With over 400 wineries scattered across Napa Valley, there’s a wine adventure waiting for every taste bud and personality. Whether you’re a serious sommelier or someone who just knows they like “the red kind,” here’s how to find your perfect Napa Valley experience.
Tour Types We Offer in Napa Valley
Private Wine Tours: Your own personal wine country adventure with custom routes and flexible timing. Perfect for when you want to ugly-cry at a beautiful vineyard without judgment.
Group Wine Tours: Share the laughs (and the wine knowledge) with fellow enthusiasts while keeping costs friendly. Great for making new friends who also appreciate the finer things in life.
Corporate & Event Tours: Turn that team meeting into something people actually want to attend. We handle the logistics while you focus on not talking shop in wine country.
Join-In Tours: Connect with other wine lovers on shared experiences—like a wine club meeting, but with better scenery and professional drivers.
Sample Napa Valley Wine Tour Itineraries
Full-Day Classic Napa Experience
Start in Carneros (where Napa meets Sonoma—it’s complicated), wind through Yountville’s Michelin-starred restaurant scene, grab gourmet snacks at the famous Oakville Grocery, and end with legendary Rutherford cabernet. Think of it as a greatest hits tour, but for your palate.
Luxury Estate Tour
Three exclusive wineries, private tastings with actual winemakers, and lunch with vineyard views that’ll make your Instagram followers jealous. This is for when you want to feel fancy and have the wine knowledge to back it up.
Half-Day Tasting Adventure
Perfect for late arrivals or those who have mastered the art of quality over quantity. Two to three carefully chosen wineries that represent the best of Napa without the marathon commitment.
Your Journey Through Napa Valley
Carneros: The Diplomatic Zone
Where Napa and Sonoma shake hands over exceptional chardonnay and pinot noir. Cool breezes, morning fog, and sparkling wines that make everything feel celebratory—even Tuesday.
Downtown Napa: Urban Meets Vineyard
Tasting rooms, art galleries, and restaurants all within walking distance. It’s like a wine theme park, but classier and with better parking.
Yountville: Where Food Gets Fancy
Michelin stars as far as the eye can see. If you’re a foodie, this is your happy place. If you’re not a foodie, you will be after visiting.
Oakville: Blink and You’ll Miss It (Don’t Blink)
Tiny town, huge wines. Home to Oakville Grocery, where they’ve elevated picnic food to an art form. Seriously, their sandwiches are legendary.
Rutherford: Cabernet Royalty
Famous for “Rutherford Dust”—a flavor note that sounds made up but is absolutely real. This is where cabernet sauvignon reaches its full potential.
St. Helena: Picture-Perfect Wine Country
Main Street charm meets world-class wineries. Great for that “I’m living my best life” photo you’ve been planning.
Calistoga: Wild West Meets Wine
Old western charm with modern winemaking. It’s like stepping back in time, if people in the past had exceptional taste in wine.
Spring in Napa Valley: Peak Magic Season
March through May is when Napa shows off. New growth, wildflowers everywhere, perfect weather, and fewer crowds mean more intimate tastings. Plus, you get to witness “bud break”—which sounds dramatic and kind of is.
Spring Perks:
- Vineyards waking up (very Instagram-worthy)
- Arts in April celebrations
- BottleRock festival prep
- New wine releases (be the first to know what’s amazing)
Vehicles for Napa Wine Tours
We’ve got wheels for every style, from intimate sedans for romantic getaways to spacious coaches for your entire book club. All vehicles come with the essentials: professional drivers who know their wine stuff, comfy seating, and proper glassware (because plastic cups are for poolside, not wineries).
What to Expect During Your Tour
We pick you up, drive you to beautiful places where people pour you delicious wine, make sure you don’t get lost (literally or figuratively), and bring you home safely. Your driver doubles as your wine country concierge, sharing local secrets and making sure your day flows smoothly from first sip to final farewell.
Most wineries charge tasting fees ($25-75+), often waived when you find something you can’t live without. We recommend 3-4 wineries per day—enough to explore without turning into a wine zombie.
Planning Tips for First-Time Visitors
Best Times: Spring and fall are gorgeous, summer is lively (and busy), winter is cozy and quiet.
What to Wear: Comfortable shoes (you’ll want to wander), layers for changing weather, and your camera-ready smile.
Pro Tips: Book ahead, eat something substantial, ask questions (winemakers love sharing their passion), and remember—it’s about the experience, not checking every box.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many wineries should we visit?
A: Three to four gives you variety without wine fatigue. Quality over quantity, always.
Q: Are tasting fees included?
A: Nope, you pay wineries directly. But most waive fees when you buy wine (which you probably will).
Q: Can we customize everything?
A: Absolutely! We’re like wine country genies—your wish is our itinerary.
Q: Where do you pick up?
A: Bay Area, Napa, Sonoma, and beyond. If you can dream it, we can probably get there.
Ready for Your Napa Adventure?
We’ve been doing this for over 35 years, which means we’ve figured out how to make wine touring an art form. Let us handle the driving, planning, and logistics while you focus on the important stuff—enjoying incredible wine in one of the world’s most beautiful places.
Call us at 707-253-1300 or visit californiawinetours.com to start planning your wine country escape.