California Wine Tours Need advice

The Road Less Traveled Wines of Napa. Sonoma. Russian River
Just returned from 10 days in wine country. This year instead of revisiting many of the same ole corporate wineries like Silver Oak, Caymus we went to places we had never done before and it...

Sorry if any of this is too basic, but I'd like to offer the following thoughts.

Need advicehelp
First, your English worked just fine for me. However, I am from Mississippi, USA, where English is a "second language!" Next, rather than list thousands of possible pairings, as Emery Davis stated...

The Wine Train is not a tour. You get on a vintage train in Napa and it takes you up the center of the valley, serves you dinner, and brings you back..... you never leave the train. You will be driving the same route to visit the majority of the wineries anyway. While the train has a wine car, and you can taste a lot of wines, they are not usually from the wineries you might want to visit on your own. I'm not really knocking the Wine Train, but it is the most 'touristy' attraction in the Valley and I wouldn't suggest that it is worth your time if you're only there for a short while.

The limo idea is really the way to go, given your specific parameters, but it will get pricey. I believe there are services that will pick you up in San Francisco and, being based in either valley, can work with your itinerary while there. But they charge $50 and hour and up. If you require their services over a couple of 8 to 10 hour days.......... well, it will really add up. I'd suggest renting a car in SF and driving to the wine area of your choice, then using a local limo service as needed (ie- for the winery visits only). But....... if your budget will handle it, just go the whole nine yards and enjoy yourself.

VacuVin vs. Private Preserve
My experience with Cruvinet has been mixed. Theoretically, it's an ideal concept - but there are a couple of problems. For one thing, when a new bottle is...

As to choosing between Napa and Sonoma: I agree that you can cover more territory, more quickly, in Napa, but Sonoma is much more laid back and less crowded, especially on weekends. Most Sonoma wineries don't charge for tastings, while almost all in Napa do, but if you're going the whole limo route that cost may not be of any consequence. There are more than enough superb wineries in both areas, though, so you can't go wrong either way. I do think there are many more really good restaurant choices in Napa, though.

One important thing....... a very large number of great wineries do not have open tasting rooms, but you can taste by appointment, so make sure to either plan your tasting in advance, or let the limo company know what you want to cover, so they can arrange it for you.

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