Stagecoach Co. Wine Tour Blog - Stagecoach Co. Wine Tours Santa Barbara

Wine Tour Gift Certificates, the gift of a new experience!

by Tyler Tomblin | Nov 6, 2018 | Special Wine Tour Deals

Wine Tour Gift Certificates make great presents. With the holiday season quickly approaching, it’s time to start thinking about your gift-giving strategies. Don’t rush to find something that your recipient probably doesn’t need. This year, why not give the gift of a new experience?

Our gift certificates are the perfect gift for friends, family, and co-workers! There is no better way to show someone you appreciate them, than to treat them to a day spent in our beautiful Santa Barbara County Wine Country. Gift Certificates for our all-inclusive Wine Tours include luxury transportation from almost anywhere in Santa Barbara County. Whether, they are staying in Summerland, Montecito, Santa Barbara, Goleta, or anywhere in the Santa Ynez Valley we will pick them up for a great day of wine tasting. All tasting fees at three or four premium local wineries; a delicious picnic lunch provided by our local organic marketplace; an expert Tour Host with extensive knowledge of the geography, history and wines or our region, and plenty of bottled water!

Gift Certificates can be for our Wine Lover’s Group Tour, our Private Wine Tours, or purchased in any denomination that can be applied to a future tour. They don’t expire, the recipient/guest has the freedom to schedule their tour for any time they like. Plus, we offer volume discounts for offices, co-workers and larger groups. It couldn’t be easier!

Take the headache out of Holiday gift giving – treat the wine lovers in your life to a wine tour gift certificate for an amazing day with us in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley Wine Country!

With over 18 year experience we are the best choice! We will make planning there trip with a gift certificate a breeze!

We have sold thousands of wine tour gift certificates over the years an we are the number 1 attraction in the Santa Ynez Valley with over 250 five star TripAdvisor reviews. We maintain a five-star rating on Yelp!

Our wine tour van parked at a beautiful venue.

Holiday Transportation provided by Stagecoach Co.

by Tyler Tomblin | Nov 6, 2018 | Special Wine Tour Deals

With the holidays fast approaching, it’s time to think about your transportation needs.

As you most likely know, Stagecoach Co. isn’t just the best Wine Tour Company in the Santa Ynez Valley. We also offer By-the-Hour and Full-Day shuttle services for company gatherings, holiday parties, and on- and off-site events.

Please see the link below to view our fleet of Mercedes Sprinters and 24-passenger executive Mini Coach:
https://winetourssantaynez.com/wine-tour-vehicles/

Feel free to give us a call or email to discuss your potential needs and options. We are here Monday – Friday from 9:00am to 5:30pm, and Saturday from 9:00am – 12:30pm.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support! We value our ongoing relationship.

Pinot Noir Harvest in Santa Barbara County

by Tyler Tomblin | Sep 24, 2018 | Santa Barbara County Wines, Wine Harvest

This week in Santa Barbara Wine Country saw the beginning of Pinot Noir Harvest.

Usually, black grapes are harvested much later in the year, with the exception of pinot noir. The reason is due to the thin skin of the pinot noir grapes. These cool climate berries grow successfully in the western most area of Santa Barbara known as the Santa Rita Hills.

All pinot noir producers and growers will tell you they are the most difficult and demanding of grapes to grow.

For example, pinot noir doesn’t like it too hot, as the skin can peel and crack, just like ours when we have too much sun. They don’t like it too cold otherwise, they won’t ripen, also they don’t like it too wet because they are susceptible to mold and mildew.

Due to this finicky behavior, pinot noirs need to be monitored and maintained to a higher degree than any other grape, and this causes their price to be at a premium.

Harvesting Pinot Noir also requires greater attention to detail: smaller picking bins so that the clusters don’t get squashed before arriving at the wineries for processing. Unlike the white grapes like chardonnay that are also being harvested at the same time, pinot noir will spend at least 12 to 18 months in barrels before they are ready to drink.

Wine Tour verses Hiring a Driver – The Beauty of a Wine Tour

by Tyler Tomblin | Sep 10, 2018 | Wine Tour info

Thinking about visiting a few wineries and vineyards in Santa Barbara Wine Country? Before you call Uber, Lyft or one of the literally dozens of taxi services, there are a few things you should know…

Taxis and driving services can be logical option – if you’re up for doing all the planning yourself, or flying by the seat of your pants. Perhaps you know exactly which wineries you want to visit? You have a clear understanding of the geography/distances of wineries in Santa Barbara County Wine Country? You’re happy to make your winery reservations, pay additional tasting fees, and coordinate your own lunch? Then, simply hiring a driver is definitely adequate. They will get you from Point A to Point B – you just have to take care of everything else in between. This is definitely not as easy as it seems in most cases!

