm
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October 21, 2009 01:11 AM
I have always heard that the Petaluma Wine Tours were one of the BEST in the region. I have heard this via various TECH pod-casts by none other then Leo Laporte.
Source(s):
http://www.petalumawinetours.com/
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October 21, 2009 04:19 AM
I've spent time in Several wine regions including Napa, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, and the Carmel Valley / Soledad area. Of these, my favorite is Carmel Valley / Soledad near Monterey, CA. It is an upcoming wine region that is known for several varietals - most notably their pinot noir. Of all the regions in California, Monterey, CA has the best pinot noir grapes due to the soil and the climate. In fact, I believe wineries in Napa and other regions get their pinot noir grapes from here.

Aside from that, Soledad is home to my favorite wine estate - Hahn. The wines are delicious but it's the setting and atmosphere that really bring it home. The pours aren't stingy. The people pouring the wine out are more concerned with whether or not you've tried ALL the wines you want rather than charging you for a limited quantity. They genuinely want their business and an empty glass upsets them. They don't always charge the wine tasting fee. The whole area is surrounding by mountains. The view from Hahn is spectacular. Rolling vineyards with mountains in the backyard? Nice.

The Wine Trolley that leaves from Monterey makes a nice tour to all the key wine tasting rooms in the area and it is a great way to do it safely. Since I live in the local area my husband and I usually just choose one or two places to taste at - one in Carmel Valley and one in Soledad - and make a loop. Start on Route 68 towards Salinas and get off at the River Road exit. From there you can visit Hahn and some of the others (Hahn is open on weekdays, some of the others are only open on weekends.) From there you can make your way to Carmel Valley Road.

The Santa Clara region is also nice and it is because of Loma Pietra - the winery at the highest elevation in California - that I rank it over Santa Barbara and Napa. This place is similar to Hahn in that the proprietors are proud of their wines and are more concerned about giving you a great experience than worrying about the tasting fee.
Source(s):
personal experience
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October 21, 2009 04:28 PM
You can do many things in the Napa Valley on your own. Just walking around St. Helena and Calistoga is a blast. They are both small enough to walk from end to end and have fun looking around at the shops, hotels and hot springs.

For a single day tour, I have to recommend the Napa Valley Wine train tour!
I took this trip myself and had the best time ever!
The package includes the train trip, and a lunch or dinner (depending on the time of day you book) and includes everything.
The train goes in a loop and you have your main meal in one car and then travel to another car to have dessert.
http://winetrain.com/

I would highly recommend this trip if you just have one day to spend in the valley.
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zdw
zdw
June 28, 2011 11:26 PM
there are more wine education based tours from Incredible Adventures here:
http://www.incadventures.com/trips/wine-tours/napa-sonoma-wine-tour.php
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