California draws millions of tourists from all over the world, every year. One of the main attractions in California is the Napa Valley. It is recorded that the valley draws more than five million tourists each year. A visit to the Napa Valley is full of some of the most amazingly aromatic, visual, culinary delights. Wine connoisseurs and chefs from all over the world undeniably learn and enjoy from a visit to this beautiful Valley. The main attractions are the world-renowned wine tours. They offer a peek into the wine making process and an opportunity to taste some fine wines. The Napa Valley wine tours are more than just a holiday experience.
Although Napa Valley is set amidst an abundance of panoramic beauty, it is the vineyards and the wine industry and production of fine wines that make this beautiful place one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world. Napa Valley wine tours flaunt some of the finest wineries in the world. Visitors are taken via a 30-mile valley that starts at Napa, passes through Yountville, Oakville, St Helena and finally Calistoga.
The tours begin in the mornings and end before 6, in the evening. Most tours feature visits to three or four wineries. It hardly matters if you are a connoisseur or a novice; you get to experience the process of wine making from the beginning to the final bottling and indulge in the luxury of tasting fine wines. The tours offer the opportunity to avail of your favorite wines at discounted rates. For the wine aficionados, wine touring is extremely fascinating, with the winemaking procedure and sessions with the wine maker himself. For the learners, the wine tasting experience can be fun. The tours also help to enroll with local cooking classes, headed by some world famous chef, enjoy luncheon with the winemaker, attend seminars related to winemaking and even indulge in special bicycle rides, hot air balloon travel and go river rafting. What is more, wine tours provide you with the opportunity to soak in all the heavenly panoramic sights of beautiful Napa Valley.
Most wine tour companies start from San Francisco and provide tourists with different services. Some companies have special packages and tie ups with some of the oldest private wineries, while others take their guests on a number of different tours. Some companies follow a preset itinerary and program, while others modify the tours to meet the requests, needs and budget of their guests. Depending on your budget, you can travel in sedans, tourist buses, trains or even a limousine, making your tour a luxurious experience. The fees range from $60 and can go up to $200, depending on the package. While touring, you can either carry your own packed lunch or you could opt to dine at any of the popular local restaurants.
Tourists can learn a great deal about Chardonnays, the wines that have aged for about twenty years and more. If the tourist group prefers red wine, they get to visit a vineyard that is famous for producing red wines. The owner of each winery gives the tourist group a tour of the property. Once the tour is over, the company drops each tourist off, at their respective lodging.
The Napa Valley tourist train runs on a daily basis and halts at two very popular wineries. The journey lasts for about three hours and showcases the pride and delight of Napa Valley.
Kris Koonar
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/napa-valley-wine-tours-95322.html
How much do Napa Valley wine tours cost on average?
Planning a trip this summer, just wondering about anybody elses experience and trying to get some general costs in mind so I can better budget.
Great info. There are tons of tour companies based in Napa Valley. Tour packages in private cars begin at $69 p/person and increase from there.
Of 270 bonded wineries, 130 +/- are open to the public. Some require reservations. Some charge fees. Some fees are rebated with purchases. Visit http://napavalley.com/freestuff/freestuff.html for coupons, etc. Enjoy and drink water in between tasting so you can remember the journey:)
If you go wine tasting on your own, not with a group, then each winery usually costs about $5 to $20 to do wine tasting. Most are about $5. The $20 dollar ones are the snobby places like Opus One and not worth it. The only ones I highly recommend that costs a lot are Castello di Amerosa, a beautiful castle just like you would see in Europe and Sterling which includes a tram ride up a mountain. You will be able to go to about 4 winery’s a day, but of course more is possible. There are also guided tours with companies like California wine tours that take you on a buss or a van and they do the driving. I don’t know what these places cost, but here is their telephone number # 707-253-1300
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I live in the Napa valley
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