HOW-TO: Plan a Wine Tour

A wine tour can be a wonderful time. There is nothing quite like gathering a group of friends, and winding your way from winery to winery, enjoying a range of wines, taking in the views, and turning your tasting into a real experience to cherish. And if you end up on a tour in a strange place, with new people, what better way to make friends than spending a few hours drinking together? That said, there is a lot to think of, when you are planning your trip.

1. Pick a region.
There are wineries in every state in the US. Many reside on larger “wine trails” to give you easy access to several wineries during a day trip. There are quite a few resources on the trails out there, like Dowd’s Guide to American Wine Trails to local tourist bureau websites. Why not try the trail nearest to you? Keep it local.

2. Determine your mode of travel.
Packaged wine tours can be the best option, especially if it's your first time to the area. We chose this option to tour Sonoma County in California; it just seemed easier than fussing with maps and trails and renting a car, etc. There is an obvious benefit to piling into a van and letting someone else do the driving for you. If selecting your own path is important to you, select a DD or use the spit buckets provided. You’d be surprised that the experience isn’t diminished, actually, if you spit out your wine. It will actually be enhanced because your palate will stay sharp throughout the day.

If you plan on choosing your own path, find a map of the region and select the number of wineries you’ll visit. Pick an easy route to follow, and let your tastes take you where they may.

3. Decide on the number of wineries to visit.

Don't get too ambitious - we've found that five wineries is a good number for us, between the driving and the time it takes to do the tasting, it's about 1 hour per winery. Longer with more people, shorter with fewer. Add in lunch, and that's a full day. Considering that there might be dozens or even hundreds of wineries in the region your visiting, you'll see that you'll not be able to conquer them all in one trip.

4. Plan your lunch at breakfast.
Plan your lunch before you begin: vast stretches of farmland between towns and wineries without their own bistros can work against you. Plan ahead for a lunch stop, or you may end up lost in a sea of grape vines, desperately looking for a place to eat. Bringing a picnic can be a good option, too: some wineries will allow you to buy a bottle of wine to enjoy on-site at picnic benches, on the decks, etc. We've been known to take sausage and cheese with us, just to make sure we have a snack when we want one. This can be a wonderful treat.

5. Select the number of bottles to bring home.
It is always hard to resist the temptation to pick up a bottle of your favorite wine to bring home. After a day of tastings, you may well end up leaving behind your clothes if you have to pack those bottles into your bag for a flight home. Decide in advance how much room you have in your luggage (or in the trunk of your car!) We recommend using the winery discount for bulk purchase and shipping the wine. With the discount, the shipping will feel almost free. Keep in mind there are restrictions on cross-state wine shipping, and you may have to carry home if that affects you.

Wine trails are a great way to sample many different wines in a short period of time. You can compare the similarities of a grape from producer to producer, or try something completely new that you may not be able to find at home. When asked to select the wines for your tasting, always ask, “well, what’s popular here?” Take risks and have fun, and, more than anything, be open-minded! Ask questions during your tasting, as your server will be knowledgeable about the wines on hand. Enjoy, and safe travels!