Frequently Asked Questions

We go to 3 locations on a Wine Lovers Tour and most private tours under 10 guests. A sample winery, cellar, tasting room list is on our wineries page. Larger groups (10+) generally visit 2 locations. We do not like to rush our customers, these groups take more time loading, unloading, purchasing, etc. On Private Tours more wineries can be requested but may incur additional fees.

Yes, on our Wine Lovers Tour. For private tours we customize based on your level of sophistication. Again, trust us, we’ve done this before! Check out a sample winery/location list is on our tours wineries page.

Based on 21+ years expertise and two main reasons; Customer feedback has been the number one driver to help us choose our wineries. Secondly, things change year-over-year in wine country and we adapt to best accommodate our customers and make sure they receive the very best wine tours possible. Your experience is our top priority.

We never force you to buy wine but etiquette suggests that you should consider purchases. One bottle per person per location makes the wineries happy. Wineries are in the business to sell wine. Look for discounts, wine clubs, and specials. Always remember, wine makes the perfect gift for a special occasion, anniversary, birthday present, special dinner guests, or a boss that loves good wine!

For our Wine Lovers Tour we use either a Mercedes Sprinter van, with 8 people max. Our vehicles are spotlessly cleaned and maintained daily! For private wine tours we have Sprinters mini-coach that seats up to 23. For really large groups we charter 47-55 pax coaches. Check out our vehicles page.

The typical tour lasts about 5 1/2 Hours. Driving time from Santa Barbara area adds about 45 minutes to 1 hour each way if you originate there. Los Alamos, Santa Maria and Lompoc areas add about 20-30 minutes each way.

Wine Lovers Tours start at between 9:45 – 10:20am from the Santa Barbara Area, 10:45 – 11:15am from the Santa Ynez Valley Area, and 10:20 – 30am form Santa Maria, Los Alamos, or Lompoc. Private tours are more flexible as it is your day, but leaving later or coming back early may limit your possibilities as standard winery hours at 11am – 5pm, with last pours beginning around 4.

All tasting fees are included in our tour prices. Each winery/location charges between $20-$45 per person.

Group discounts don’t apply in the wine industry. As a rule of thumb, wineries charge more for groups of 8+. However, do not let this intimidate you, contact us for pricing with any size group.

We come to you. We offer service from hotels and private residences all over the Santa Barbara area and the Santa Ynez Valley. We can also pick you up at the Santa Barbara Visitor Center, 1 Garden St Santa Barbara, CA 93101(map), the Santa Barbara Train Station, 209 State St Santa Barbara, CA 93101(map), or the Solvang Visitor Center,1639 Copenhagen Dr Solvang, CA 93463(map), all have plenty of daytime parking if you are not staying in the area.

Our mission statement is: To offer excellent tasting experiences by keeping the roads safe from drinking and driving and above all to keep our guests comfortable and safe.

We add 15% gratuity (billed to your CC if you are paying that way), 12% goes to the tour host and 3% to the administrative staff. We are confident that our team works very hard, we guarantee gratuity because we believe in them. In fact, many times our tour hosts receive additional cash above 15% because our guests think they did a magnificent job. You’ll see, give us a shot! Remember our team are not just drivers anyone can drive people around. We have the most highly trained staff in the industry, we set the bar.

Each winery is different but on average you taste 1 ounce of each wine they have to offer, Most wineries serve between 4 – 8 wines per flight. On the average tour you will imbibe approximately a bottle and a half of wine if you choose not to dump or spit. With that being said, we encourage you to have a good solid breakfast before the tour and recommend going easy the night before.