Tourists and locals alike can find a new way to travel through Wine Country.
Sonoma and Napa counties are known all over the world for their fine wine. Sonoma Valley alone offers more than 40 wineries within a 17-mile span, Sonoma County as a whole has more than 370 wineries and Napa Valley is home to more than 450 wineries. Becky Barrango, VIP concierge at the Napa Valley Welcome Center, says that, on a weekend during the busy season (June through October), they can see more than 1,100 people walk through their facility seeking maps of the area and looking to take a wine tour. And while there’s always the option of hiring a traditional limousine to ensure sober transport, many folks seek something a little different.
There are many travel options available to both locals and visitors who want to explore our beautiful Wine Country. One can go via trolley, bike, walking or even in a horse and buggy. If you’re inclined to do it alone, there are places where you can rent classic cars provided with a route that might be of interest to you, or even classic limousines to do the driving for you (such as Classic Convertible Wine Tours in Napa Valley). All of the various methods provide a memorable as well as an educational experience. There are plenty of tour operators that have devoted their entire business to providing adventurous excursions set within Sonoma and Napa counties. All companies have a similar thing in mind: to give participants an enjoyable and informative experience as they discover our region’s fine wines.
Clang, clang, clang went the trolley
Taking a trolley trip, either in Napa or Sonoma county, is a fun way to go. Most companies offer trips multiple times daily and visit three to four wineries for wine tasting, with lunch included. Taking the tours with Sonoma or Napa Valley Wine Trolley is enjoyable, educational and comfortable. In Sonoma, the tour starts in front of the beautiful city hall in the town square. In Napa, the pick-up is at Oxbow Market downtown. The trolley can comfortably fit around 20 to 30 people, who generally come from all parts of the United States and abroad (the farthest this year were from Auckland, New Zealand). The trolleys themselves are motorized, authentic replicas of a late 1890s-era San Francisco open-air cable car (there’s also an enclosed option for inclement weather), giving tourists an opportunity to take in the beautiful countryside smells and sites. The guides/drivers are friendly and knowledgeable, describing the scenic views and providing information on the wineries visited. Also available are private charters and events, including trolleys able to accommodate larger groups.
The Sonoma Valley tour can take travelers to a host of locales, including Landmark Vineyards, Ravenswood Winery, the historic Buena Vista Winery, Valley of the Moon Winery and Mayo Family Winery. One of the wineries we visited on the Sonoma Valley tour was Benziger Family Winery, a medium-sized producer nestled on Sonoma Mountain. The Benziger family has been growing grapes for more than 30 years and is unique in that it practices biodynamic farming. Just down Highway 12, winemaker Joe Benziger opened his own winery, Imagery Estate, with an emphasis on limited-production wines adapted to focus on lesser-known varietals. Besides tasting some fine wines, one can explore the vineyards and taste the grapes. Unique to the facility is its art gallery celebrating local talent; the collection also features a broad cross-section of international artists from countries such as Brazil, China, Cuba, France, Germany and Japan. At any given time, as many as 35 commissioned artists are working—without a deadline—on pieces that will appear on future Imagery wine labels. The artists aren’t limited by size, medium or content with one exception: The work must include a likeness of the Parthenon replica that resides on the Benziger estate. “Part of Imagery’s history is that it came from Benziger, and the Parthenon represents that connection,” explains Joe.
A stop at the Paradise Ridge tasting room in Kenwood is also a truly unique experience. It’s housed in a small, quaint area with a beautiful patio surrounded by herbs and flowers. Visitors not only get to taste a variety of wines, but are also exposed to the various elements of tasting. Guests find out, for example, that the taste of wine changes when you add herbs that are bitter, bright, savory or sweet to the accompanying meal. According to Annette McDonnell, tasting room manager, “Your eyes first see it, your nose smells it, and then you taste it.”
The idea behind her presentation is to get people to feel the taste. Listening to the presentation and experiencing her passion for wine and food makes this a truly informative, delicious and lively stop. A guest from San Francisco describes the tasting room: “It doesn’t measure up to Opus One’s. It doesn’t have a long driveway that leads up to a chateau. It doesn’t have perfectly manicured grounds. What this place has is character. It has substance. It has soul.”
Keith and Janet Forrest from Stilwell, Kan. found the Sonoma trolley tour provides transportation to wineries that are able to take time to educate visitors on the different parts of the winemaking and grape growing process. “The Benziger and Paradise tours were especially good. We learned about the effect of the different climates on the different grapes and the effect of the soil on the flavor of the wine. We also learned how the taste of the wine is perceived differently by different people and the effect of food on the taste of the wine,” says Keith.
How romantic
Napa Valley Carriage Company focuses solely on special events, like parades, sweet sixteens, company gatherings, festivals and customized wine tours. The carriages are pulled by a stunning team of massive, gray horses called Percherons, which originated in the Huisne River Valley in Northern France, part of the former Perche province from which the breed takes its name. Usually gray or black in color, Percherons are well-muscled and known for their intelligence and willingness to work.
Owned and operated by John and Montra Freitas, the company has provided wine tours in Napa Valley since 2006. By finding out specifically what people are interested in seeing, they’ll design a private tour to several wineries. Recently, they took people through the vineyards of Peju Province winery during its special Stomping Man annual Grape Stomp and barbecue.