But, what if you want an entire day curated for you, so you can sit back, relax and enjoy? This is where professional Wine Tour companies come in – like us, Stagecoach Co. Wine Tours. We specialize in taking care of every detail for you. We have relationships with dozens of super-local premium wineries, and organize an amazing tour based on our expertise. Our Tour Hosts are passionate about wine, and offer extensive knowledge of the geography, history and wines of our region. We have access to vineyards and wineries that are off-the-beaten-path – some of which, most taxi drivers would never know exist.

What’s more, there are no hidden costs or additional fees with our Wine Tours. Each one includes transportation in a luxury Mercedes Sprinter; all tasting fees at each winery; a delicious picnic lunch provided by our local organic Marketplace; plenty of bottled water, and even a basic gratuity for our expert Tour Hosts. Many of our guests find that it is actually more economical to join us for a Wine Tour instead of hiring just a driver, because we build everything into the cost – so that you don’t have to worry about anything!

Book a tour with us and let us guide you through an amazing and educational Santa Barbara County Wine Country experience! “We are much more than just Drivers!”

Santa Barbara County Wine Harvest 2018

by Tyler Tomblin | Sep 4, 2018 | Wine Harvest

This week saw the beginning of the 2018 harvest here in the Santa Ynez Valley. Normally the white grapes come in earlier than the later ripening red grapes, but some sparkling wine producers have also started to harvest some pinot noir black grapes for their low sugar and crisp acidity. Likewise some have begun to harvest black grapes for their rose wines. On the whole however, these coming weeks will be mostly white grape harvesting. This is the best time of year from now through to mid-October to visit us in the Santa Ynez Valley to get a glimpse how wine is made. Due to the coastal morning fog and the daytime high temperatures, most winemakers prefer to harvest their grapes either at night or very early in the morning. This cooler time of day helps to keep the fruit fresh and cold. After picking, the grapes are taken to the winery where they will be pressed to squeeze the juice out of the skins and then the fermentation process will begin for the clean crisp white wines like riesling, pinot blanc, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay.

Join Stagecoach Wine Tours and experience this exciting time of the year in the vineyards!

The Magic of Midweek in Santa Barbara Wine Country

by Tyler Tomblin | Jun 20, 2018 | Special Wine Tour Deals

Stagecoach Midweek Wine Tours

When most people think about planning a Santa Barbara Wine Country getaway, they think of planning their wine tours for long weekends or holidays. But the experienced traveler will recognize that often, the very best wine tour experience in Santa Barbara County can be found Midweek – particularly in the summer months. Wine Lovers from around the world flock to Santa Barbara Wine Country during this peak season, making for busy weekends here in the Santa Ynez Valley.

If you seek an even more relaxed wine country experience, joining us for a wine tour Monday through Friday has many benefits:

Like most hotels in Santa Barbara County, we offer a Midweek Special rate for all of our Wine Lovers tours. We are also offering a Summer Special you won’t want to miss!
The wineries here in the Santa Ynez Valley are less busy Monday through Friday. This allows for each winery’s staff to give our wine tour clients an even more personalized experience.
Santa Barbara Wine Country is an exceptionally beautiful place – especially when there is no traffic! Fewer tourists during the week creates a more leisurely, unhurried atmosphere for all of our guests.
All of this means more time among the vines, enjoying all that Santa Barbara Wine Country has to offer!

If your schedule allows, we highly recommend a Midweek Wine Tour this summer. Feel free to give us a call or check our availability online, anytime. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Rhone-style Wines, California-style Scenery

by Tyler Tomblin | May 23, 2018 | Santa Barbara County Wines

Andrew Murray Vineyards/Wineries

One of the great privileges of conducting wine tours in Santa Ynez Valley is to visit and present a winery that is both a fine representation of our contemporary wine country but also an important part of its history. No winery fits this description better than Andrew Murray Vineyards on the Curtis Estate.

Winemaker Andrew Murray specializes in the wines of Rhone River Valley in the south of France, practicing his art in Santa Ynez Valley for more than 20 years. While he sources fruit from vineyards in Los Alamos and other subregions of the valley, he has since 2014 been based at the Curtis Estate, a vineyard of over 100 acres that was formerly the Firestone family’s Curtis Winery, a leading name in regional Rhone wines. Here, Andrew Murray has enhanced his international reputation as a craftsman of Rhone wines.

On the Curtis Estate, the Andrew Murray organization presents refreshing white wines such as Grenache Blanc and their Enchante, a crafted blend of Grenache Blanc and Rousanne. Single-varietal Grenache and Mouvedre are among the fine wines to be found here that you’d struggle to find in the hundreds of wineries in Napa, yet Andrew Murray’s several Syrah offerings are his best known.

But, now at the beginning of summer, nothing beats the Esperance Rose, a Cinsault-based classic to rival the best of Provence. On a Stagecoach wine tour you’ll enjoy the presentation of this and other excellent Andrew Murray wines by their exceptional hospitality staff, people who receive regular education and training by Andrew and his oenologist, McKenna, and look forward to sharing the joy of their vineyard’s fruit with you!

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