What You Can Expect When Taking Your First Wine Tour
You have most likely seen a movie or two in which the lead character heads out on a wine tour or wine tasting. It looks fun and exciting, but you don't really know what to expect when you head out to take a tour. Yes, you will see beautiful vineyards and get to taste various types of wine, but what else can you expect to experience?
Tour Group or On Your Own
You have the option of taking a tour through a winery either with a tour group company or on your own. If you have never taken a wine tour before it's probably best to take a tour with a company, like Ambassador Limousine, as they will transport you to the various wineries. There will typically be a small charge to taste the wines regardless of if you go on a tour or on your own, but the tour company will include this fee in your overall charge.
The Tour
Once you reach a winery, you will walk through the vineyards while the guide explains the growing process and the different types of grapes. Depending on the time of year, you may be able to pick some grapes and sample them.
You will then return to the winery itself, where your guide will explain the different stages of how wine is made. You will walk through the stainless steel vats and wood barrels and you will see the different stages of the aging process. You will then head to the tasting room where you can try a few samples of the wineries' vintages.
After you taste the wine, you will get a chance to go to the gift shop and buy something if you like. Once you have completed the gift shop visit, it will be time to move on to another winery, should there be more than one on your itinerary. You might also have a meal prepared for you – depending on the time of day and how long your group was booked to stay at the winery.
Lodging
It's possible that you are only visiting one winery and it may be local to your home, so usually, after the tour you can simply head home. However, when on tour with a group there will typically be some form of lodging provided. This can include a luxury hotel in one of the cities near to wine country, it can be a bed and breakfast in the heart of the region, and it can also be camping on the grounds of one of the wineries.