Napa Valley Wine Tours

You just can’t go to California without going on a Napa Valley wine tour. You just can’t!! I tried and it didn’t work out, I was miserable. Depending on your accommodation, expenses and time, there is a tour for you. Whether you take a bus from San Francisco, limousines’ guided tours or tour individual wineries on your own, taking in a few wineries each day, there is still a tour for you. They have it all!!

The Napa Valley and area is in a time right out of the past with sun drenched vineyards and wineries steeped in history and charm with beautiful old and new spacious chateaus. Some of these vineyards and chateaus have been in the same family for decades. There is also a new generation of winemakers with many innovative modern techniques. The warm hospitality of the many vineyards will give you a chance to know the inner workings from the vine to the bottle, sort of a “behind-the-scenes” look. And believe me you won’t be disappointed, if you enjoy sipping the good stuff!

Your knowledgeable local Napa Valley Wine Tour guides can take you to many of the finest wineries, with a tour through the workings of the winery and cellars. Tours include picnic lunch, wine pairing, gifts and merchandise rooms in which their wines can be tasted and purchased. Some of the wineries even have complimentary tastings. Napa Valley wineries are only too pleased to share a sampling of the passion of their trade. On scheduled wine tours you will meet other fellow wine enthusiasts from around the world and possibly become friends.

Of course there are many individual Napa Valley Wine Tours where you are individually taken around for a private tour, or maybe just your own group. These are just as eventful as they offer options for special occasions and if they can accommodate any custom tour for you, just ask.

Of course a perfect place to see the rolling hills and lush vineyards of the Premiere California Wine Country would be by Hot Air Balloon at sunrise. Tours are from 3 to 4 hours.

Whether your tour is by jeep or limousine, or if you’re picked up at a local Napa Valley Hotel, your sightseeing excursion is well worthwhile. Some of the tours may take you to up to 12 wineries so you will want to leave the driving to the guides; as well they are full of information and can answer any questions you may have.

You just have to “Drink it in” so “For the love of grape” a Napa Valley Wine Tour is a must.

Blends of Wine Around the World

vineyardWhere to start!!  You’ve heard the expression, “It was a very good year”, well that would be an understatement.  So many variable characteristics go into wine making such as climate, variety of grape, soil, vineyard cultivation and blends either from grapes grown from one region or a combination of grapes grown from many regions. Navigating through it all is not easy, but can be done.  And it can be so much fun navigating!

You hear the many ways wines are described by wine judges or wine critics supposedly by educated wine connoisseurs and wonder, “What? I can’t taste the cherries”.  I sometimes think it’s an acquired taste, and then I find a wine that is truly “nectar of the Gods” and see what they mean.

A whole new language seems to envelope the tasting of wine and once learned can be quite beneficial to describe certain wines between growers and purchaser alike.  The characteristics such as crispness, body, nutty, floral even spicy take a while to distinguish but those wines with the most desirable characteristics come from the best locations in the world.

Castellina_in_ChiantiThe Tuscany wine region of Italy is one of the best locations where they are renowned for producing excellent wines.  The combination of soil and sun and the ancient culture all make for a quality of excellence.  It’s not hard to navigate here.

France is another consistently excellent producer of wine in the regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Provence.  It’s not hard to navigate here either.

Many countries like Canada, USA, Australia, Argentina, and Chile are now producing many award winning wines. Each has a winning characteristic and quality as countries are investing much time and study in all areas of wine making from the growing of grapes to bottling, corking and storage.

So many vineyards around the world offer excellent wine tasting facilities and tours, and it’s imperative that you should take advantage of them and start to “navigate”. It is interesting to match various wine characteristics to the many samples.  The personnel in these vineyards are only to happy answer questions you may have as they are on the front line and know the in’s and out’s of their profession.