Wine Country Shuttle Tour Frequently Asked Questions:
- Where does the tour start?
- Are there any out-of-pockets expenses?
- How about the competition?
- What is the difference between your Saturday/Sunday tour and Weekdays (Monday - Friday)?
- How early should I book?
- What are the tour times?
- Which stops are winery tours?
- Do I need to be 21 years or older to go on the tour?
- How were these itinerary wineries selected?
- How does the picnic lunch work?
- Are winery stops subject to change?
- What are the current alternate wineries you might use?
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At the San Francisco Ferry Building. The tour meets outside the main entrance of the Ferry Building. 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.
The important thing to note about the wine country tour is that we must leave on time. The shuttle leaves at exactly 8:31am. (8:15 in the Winter Season) If you have arrived at 8:32am (8:17 am Winter Season) or 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.
Are there any out-of-pockets expenses?
The presigious Napa Valley wineries that we have chosen do have tasting fees. 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, waiving the fees if you buy wine or letting you taste up to 6 wines) the wine tasting fees are handled uniquely at each stop.
Here is the quick rundown of the optional fees that you will pay directly to the wineries:
Domain Chandon - $10 fee includes excellent 35 minute winery tour and 3 different tastes - (about 1.5 glasses of sparkling wine)
V.Sattui Winery - No fee includes 6 wine tastes (about 2.5 glasses of wine). Currently V.Sattui is not charging their $5 fee.
Rutherford Ranch - $10 fee includes 6 wine tastes (about 2.5 glasses of wine) / WAIVES fee if you purchase wine!
Andretti Winery - (Famous Mario Andretti Winery) has a $10 fee includes 4 tastes (about 2 glasses of wine)
The fees are optional because this may be a lot of wine for some of our guests. You're free to skip and not taste at any of the wineries.
Alternate Winery Fees: From time-to-time we do visit these other Napa Valley wineries -
Signorello Vineyards - $10 fee includes 5 different tastes (about 1.75 glasses of wine)
Trefethen Winery - $10 fee includes 4 different tastes, plus free upgrade option to taste reserve wines
Luna Vineyards - $10 fee includes 5 different tastes (your choice Red or White wines) / Waives fee if you purchase wine!
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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 a separate tour guide from driver?
5) Is your driver going to talk while he drives?
6) Are the wines good at the wineries they're visiting?
7) Does their tour include a picnic lunch?
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.
What is the difference between your Saturday/Sunday tour and Weekdays (Monday - Friday)?
In the Winter only, from October 29th, 2007 to April 1st, 2008 our weekend tours start at 8:15am and not 8:30am. Please plan accordingly. Further, on weekends it is requested by the wineries that you bring cash for tasting fees. This will truly help expedite your experience.
Currently, in the Fall/Winter we are running on a limited schedule mostly operating one shuttle per day which tends to sell out fast. We advise you to book early to avoid waiting on stand-by.
The Wine Country Tour Shuttle departs the San Francisco at 8:15am from the Ferry Building (outside in front). The tour runs for 8 1/2 hours and should end at 5:00pm. Weekend tours may run an hour later depending on traffic. Please book with caution if you have to be somewhere at a certain time.
The first and last stops are winery tours. Domaine Chandon and Singorello (alternate winery). The Domaine Chandon winery tour is 35 minutes. The Singorello tour is shorter because it's a boutique winery, the size of most average homes. We will tour the outside by the vineyards and in September and October months during crush season, you will get to see the process of crushing grapes at Singorello.
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 your not 21 years or older. You can still go on the tour, and even into the wineries, but they will check I.D. for anyone who does not appear to be 21. Please note that our Tour Guides and check-in person may ask you for I.D. as well. We need to notifiy the wineries in advance if someone on the tour is not 21 and won't be tasting.
How were these itinerary wineries selected?
We wanted to give you a mixture of different wines, so we carefully selected two great cabernet sauvignon wineries in Singorello and V.Sattui. We also selected a very popular Rhianan and Chardonay winery in Rutherford Ranch and then of course, we needed to make sure we started the wine country tour off right with a sparkling wine from Domaine Chandon. These wineries are all in the heart of Napa Valley in Oakville. We didn't select a winery because it was close to San Francisco. Finally, V.Sattui is just a perfect place for a picnic lunch!
How does the picnic lunch work?
The Napa Valley picnic lunch is at V.Sattui winery. First we will taste their 6 of their variatals (for $5 fee). The V.Sattui reserve wines are available for taste for $10 per person. After we taste their wines, we recommend you buy a bottle of wine for lunch. Grab your bottle and then head over to the country store and deli area as well as the olive and cheese bars to make your selections. The Wine Country Tour Shuttle gives you a $10 lunch coupon per person. This is good because you get to eat what you want rather than having us decide for you. While you're selecting your lunch your tour guide and driver are setting up the picnic table with a table cloth and picnic basket. We would like to all eat as a tour group to get to know one another - but this is also not required, if you wish to eat alone. Remember, we provide free bottles of water at the shuttle. All you will need is the wine you purchase and our water we provide for refreshments.
Are winery stops subject to change?
Yes. In fact, they can change often. 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. The itinerary changes because of the winery's production schedule. There are sometimes, the winery needs to focus on the production of their wines. Again, we will choose a great winery stop when it's needed to replace our great itinerary for the day.
What are the current alternate wineries you might use?
Trefethen Vineyards, Signorello Vineyards, The Meritage Resort, Luna Vineyards and Mumm Napa Valley. In most cases, we do not have to use alternate wineries.
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