California Wine Tours

A visit to the Napa Valley encompasses a visual, aromatic and gastronomic indulgence. Chefs from around the world, wine connoisseurs, and any epicure will definitely enjoy and learn from a visit to Napa Valley.

Several companies hold single or multi-day tours to showcase the different vineyards and to give the tourists a taste of the different wines being produced. They are professionals who will open doors to the bigger, established and more popular wineries and also to the smaller, newer and lesser known ones. Some companies offer a fixed program and itinerary while some customize the tour to suit the tourists? specific needs, requests and budget. They create specialized programs suitable for unsure wine neophytes and wine aficionados alike.

For long-time wine connoisseurs, it is very interesting to learn about the craft of winemaking from the winemaker himself. For a novice, it is fun to learn about wine tasting (e.g. sniffing, swirling and sipping), discover the history of the wineries and to be able to compare the products from different vineyards. Other tours also offer lunches with the winemaker, cooking classes by a renowned chef, winemaking seminars and even river rafting, bicycle tours and hot air ballooning.

A sample itinerary for a single-day tour starts with being picked up by the tour guide and bringing you to a vineyard that does not produce any red wine. This is interesting as you will learn about Chardonnays that can be aged for ten to fifteen years. If the group prefers red wine instead, they will visit another vineyard and even have lunch with the winemaker himself. The owner of the winery gives a private tour of his property. After that, a large and famous winery and/or a smaller, less popular one will be toured. The company will bring you back to your location after the tour.

Different companies offer different choices of transportation for the tours. Some have buses or coasters for bigger groups, SUVs for good viewing opportunities or cars and limousines for smaller groups.

This article courtesy of  http://www.aroma.logicbuzz.com.
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