Beyond Napa Valley Wine Tour

Informazioni generali

Destinazione	Categoria
San Francisco, Stati Uniti	Visite guidate

Il programma nel dettaglio

On this intensely satisfying 1-day wine country tour you'll join a small group of other wine enthusiasts to explore the fertile lands, perfect climate and charming family-owned wineries in four distinct Sonoma AVAs. Return home with a greater appreciation for the wine and its makers!



Highlights

- Convenient hotel pickups in San Francisco

- Guided small-group tour by a fellow wine enthusiast

- Tour Petaluma Gap, Alexander Valley, Dry Creek and Russian River Valley AVAs

- Guided tours and tastings at four characteristic wineries

- All tasting fees included (over $100 value)

- Picnic lunch (included)



Napa is terrific. But equally acclaimed American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) await the wine curious and wine enthusiast. On this one-day wine country tour, you'll visit celebrated and award-winning wine makers in four distinct AVAs. We'll go off the beaten path into the benchlands and ridgelines of Sonoma County to discover vintages you will treasure.



Alexander Valley: King of Cabs. The breathtaking Mayacama Mountains loom above the Alexander Valley AVA. On its rolling hillsides of volcanic, calcium, sand and clay soils, Cabernet Sauvignon grapes thrive. Further up the mountain ridges, stressed soil conditions and cool Pacific breezes extend the growing season producing grapes with added color, flavor and complexity. You can taste this sublime marriage of soil and climate in premier wines from Clos Du Bois, Rodney Strong, Ferrari-Carano and Silver Oak.



In the tasting room of our first winery, you'll come to appreciate the benefits of barrel-aging at a steady temperature and humidity. You'll learn about sustainable farming and how electricity is spared in naturally cooled caves as you taste wines straight from French-oak barrels.



Dry Creek perfection. Next, we'll skip over to the small 16-by-2-mile AVA of Dry Creek. The soil here is a gravelly clay loam, strikingly red in color, that is as perfect for grape-growing as it gets. Relatively low precipitation makes it difficult for vines to establish their roots, a condition that makes blockbuster zinfandel, the regions signature varietal.



At our stop in Dry Creek, you will enjoy a five-wine flight featuring releases from a single-vineyard collection. The tasting takes place alongside aging barrels in a wine cave tucked under 100-year-old zinfandel vines. There, face to face with the wine maker, you'll learn how they use the gifts of the AVA to make wines of place.



Scenic Russian River Valley. The Russian River Valley AVA, in the heart of Sonoma County, is blessed with a climate remarkedly like the Bordeaux region in France. Long, warm days and coastal cooling in the evening enable grapes to mature slowly and retain their acidity. With good reason, this AVA is widely regarded as Pinot Noir country. You'll also find exceptional Chardonnay, Syrah, Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet Franc varietals here.



To fully experience this valley, our small-group tour will experience a smallish family-owned winery outside the idyllic town of Healdsburg. Using old wine barrels as tables, you'll not just taste their chardonnays and pinots but learn how the natural characteristics of the regions soil and climate are accentuated by the wine maker. We'll be sure to remind you to soak up the rolling hills, bright wildflowers and gorgeous vineyards all around.



Surprising Petaluma Gap. The new Petaluma Gap AVA is on the wild, wind-swept Pacific coast not far from the northern span of the Golden Gate bridge. At first, it seems more naturally suited for dairy farming than grape growing. But the Sonoma Coast if full of pleasant surprises, most delightfully that some of Californias most celebrated Chardonnay grapes are grown there. The most prized vines grow high on ridges where Pacific breezes roaring through Petaluma all the way to San Pablo bay allow a harvest of grapes with mature, dry flavors and aromas.



Our final stop of the day will be at a vineyard estate located at the heart of Sonomas Petaluma Gap. In its cellars, you'll sample wines produced from fruit grown on the property. The sustainable, gravity flow methods employed by this family-first winery are impressive, much like its elegant, balanced and age-worthy wines.



Morning:

• Pickups at Fishermans Wharf, Financial District and Union Square hotels

• Get a wine tasting refresher course from your wine-enthusiast guide

• Stop for a coffee break in the historic Courthouse Square of Santa Rosa

• Enjoy a cellar tour and tasting at our first winery in Alexander Valley (fee included)



Early Afternoon:

• Visit the tiny but distinctive Dry Creek Valley AVA

• Tour and taste in the caves of a family-owned a Dry Creek winery (fee included)

• Linger over a picnic lunch (included)



Late Afternoon:

• Experience the famously scenic Russian River Valley AVA

• Taste characteristic wines in a Russian River Valley winery (fee included)

• Cruise over to the Petaluma Gap AVA

• Enjoy a tasting in the cellars of a Sonoma Coast winery (fee included)

• Stop for selfies at the Golden Gate Bridge before returning to your San Francisco hotel

Redeem information
Voucher type: Printed
Printed Voucher. Print and bring the voucher to enjoy the activity.

Location
Starting point:
Hotel pick-up at Downtown San Francisco or Fisherman's Wharf area.

End point: Same as starting point

Schedule
Opening dates
Thursday/Saturday/Sunday, 08:00 - 18:00

Duration: 10 Hours

Guiding options
Guiding type: Guide
Group type: Shared
Group size: 10 People

Requirements
Under 21 years are not allowed in tasting rooms