Since the Freitases are ordained ministers, they also offer what they call “Marriage in a Carriage.”
“Taking people on a ride in our carriage and watching them enjoy the scenery and wine tasting is something I find great joy in doing,” states John.
On two wheels
Whether you’re an experienced cyclist dreaming of tackling the rugged Sonoma Coast or a beginner just thinking of trying your first casual ride, Wine Country Bikes (WCB) in Healdsburg will plan a “supported, self-guided” bike tour to perfectly suit your style. WCB offers a single-day guided tour and well as a variety of self-guided, two- to six-day tours. The two- and three-day tours traverse Healdsburg with loop rides from the guests’ lodging, while the four-, five- and six-day tours are point-to-point, meaning guests start and end their days at different locations.All luggage is transported to the riders’ hotels, reservations are made at restaurants, and riders can even arrange to have wine they purchase during their journey picked up for them.
Spend a few days or a week discovering why Bicycling magazine named Sonoma County one of “The Seven Greatest Rides on Earth.” WCB’s one-of-a-kind touring center is an amazing facility, with 2,500 square feet of great rental bikes, maps, local information, showers and changing rooms, cycling clothing, accessories and more.
Dan Tracy manages the facility and has been involved in all aspects of cycling along with guiding tourists in the Bay Area for the past 15 years. “I find it rewarding to share the beauty of Sonoma County with our guests, along with getting to know people from all parts of the world,” he says.
Each rental comes with a helmet, bike, bike rack, map and route recommendations. The one-day “classic” Dry Creek Valley Wine Country Bike Tour runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. with a Sonoma-style catered lunch at the halfway mark. WCB plans and outlines the safest routes for its guests; they’re scenic, quiet and taken along country roads.
“This is a good way to see things and not be in a rush,” report Jay and Diane Oshesky, visiting from Central Sherman, Ill. Both reported their guide was informative, answered all their questions and helped create a safe environment.
John Randall hails from Houston, Tex., and highly recommends WCB. “We’re in flatland and loved the scenery on our ride and seeing the wine caves at Bella Vineyards,” he says.
Motorin’
DB Autosportif in Sonoma offers classic cars to rent for day trips and weeklend adventures. Cars available include a 1959 Jaguar XK150 DHC, 1963 Porsche 356B, 1960 Corvette Roadster and 1962 Buick Electra 225 convertible. Owner Richard Martin believes renting this type of car is more than a rental, it’s an “experience.” Rentals includes insurance, a free tank of gas plus a free mileage allowance of 150 miles per day (there’s a charge for additional miles), which, according to Martin, is sufficient in Wine Country, along with suggested routes.
If you want to take a day trip by car but want a tour guide, Open Air Jeep Tours is a fun way to go. In operation since June 1995, owner Dick Kauth’s goal is to take tourists to visit some smaller, lesser-known wineries in the area. Its open-air jeep tour offers backroad wineries, redwood forests and coastal tours, which can include a walk in Armstrong Woods in Guerneville. He calls his jeeps “cowboy limos.” Tours take between three to four hours and traverse over bumpy backroads to see what’s going on with cultivating these area’s vineyards, from the planting of the rootstock to the trellising of the canes.
Train’s a-coming
The Napa Valley Wine Train provides a relaxing, three-hour, 36-mile, round-trip journey from the historic town of Napa, through one of the world’s most well known wine valleys, to the quaint village of St. Helena and back. Guests enjoy a freshly prepared lunch or dinner inside a fully restored 1915-1917 Pullman dining car or the 1952 Vista Dome car as they pass the vineyards and wineries of Napa Valley. They also have the option of pre-purchasing a winery tour. During the three-hour journey, guests see five towns: Napa, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, and St. Helena; and numerous spectacular winery vistas through the large picture windows on board.
Former Santa Rosa Vice Mayor Lee Pierce and his wife Dianne celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary on the train. Pierce, a native of St. Helena, was given the trip as a gift. This was his second trip on the Wine Train and he still remains in awe of all the beauty you see as the train moves along at about 50 miles per hour. Both the Pierces found the trip to be educational, relaxing and a romantic way to celebrate their anniversary, plus reported the food and wine were excellent. When asked how long the trip was, Pierce joked, “Three hours, but who’s counting?”
There’s always a first time
As a resident of Sonoma County for 40 years, I must confess, I’ve never been on a wine tour before. But with this assignment, I not only got to see the beauty of many of our wineries, I got to learn about how wines are made, saw demonstrations of the wineries’ commitment to become sustainable and began to understand why our wines are known and esteemed across the world. I even got to visit a wine cave and saw wine barrels, stacked in neat rows and filled with wine aging to the perfection of the winemaker.
I got to meet people from Iowa, Canada, Chicago and Detroit. Everyone I talked with said they looked forward to being in Wine Country and exploring along with purchasing some of the fine wines available. After taking a tour and talking with other companies for this story, my experience gave me a background for what takes place on a tour. A special thank you to Sonoma Valley Wine Trolley for making the trip possible.
Will Patten, chauffeur and tour guide, has met people from Canada, France, England, Germany and across the United States and knows that everyone coming for a tour is out to have a good time. “I want people to have a good time and am happy to help make that possible.” That seems to be the attitude throughout Sonoma and Napa Valley Wine Country.
